Social support from bonding and bridging relationships in disaster recovery: Findings from a slow-onset disaster

Abstract Despite of growing scholarship discussing the role of social capital in disaster recovery, little has been known about the connection between forms of social capital (bonding and bridging social capital) and disaster recovery in the context of slow-onset disaster such as drought. This study employs a qualitative standpoint to explore how disaster-affected households seek support from bonding and bridging social capital during their recovery. The study draws on semi-structured interviews with 28 disaster-affected households and 21 key stakeholders including local authorities, mass organisation's representatives, agricultural input suppliers. The paper finds out that while bonding social capital played a crucial role throughout recovery phases, bridging social capital only become important when it comes to long-term recovery. The paper also shows that types of support and the use of support were affected by household poverty, land holdings, and ethnicity of household head.