Assessing vulnerabilities and resilience strategies for communities facing climate change in Androy, Southern...

The Androy region of southern Madagascar faces compounding challenges of climate change, environmental degradation, and socioeconomic instability. These challenges have forced local communities confronting prolonged droughts, food insecurity, and ecosystem collapse to develop a range of adaptive strategies and resilience mechanisms. Using a cross-sectional mixed-methods design, researchers from the Centre Universitaire Régional Androy (CURA) and New York University's Applied Global Public Health Initiative (AGPHI) conducted 16 focus groups and community surveys across five rural districts to better understand and evaluate these adaptive strategies. The data was analyzed through Dice-Sørensen similarity coefficients. Four distinct adaptation profiles: community-driven reforestation, educational initiatives, reliance on humanitarian aid, and the adoption of drought-resistant crops and short-cycle agriculture. The study highlights the need for integrated, community-centered adaptation strategies that strengthen health systems, expand climate literacy, and promote sustainable agriculture practices. It further provides a scalable framework for addressing climate-induced vulnerabilities in similar semi-arid, resource-constrained contexts.