Exploring poverty eradication strategy due to climate change: a focus group discussion among housewives in Sabak Bernam

This paper presents strategies to eradicate poverty due to the impact of climate change on housewives in Sabak Bernam Selangor, a coastal district in the Malacca Strait of Peninsular Malaysia. This paper reported two data sets: the survey and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The survey was among n=274, in which n=108 [39.42%]) of respondents reported on their experiences of households' poverty increase due to climate change, with responses disaggregated by sex and classified into four levels. The highest percentage among males, 21.30%, experienced “YES moderately” that climate change impacts their household poverty level. Among females, the highest percentage, 22.22%, reported “no increase” in poverty level. These results may be due to gender roles, where males are responsible for household income and feel more about the impact of poverty on the household compared with females. Among n=108, 16 housewives participated in the FGD session discussing strategies to eradicate poverty. In the survey, the majority of females responded “no increase” in poverty, which may be due to their strategies to cope with it. Therefore, this FGD was conducted among housewives. Among these 16 informants, 43.75% indicated “YES, moderately”; 12.5% indicated “YES, obviously”; and 43.75% indicated “NO” or “NOT SURE” that climate change increases their household poverty. This paper focuses on nine informants who answered “YES, obviously” and “YES, moderately.” They experienced the impact of climate change on household poverty at a younger age. With few assets and little savings, any disaster will be a significant point in life and may suddenly turn their households into poor or extremely poor households. The FGD discussion on poverty-eradication strategies due to climate change concluded with three themes: good practices in personal finance, agricultural activities, and venturing into business. In conclusion, from the point of view of housewives, they have coping strategies for household poverty. This may explain why they responded “no increase” in poverty in the survey, because besides agricultural activities, good practices in personal financial management and venturing into business are also effective strategies during climate change.

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