A metric of indicators and factors for assessing livelihood preparedness: A systematic review

Abstract

People's livelihoods are often disrupted or decimated by natural hazards. Preparing for sustainable livelihood is therefore of paramount importance in reducing the impacts of disruptive shocks and stresses. Through a systematic review of literature, this paper aims to identify the indicators for measuring livelihood preparedness and the factors that influence them. Analysis of 66 included publications showed that existing studies published between 2000 and 2019 have largely focused on discussion of four indicators of livelihood preparedness: 1) accessibility to resources, 2) level of livelihood diversity, 3) individual adaptive capacity, and 4) effectiveness of individual disaster risk reduction (DRR) measures. These indicators form the basis of our proposed livelihood preparedness factor metric, which promotes the development of methodologies for investigating the determinants in context-dependent livelihood readiness assessment while highlighting the directions for disaster risk reduction (DRR) policymakers and individuals in the design and management of livelihood support activities for people living in hazard-prone areas.