Climate Vulnerability of Farm Households in a Context of Internal Displacement: A Livelihood Vulnerability Index Approach in Passoré and Yatenga, Burkina Faso
Sidnoma Abdoul Aziz Traoré *
Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Centre Universitaire de Ziniaré, Burkina Faso.
Tedoumwoaga Fabrice Yaser Tapsoba
Université Nazi BONI, Institut du Développement Rural, Burkina Faso.
Boundia Alexandre Thiombiano
Université Nazi BONI, Institut du Développement Rural, Burkina Faso.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aim: This study assesses the livelihood vulnerability of farm households to climate variability and change in two provinces, Passoré and Yatenga, of the Yaadga region of Burkina Faso. It pays particular attention to the context of internal displacement and to the proportion of surveyed households hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Study Design: A descriptive comparison of provincial vulnerability profiles based on a purposive, quota-based household survey.
Place and Duration of Study: Four communes in the provinces of Passoré and Yatenga; data were collected from December 2025 to January 2026.
Methodology: Primary data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to 300 farm households. Secondary climate data complemented the survey. Vulnerability was assessed using the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) and the IPCC-framed LVI-IPCC approach. The indices were aggregated and compared at the provincial level.
Results: The descriptive LVI values were higher in Yatenga (0.34) than in Passoré (0.31). Yatenga had higher scores for sociodemographic characteristics, livelihood strategies, water and food, whereas Passoré had higher scores for health and social capital. Climate-variability scores were similar in the two provinces (0.375 in Passoré and 0.366 in Yatenga). IDP-hosting households represented 56% of the surveyed sample in Yatenga and 25.33% in Passoré. The multiplicative LVI-IPCC values were close to zero (0.0022 in Passoré and −0.0049 in Yatenga), while the additive formulation gave 0.329 for Passoré and 0.348 for Yatenga. No statistical tests were conducted, so these differences should be interpreted as descriptive rather than statistically significant.
Conclusion: The provincial profiles indicate different patterns of livelihood vulnerability in Passoré and Yatenga, although the observed differences have not been tested for statistical significance. In Yatenga, the results point to water access, food security, livelihood security and support for households hosting IDPs as important priorities. In Passoré, access to health services and household support mechanisms deserve attention. In both provinces, early-warning systems and access to climate information need strengthening. These findings can inform territorially tailored adaptation planning, while further research using representative samples and household-level inferential analysis is needed to test the robustness of the observed differences.
Keywords: Climate variability, livelihood vulnerability, internally displaced persons, livelihood vulnerability index, LVI-IPCC, IDP-hosting households, Burkina Faso