Social vulnerability to drought in rural Malawi

The chapter brings new insights into social vulnerability in the context of drought, by focusing on subsistence farming communities in Nsanje, Malawi. The research employs an index study with quantitative and qualitative factors and a community co-created weighting scheme to explore social vulnerability to droughts. Results reveal the drivers of vulnerability in Nsanje and draw conclusions regarding the importance of spate-irrigated agriculture in the region. Through comparisons with reported food history, the study concludes that drought vulnerability must be considered alongside vulnerability to flooding as a holistic multihazard assessment of the hydrohazard cycle.