Hazards, food insecurity and human displacement in rural riverine Bangladesh: Implications for policy

This paper examines the impacts of climate-induced hazards, especially riverbank erosion, on livelihoods and food security, and the ways in which susceptible households respond. The study uses survey data collected from 380 riverbank erosion-prone rural households in Bangladesh, along with data from focus group discussions involving household heads from severe erosion-prone areas. A Food Security Index (FSI) has been developed to improve understanding of the extent of households' food insecurity where 3 indicates food security and 1 minimal security. Over the past 10 years, about a third of households have lost their homestead more than three times and 57% have lost at least once. The overall FSI value of 2.06 indicates households' difficulties in managing family food requirements throughout the…