Bharath Kumar Mannepalli, Malliboina Mahesh Yadav, Ankit Yadav, Evans Kemboi and Virendra Kamalvanshi
Abstract
The semi-arid parts of Telangana were under heightened livelihood stress due to climate instability, significant agricultural reliance, and ongoing socioeconomic constraints. This research investigates household-level livelihood risk in Wanaparthy district through the application of an integrated Household Livelihood Vulnerability Index (HLVI) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Primary data were obtained from 120 households across ten villages in the Peddamandadi and Pangalmandals using a multistage sampling methodology. The HLVI was established by consolidating seven essential dimensions: socioeconomic-demographic profile, livelihood methods, social networks, health, water, food, and drought exposure. The findings indicate a significant degree of livelihood vulnerability with an aggregate HLVI value of 0.538 suggesting that the vulnerability was deeply ingrained rather than transitory. PCA identified twelve vulnerability dimensions that account for over 76 percent of the total variance, with predominant factors linked to agro-climatic production risk, food insecurity, institutional access limitations, restricted asset and livelihood diversification, demographic pressure, and health-related shocks. The strong correlation between HLVI components and PCA-derived dimensions highlights the complex and interdependent nature of vulnerability in semi-arid agricultural systems. The research underscores the necessity for cohesive, localized climate adaptation strategies and illustrates the effectiveness of merging composite index evaluation with latent factor analysis to guide district-level climate adaptation and rural development planning in semi-arid India.