Download PDF - ReliefWeb

48 49End WordsEnd WordsThe recent frenzied debate around resilience has beenbewildering both in the way in which so many organisationsfeel the need to develop their own frameworks, and in theway that there has been so little clarity of what practicalvalue these frameworks bring. With the new DFID, WorldBank and USAID discussion paper on ‘Enhancing Resilienceto Food Security Shocks in Africa’ 35 there finally seems to besome coalescence in terms of what is meant by the conceptand some of the principles that are fundamental to it.The DFID/World Bank/USAID paper defines resilienceas: ‘the ability of countries, communities, and householdsto anticipate, adapt to, and/or recover from the effectsof potentially hazardous occurrences (natural disasters,economic instability, conflict) in a manner that protectslivelihoods, accelerates and sustains recovery, and supportseconomic and social development’. (p.1) The TANGOconceptual framework has been chosen to illustrate theprocess. This clearly integrates a livelihoods, disaster riskreduction and climate change adaptation approach,reinforcing the link between relief and development as wellas promoting more coherence among different disciplines.Figure 1: Resillience Assessment FrameworkResilience in PracticeVanessa Tilstone, Monitoring, Learning and Communication Manager, REGLAPThe paper outlines some key principles that are widelyaccepted in the development community but are seldomseen in practice. Much work remains to be done toensure that these principles are put at the forefront of the‘resilience agenda’:1. Putting communities and their main duty bearers(local government) at the centre of development andhumanitarian efforts;2. Recognising and responding to the different needs,capabilities and aspirations of different individuals,households and communities;3. Understanding and focusing on social and ecologicalsystems rather than individual components of thosesystems.4. Promoting integrated multi-sectoral approaches;5. Increasing emphasis on longer-term investments andaddressing the underlying causes of vulnerability.Putting communities at the centre of resilience effortsrequires respect for communities, their institutions andknowledge systems; and a spirit of mutual learningbetween development partners and the communities.Considerable capacity building will be required to bridgethe gap in understanding between communities anddevelopment actors, including local government.A fine balanceThe importance of understanding the dynamics andrationale of the ecological and livelihoods systems indrylands is particularly relevant in resilience, given howmuch this is being ignored even within recent initiativesthat are being labelled as ‘resilience building’ (e.g.inappropriate crop agriculture promotion). Dryland areas,because of their unique aridity and climate variability, aremost productive when managed as an ecological andsocial system. Extensive livestock production in the pastbalanced the use of scarce resources over vast areas toensure survival and expansion during drought and plenty.However, when more productive areas are converted fromdry season grazing areas to crop agriculture, or mobility isconstrained and traditional management undermined, thissystem no longer functions.In a situation where the ecological and social system hasalready been permanently impaired, the redefining andbuilding of productive and resilient systems needs muchthought and effort. Given that alternative livelihoodsoptions currently available have little chance of supportingall people involved in livestock production in the shortterm [Heady’s analysis suggests that at most irrigated cropagriculture can support 3% of the dryland population inthe HOA 36 ], the protection of remaining dry season grazingareas and key migration and marketing routes is a firsturgent step in slowing further damage.Coordinated visionThe recognition that resilience has to be built across sectorsand scales in order to have impact is highlighted as criticalin the DFID/World Bank/USAID paper. Obviously oneorganisation cannot address all the levels and componentsrequired (see Figure 2 below), however by promotingco-ordinated planning, particularly of the governmentwhere priority interventions are addressed and linkedto a common vision, this can be improved—with donorsplaying a critical role.Figure 2: Building Resilience Across Sectors and ScalesTaking a resilience approach will involve much more thaninserting the word into debates and discussions. NGOs anddonors have already started to re-brand their programsas resilience building with little or no change in content,often with narrow social welfare measures such as socialprotection and cash transfers being put forward as keyresilience building mechanisms. The concept will onlybecome useful if it translates into a wide and consistentunderstanding of the priorities and processes forimplementing it; i.e. the promotion of locally defined andowned visions of resilient futures that everyone contributesto.The promotion of integrated planning processes is difficultand challenging, and will require major strengthening ofcommunity and local government capacity to ensure thatlocally appropriate and co-ordinated planning happens. 37There are multiple planning processes taking place bothwithin and outside government: land use planning,contingency planning, community planning and a wholerange of sectoral planning processes—few of which linkto or recognise the existence of other processes or havereference to a holistic vision of the future of the drylands.Embracing differenceThere is much talk about innovation and doing thingsdifferently in resilience discussions. Innovations thatincorporate lessons from the past, prioritise and strengthenthe delivery of universally accepted goods—education,governance, community organisation and voice—andaddress the underlying causes of vulnerability, are essential.But doing things differently for the sake of it, bringinginnovations without understanding why efforts have failedin the past and ignoring local context and perceptions area recipe for disaster.35 http://www.fsnnetwork.org/sites/default/files/discussion_paper_usaid_dfid_wb_nov._8_2012.pdf36 http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/ifpridp01176.pdf37 See ‘Promoting Promoting integrated planning in dryland areas, a review of experiences and opportunities,REGLAP (forthcoming)