Poverty, Adaptation and Disaster Risk Interface: Linking Research and PracticeDr. Tom Mitchell

23rd March 2009

Disaster - Poverty Cycle

Source: Piyoosh (2006)

Number of poor in millions Headcount index (%)

Urban share of the poor (%)

Urban share of population (%)

Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total

East-Asia and Pacific 16.27 223.23 239.50 2.28 19.83 13.03 6.79 38.79 China 4.00 175.01 179.01 0.80 22.44 13.98 2.24 37.68 Eastern-Europe and Central Asia

2.48 4.94 7.42 0.83 2.87 1.57 33.40 63.45

Latin America and Caribbean

38.33 26.60 64.93 9.49 21.15 12.26 59.03 76.24

Middle East and North Africa

1.21 4.88 6.09 0.75 3.82 2.11 19.87 55.75

South Asia 125.40 394.34 519.74 32.21 39.05 37.15 24.13 27.83 India 106.64 316.42 423.06 36.20 41.96 40.34 25.21 28.09 Sub-Saharan Africa 98.84 228.77 327.61 40.38 50.86 47.17 30.17 35.24 Total 282.52 882.77 1165.29 12.78 29.32 22.31 24.24 42.34

Poverty Statistics Urban and rural income poverty 2002 (poverty line = $1.08/day, 1993 PPP)

Source: Ravallion, Chen, and Sangraula (2007)

Source: Mitchell and Tanner (2006)

• Impact of disaster or climate-related stress can lead to damaging coping strategies among chronically poor: – Distress sales of critical assets– Crime/conflict– Children leave school to work– Use of critical ecosystem assets (Thomas et al. 2005)

Disaster Risk , Adaptation and Poverty connected

0 20 40 60 80 100

Migrated

Informal help

Sold assets

Borrowed

Cut spending

Rationed food

Coping strategies during a drought in Namibia, 1992 (Devereux 2007)

Coping Strategies

EMPOWERMENT

- Political say

- Confidence

- Dignity

SERVICES

- Clean water

- Schooling

- Health care

Well-being:

Absence of Poverty

ASSETS

- Land

- Tools

- Credit

- Family & Friends

INCOME

- Food

- Shelter

- Clothing

WELL BEING

Absence of Poverty

Social and Political dimensions

Gender

Age, class disability

legislation

institutions

Hazards

Conflict

Disease

Economic crisis

Floods

Drought

Multiple dimensions of poverty (+ well being)

Categories of Poverty

Source: Jalan and Ravallion (2000)

-1.4

-1.2

-1

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

Ch

ang

e in

rea

l in

com

e (%

)

Poorest Less Poor Average Better Off

Richest

ALL

Projected effect of a 10% increase in maize prices on the welfare of different wealth groups in rural Malawi (FAO 2008)

Need for greater resolution

Targeting Vulnerability of Chronically Poor

Employment Guarantee Schemes:• Safety nets effective when already in place when disaster strikes• Insurance inaccessible for rural poor• National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (India):

o 100 days work at minimum wage every yearo Unemployment benefit

• Highly effective in fight against seasonal hunger/famine• Maharashtra – Evidence of avoided famine in drought years

Source: Devereux, Vaitla and Hauenstein Swan (2008)

SP category Examples of SP instruments DRR benefits

Protective(coping strategies)

-social service provision-basic social transfers (food/cash)-social pension schemes -safety nets-public works programmes

-protection of those most vulnerable to DRR with low levels of resilience

Preventive(coping strategies)

-social transfers -livelihood diversification-weather-indexed crop insurance

-prevents damaging coping strategies as a result of risks to weather-dependent livelihoods

Promotive(building adaptive capacity)

-social transfers-access to credit-asset transfers or protection-starter packs (drought/flood-resistant)-access to common property resources-public works programmes

- promotes resilience through livelihood diversification

Transformative(building adaptive capacity)

-promotion of minority rights-anti-discrimination campaigns-social funds

-transforms social relations to combat discrimination underlying social and political vulnerability

Social Protection for DRR

Conclusion

• Poverty and disasters in reinforcing cycle• Coping with impact of disasters varies widely between different

categories of poor• DRR and adaptation interventions more successful if also seek to

reduce poverty and are tailored to specific asset mixes/needs of different socio-economic groups within countries and communities.

• Social protection schemes (proactive) show promise and has growing untapped, for adaptation/DRR literature.

• Requires shift to household approaches• Integration of DRR/adaptation into PRSPs with commitment to

greater resolution.