Resources - ACCCRN Learning Forum 2016 Presentations and Resources - ACCCRN Network
Profile:
Dr. Shiraz Wajih is President of GEAG and Associate Professor at Gorakhpur University has
more than 30 years of experience on sustainable livelihoods in ecological stress situations in
rural and urban areas through participation of community institutions. He has been part of
ACCCRN, the Risk to Resilience project, and climate smart disaster risk reduction activities
Outline:
I was thinking on my inputs in the proposed panel, especially focussing on the sustainable
livelihoods of urban poor and marginalised communities in the urban areas. My story line
can be narrated as follows:
In developmental processes, both in rural and urban areas, the approach has been largely
top down where needs and priorities of poor and marginalized are largely ignored. The
schemes and programmes related to livelihoods of poor are also more in rural areas as
compared to urban set-ups due to the mindset that urbanites are economically and socially
better off. It is also because the assets and resources are generally in control of
communities with better scope of risk taking whereas urban dwellers are largely dependent
on service sector.
In the urban areas the city planning and governance largely ignores poor communities in
development and resilience building. The poor living in dense localities, slums, low lying
areas, flood basins, peri-urban spaces etc are largely ignored in the development and
resilience building processes. A significant population of this group are dependent on their
own houses and land for the livelihoods. The peri-urban population largely engaged in
farming are dependent on the shrinking ecosystems for the agricultural inputs. The periurban areas, although contributing to city's resilience through water holding capacities, food
and labor are the dumping ground for wastes from the city. They are also not covered under
municipal basic services and rural livelihood programmes enhancing their vulnerabilities. It
is important that the ecosystems and peri-urban farmers are supported for better
livelihoods and resilience of the city.
Dr. Shiraz Wajih is President of GEAG and Associate Professor at Gorakhpur University has
more than 30 years of experience on sustainable livelihoods in ecological stress situations in
rural and urban areas through participation of community institutions. He has been part of
ACCCRN, the Risk to Resilience project, and climate smart disaster risk reduction activities
Outline:
I was thinking on my inputs in the proposed panel, especially focussing on the sustainable
livelihoods of urban poor and marginalised communities in the urban areas. My story line
can be narrated as follows:
In developmental processes, both in rural and urban areas, the approach has been largely
top down where needs and priorities of poor and marginalized are largely ignored. The
schemes and programmes related to livelihoods of poor are also more in rural areas as
compared to urban set-ups due to the mindset that urbanites are economically and socially
better off. It is also because the assets and resources are generally in control of
communities with better scope of risk taking whereas urban dwellers are largely dependent
on service sector.
In the urban areas the city planning and governance largely ignores poor communities in
development and resilience building. The poor living in dense localities, slums, low lying
areas, flood basins, peri-urban spaces etc are largely ignored in the development and
resilience building processes. A significant population of this group are dependent on their
own houses and land for the livelihoods. The peri-urban population largely engaged in
farming are dependent on the shrinking ecosystems for the agricultural inputs. The periurban areas, although contributing to city's resilience through water holding capacities, food
and labor are the dumping ground for wastes from the city. They are also not covered under
municipal basic services and rural livelihood programmes enhancing their vulnerabilities. It
is important that the ecosystems and peri-urban farmers are supported for better
livelihoods and resilience of the city.