Adapting across generations: Livelihood pathways in environmentally stressed rural coastal regions of Bangladesh and India

Abstract

Understanding how livelihood practices transform across generations in response to environmental change represents a critical yet underexplored problem. Environmental changes are increasingly disrupting rural livelihoods in coastal South Asia. Existing studies have rarely captured either the dynamic or the intergenerational nature of livelihoods. Moving beyond static analyses, this study aimed to capture the intergenerational dynamics of livelihood trajectories in response to environmental change by introducing the analytical framework of Intergenerational Livelihood Pathways. The framework examined how environmental changes have shaped the availability of and access to livelihood capitals over time and how different adaptation strategies have evolved across generations. The framework was applied in rural coastal communities in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, where livelihoods have long been deeply rooted in natural resources and exposed to multiple environmental hazards. Drawing on life-history interviews in ten villages, this study traced the evolution of livelihood practices across three generations. The findings indicated a gradual shift from solely nature-based livelihoods to more mixed and diversified practices, mainly due to the degradation of natural capital. The study offered critical insights into how rural households adapt their livelihoods across generations in response to environmental changes. It provided actionable directions for policies that strengthen natural capital, promote sustainable resource use, and support locally driven adaptation planning. By introducing the Intergenerational Livelihood Pathways framework, the study contributed an original analytical lens for examining the intergenerational dimensions of adaptation and livelihood resilience in climate-vulnerable communities.