Livelihoods and disaster risk reduction Caribbean workshop
Background
Disasters cause loss of productive assets and disruption of markets, affecting availability and access to food and thwarting people’s efforts to build sustainable livelihoods. Living with high levels of risk undermines Caribbean people’s ability to develop their livelihoods greatly. Predominantly, disasters tend to have the most severe consequences on the people who are dependent on agriculture and/or agriculture-related activities for their livelihood.
The lack of knowledge and skills, inappropriate agricultural practices, poor or nonexistent access to information and low-cost preparedness and protection measures, as well as the absence of any type of contingency planning greatly contribute to the vulnerability of small producers and their families. When a disaster strikes, this situation often results in decapitalization, migration, child labor, reduction of diet and other drastic coping strategies, reinforcing the downward spiral of poverty and vulnerability.
Hence, to support the development of resilient communities in the Caribbean, one of the most critical steps is to ensure livelihood resilience of small producers by systematically integrating disaster risk management in the agriculture sector and particularly in small-scale agricultural practices.
Oxfam GB has been working for more than 10 years in the Caribbean region on agriculture development, food security and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), though as separate programmes. Recently it has recognized the need to integrate them and with the support of the European Commission, has piloted projects with fishermen and dairy producers in Haiti and vegetable farmers in Jamaica.
These good practices and others will be the focus of the regional workshop.
The objective of the workshop
The regional workshop will aim at sharing experiences, discussing problems and exchanging good practices of DRR and small-scale agriculture integration.
Thematic area for discussion
Specifically during the workshop the participants will look at and reflect on the following themes:
Disaster risk assessment in the agricultural sector
- Promotion of long term disaster risk reduction
- Technical intervention for enhanced DRR and agricultural measures
- Socio economic measures
- Sector specific infrastructural measures
Preparedness
- Training and awareness raising
- Contingency planning
- Linking early warning systems with agricultural sector needs
- Protective measures and household level preparedness