Sentence:  "The last thing Lesotho needed was another poor harvest since so many vulnerable people are already <WSD>living on the edge</WSD>, struggling to cope with the combined impact of successive crop failures, extreme poverty and HIV/Aids," said Amir Abdulla, WFP's regional director for Southern Africa. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To be caught in an economic or societal situation which one did not choose, which threatens one's well-being or life, and which causes distress.