As climate shocks become more frequent across East and Southern Africa, building resilience is critical to reducing poverty and improving wellbeing.
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In this episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast, researchers from the Chronic Poverty Advisory Network discuss new evidence on how households can better cope with climate crises and why integrated support is key to achieving lasting escapes from poverty.
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Joining the podcast is: Vidya Diwakar, IDS Senior Research Fellow and the Deputy Director of the Chronic Poverty Advisory Network; Brian Mulenga, Executive Director for the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute; Anderson Gondwe, Research Fellow at the MWAPATA Institute, Malawi and Judith Kahamba, Department of Development and Strategic Studies, Sokoine University of Agriculture.
The findings, published in a special issue of the IDS Bulletin: Climate Resilience and Poverty Reduction highlights a growing recognition that climate change and poverty can no longer be treated as separate challenges. The researchers – drawing on evidence from Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and other countries – found that climate shocks such as droughts, floods, heatwaves and crop diseases disproportionately affect poor households, often pushing already vulnerable communities deeper into poverty.
The experts argue that while poverty reduction can strengthen resilience by helping households build assets and improve livelihoods, resilience-building measures are equally important in preventing families from falling into poverty when climate shocks occur.
No single solution
A central finding of the research is that resilience is rarely achieved through one single intervention. Instead, successful outcomes emerge when policies and programmes work together to strengthen people’s assets, capabilities and opportunities over time.
The studies examined a range of approaches, including social protection programmes, climate-smart agriculture, livelihood diversification, vocational training and public-private agricultural partnerships. Across different countries and contexts, researchers found that combining interventions was far more effective than relying on individual programmes operating in isolation.
IDS Researcher Vidya Diwakar says, ‘Our research shows that resilience is not built through a single intervention. What matters is how policies and programmes work together to strengthen people’s assets, capabilities and opportunities, particularly for those living in or near poverty.’
Resilience remains unequal
A recurring theme across the studies was that resilience is highly unequal. Households with stronger asset bases, better market access, greater social capital and stronger community connections were consistently better positioned to adapt to climate shocks.
Poorer households, particularly women and young people, often struggled to benefit fully from resilience-building interventions. Researchers argue that addressing these inequalities requires policies that go beyond technical solutions and focus on strengthening institutions, improving market access and tackling structural barriers that leave some groups more vulnerable than others.
Key messages
- Climate change and poverty are deeply interconnected and should be addressed together.
- Poor households are disproportionately affected by climate shocks, including droughts, floods, heatwaves and crop diseases.
- No single intervention is sufficient; resilience requires coordinated combinations of social protection, education, livelihood support, climate-smart agriculture and institutional strengthening.
- Cash transfers can help households cope in the short term, but lasting resilience needs linked support for livelihoods, skills, savings and assets.
The overall message is one of cautious optimism: well-designed policies can reduce poverty and strengthen climate resilience at the same time.
Policy implications
The research highlights the need for governments and partners to move from crisis response towards long-term resilience building. This includes investing in local farmer organisations, strengthening institutional frameworks, improving access to education and finance, supporting livelihood diversification and designing policies that anticipate future climate risks rather than responding after disasters occur.
Researchers concluded that climate resilience and poverty reduction should be treated as interconnected goals rather than separate policy agendas. They argue that coordinated approaches, informed by ongoing evidence and data collection, will be essential if countries across East and Southern Africa are to reduce poverty while adapting to an increasingly uncertain climate future.
About the speakers
Vidya Diwakar is an IDS Senior Research Fellow and the Deputy Director of the Chronic Poverty Advisory Network, where she leads mixed methods studies on poverty dynamics and resilience. Her work focuses on gender-disaggregated drivers of poverty escapes, intersecting crises as drivers of poverty traps, and the role of multi-sectoral programming in supporting poverty reduction.
Brian Mulenga holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics with 12 years’ experience in agri-food systems policy research and analysis. Prior to his current position as Executive Director for the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI), he was the Research Director (2024–5) and a Research Fellow (2019–23) at IAPRI.
Anderson Gondwe holds a PhD in Economics from Stellenbosch University, South Africa and an MA and BSc in Economics from the University of Malawi. He is a Research Fellow at the MwAPATA Institute, Malawi. His research interests include agricultural and development economics.
Dr. Judith Samwel Kahamba is a lecturer, consultant and gender specialist, currently working at the Department of Development and Strategic Studies, Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA).
About the Between the Lines podcast
This podcast series explores ground-breaking ideas in development for positive social and environmental change. Each month we feature an interview with an expert in international development who will talk about their latest research and ideas.
Episodes content could feature authors of new books, IDS research or interviews with special guest stars.
The discussions give an insight on the themes covered, exploring the challenges and discoveries, and why the issues matter for progressive and sustainable development globally.
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