Division of Capitals—What Role Does It Play for Gender-Differentiated Vulnerability to Drought in Nicaragua?

Abstract

This article explores the gender differentiation of vulnerability to the drought situation within a rural community in the dry zone of Nicaragua. Case study work demonstrates that women and men use different strategies to cope with drought in the short term, and to adapt to the recurring El Niño induced events in the longer term. These strategies combined constitute the livelihoods of the rural poor in the dry zone of Nicaragua—livelihoods that change at times of drought to reduce its impacts. The article uses the Community Capitals Framework (CCF) to look at what resources women and men in the case study area have lost and to analyze what capitals are most central for the coping and adaptation capacity. A gender perspective is applied to see what difference in access to capitals between men and women exist and what that means in terms of gender-differentiated vulnerability to drought.

Keywords:

• capacity
• Community Capitals Framework
• drought
• gender-differentiated vulnerability
• Nicaragua

Acknowledgments

The research presented in this article has been funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

Notes

Note. Those points that are relevant at a household level go across the columns for Women in male-headed households and Male heads of households; those that are relevant for all three groups of interviewees go across the whole table.

Note. Those points that are relevant at a household level go across the columns for Women in male-headed households and Male heads of households; those that are relevant for all three groups of interviewees go across the whole table.

Nicaragua is administratively divided into 16 departments.

An additional nine interviews and two focus groups were conducted in October 2008. The results of these are not systematically included, however, since the focus of those activities was slightly different.

All of Nueva Segovia, Madriz, Estelí, Chinandega, León, Managua, Rivas, Masaya, Granada and Carazo, and parts of Matagalpa, Jinotega, Boaco, and Chontales.

US$1 = c$19 at the time of the interviews.

All quotes from interviews in the article have been translated from Spanish by the author.

Note that the following analysis focuses on local level impacts and strategies. Municipal or national level impacts and actions toward drought are beyond the scope of this article and will only be touched upon in the case they have been mentioned within the local interviews as being of great interest to their drought vulnerability.

“Municipal Plan for Preparation for and Attention to Emergencies and Disasters. The Municipality of El Sauce.”

Unfortunately, historical data on health issues in Sabana Grande were not available at the time of the fieldwork.

The total sum of strategies exceeds the number of interviewees since they often mentioned several types of strategies.