Linking social capital and gender relationships in adaptation to a post-cyclone recovery context

Abstract Linking social capital refers to the relationship between a community of insiders (e.g. family, relatives, neighbourhood), outside organizations (e.g. NGOs, aid agencies) and other individuals. Its value in climate change adaptation is widely accepted in developing countries because it can enable access to local knowledge and resources. Women in coastal Bangladesh are subject to exclusion from access to natural resources and are frequently unable to connect with outsiders because of socio-cultural and religious barriers leading to a lack of opportunity for interaction with linking actors. To explore changes in linking social capital for adaptation among women in the post-cyclone Aila-2009 context, a mixed method approach was employed in the villages of Gabura Union (Bangladesh). We argue that the social disruption caused by Aila allowed women to form links with non-government organizations (NGOs), contributing to local adaptive responses (e.g. in agricultural innovation and household handicrafts production). Our observations suggest that of the three commonly identified forms of social capital (i.e. bonding, bridging and linking), bonding relationships within the family appeared to become weaker after a major disaster, which may be attributed to the disruption of reciprocal kinship ties and greater mobility of male family members to search for new economic opportunities in cities. Over time, linking relationships with NGOs contributed to strengthening bonding and bridging among women through establishment of social networks for knowledge sharing and production. These altered relationships and enhancement of linking social capital have produced new adaptation strategies that persisted beyond the immediate post-cyclone recovery period.