Not Just Climate—Caste, Class, and Capacity Matter: Exploring the Dynamics of Livelihood Vulnerability in an Indigenous South Asian Community

Livelihood vulnerability arises not only from climatic stressors but also from entrenched socioeconomic inequalities and generational marginalization shaping household resilience. Moving beyond climate-centric models, this study examines livelihood vulnerability among an Indigenous community in India through a socioeconomic–institutional lens, operationalized via exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Applying a tridimensional framework with thirty-four indicators, the study assesses microscale socioeconomic vulnerability. Findings reveal strong spatial clustering, reflecting localized marginalization and unequal service access. Over one-third of households experience moderate exposure, and nearly one-third face high to extreme exposure, particularly in central, western, and southern areas marked by isolation and poor infrastructure. Nearly one-third of households fall into high and extreme sensitivity categories due to low education and limited services. Importantly, adaptive capacity is uneven; about four-fifths of households fall within moderate to high vulnerability levels. Key drivers include chronic illness, food insecurity, inadequate housing, limited vocational training, educational deprivation, poor service access, and caregiving burdens. Although community trust and public distribution systems offer partial support, adaptive capacity remains constrained by low asset ownership, weak digital access, and fragile institutional linkages. The study draws attention to the need for context-specific interventions that address structural barriers and spatial inequalities. It also highlights the importance of integrating socioeconomic and spatial dimensions into vulnerability assessments to promote more equitable development policies for the left-behind populations of the Global South.