Volume 13, Issue 8 (August 2026), Pages: 20-30

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 Original Research Paper

Assessing climate vulnerability and adaptive capacity of Ifugao agricultural households: An LVI–IPCC approach

 Author(s): 

Jennifer Madonna G. Dait *

 Affiliation(s):

College of Advanced Education, Ifugao State University, Ifugao, Philippines

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0487-9476

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

 
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.08.003

 Abstract

Climate change poses a serious threat to upland agricultural systems, where environmental hazards and socioeconomic constraints combine to determine livelihood vulnerability. This study assessed the livelihood vulnerability of agricultural households in Ifugao, Philippines, using the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) and the LVI–IPCC framework. A survey of 1,400 farmers across eight municipalities was conducted to assess vulnerability across three dimensions: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Results show that Ifugao is moderately vulnerable to climate change overall (LVI–IPCC = 0.00918), with exposure to climatic hazards being the most contributing factor. Typhoon occurrences, variable rainfall patterns, and landslides were identified as significant threats to agricultural production and rural livelihoods. While traditional agricultural systems continue to provide ecological resilience over time, farmers’ adaptive capacity has been constrained by an aging farmer population, limited access to financial resources, and uneven coverage of agricultural training and climate information. The results underscore the need for contextualized climate adaptation mechanisms, strengthened local extension systems, improved access to capital for climate-resilient investments, rehabilitation of terrace irrigation infrastructure, and livelihood diversification in upland communities. The study integrates indigenous, climate-smart agricultural knowledge with institutional efforts to adapt to a changing climate and provides evidence-based recommendations for enhancing resilience in mountain agriculture.

 © 2026 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

Climate vulnerability, Adaptive capacity, Livelihood sustainability, Climate adaptation, Upland agriculture

 Article history

Received 19 January 2026, Received in revised form 18 July 2026, Accepted 7 August 2026

 Acknowledgment

The Neys van Hoogstraten Foundation (NHF) in The Hague, The Netherlands, paved the way for this study to become possible. The author thanks and appreciates the Foundation for its dedication to funding research that helps communities, especially in the Southeast Asian region, to become more resilient and aid in food security initiatives. Appreciation is also extended to the participants and Ifugao State University for the institutional support in the conduct of this study. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

This study involved agricultural household surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions with adult farmers in Ifugao. Participation was voluntary, and informed consent was obtained before data collection. Participants were informed of the study purpose, their rights, and their right to withdraw at any time without consequence. No sensitive personal identifiers were collected, and all responses were anonymized to protect participants’ privacy and confidentiality. 

 Citation:

Dait JMG (2026). Assessing climate vulnerability and adaptive capacity of Ifugao agricultural households: An LVI–IPCC approach. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 13(8): 20-30

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