Integrating Climate Resilience into Poverty Reduction Strategies. A case Study of Katete District, Zambia

This thesis examines how climate resilience can be integrated into poverty reduction strategies at district scale, using Katete District, Eastern Province, Zambia, as a case study. It combines a quantitative household baseline survey (n = 1,200), geospatial exposure mapping, participatory village capacity assessments, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The study documents spatial and social patterns of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity, identifies institutional and programmatic gaps in existing poverty reduction and social protection systems, and evaluates comparative lessons from Ethiopia, Rwanda and Malawi. Findings show that repeated climate shocks exacerbate poverty through reduced agricultural productivity, asset erosion and heightened food and nutrition insecurity, with disproportionate impacts on women and youth. Current programs are fragmented and insufficiently shock responsive. The thesis proposes a set of integrated, evidence-based recommendations for Katete that combine predictable social transfers, climate smart public works, targeted CSA packages, youth green skills development and women’s asset security measures, supported by an interoperable M&E system and localized climate information services. A pilot design, monitoring framework and operational road map are presented to guide district adoption and phased scaling. The work contributes a transferable district level methodology for targeting, monitoring and evaluating climate resilient poverty reduction interventions.