Severina is a common name in the dry Northeast of Brazil – it is a name akin to the word for severity, reflecting rural life in these drylands. The experience of severe deprivation is widespread in the semi-arid tropics. Indeed, there are many Severinos living lives of constant vulnerability to hunger, famine, dislocation and material loss. Extreme climatic events, such as droughts, simply unveil this underlying chronic state. Such vulnerability is not caused by climate variability or climate change alone (Sen 1981; Watts 1983a). It is a result of the configuration of forces that shape the ability of farm and pastoral populations to produce, reproduce and develop. Climate extremes are an expected characteristic of semi-arid lands. Most populations know from local history the frequency and likely consequences of extreme climatic events. And most populations in highly variable or extreme climatic zones shape their livelihood systems to buffer against potential catastrophes. They prepare with the means at their disposal for these expected, yet unpredictable, threats.