Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition

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DISCUSSION No. 137   •   FSN Forum digest No. 1289

Beyond “temporal” resilience: results that withstand the test of time

until 24 March 2017

 

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Dear Members,

Please find below the summaries of the latest comments received to the ongoing discussion Beyond “temporal” resilience: results that withstand the test of time, facilitated by fellow FSN Forum member Walter Mwasaa.

Participants are using different approaches in discussing the factors that affect resilience and relating them to the question of whether or not a minimum time frame exists in which people or systems should remain resilient to actually qualify as "resilient".

We would also like to draw your attention to a new FAO publication related to the discussion topic: “Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2016: the Challenges of Building Resilience to Shocks and Stresses”.

The publication analyses resilience in the context of climate change and conflicts and introduces the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), an experience-based metric of food insecurity severity.

To read the introduction to this discussion and to post your comments, please visit the discussion webpage in English, French or Spanish.

We look forward to receiving your input on this important topic!

Your FSN Forum team

 

 

CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED

iconLal Manavado, University of Oslo affiliate, Norway

Lal addresses the question from a broad perspective and suggests that we should regard resilience with reference to our values. As an example he mentions the adoption of monoculture, which threatens biodiversity, he for instance points out that we do not seem to value resilience if a less resilient system enables us to gain a greater financial profit.

Read the contribution

 

iconRobert Mutisi, Manica Boards and Doors, Zimbabwe

Robert argues that for being resilient, continuously assessing and addressing issues related to vulnerability is required. He mentions a number of strategies to promote resilience and points to a number of tools, such as community asset mapping, that can be used to assess resilience. However, he stresses that because situations are constantly changing, it is difficult to give specific resilience outcomes per any given time.

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iconMike Jones, Swedish Biodiversity Centre, Sweden

According to Mike, there cannot be a minimum time frame within which an individual, community or system remains resilient. He stresses that resilience is an emergent property of complex systems, which means that it changes constantly in relation to the interactions between the internal components of the system and larger system(s) within which it is embedded. Consequently, any short-term outcomes that “build resilience” can only be short term, because complex systems are not predictable and require us to constantly adapt ourselves. Mike also shares an article on the discussion about development resilience and social-ecological system resilience.

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iconTemesgen Kebede, Higher Education Institution, Ethiopia

Temesgen defines seven ‘blocs’ that enable estimating the resilience status of farm households: agricultural input access and technology, social safety nets, access to public services, access to food and income, access to assets, stability and adaptive capacity. She also shares her paper on household resilience to food security in Ethiopia, which among other things describes how social safety nets promote resilience.

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iconRicardo Zepeda Gaitán, Colectivo Social por el Derecho a la Alimentación de Guatemala, Guatemala

Ricardo stresses that resilience is built up over time and that it is continuously renewed according to the risks faced by the people concerned. For adequate resilience building, countries should predict the vulnerability of the population and identify short-, medium- and long-term actions to minimize it. Resilience does not only entail a temporary reaction to a risk situation, but involves building up human capacities, adequate infrastructures, and sufficient resources: human and physical capital creating a culture of prevention.

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iconMurasi Mulupi, Agricultural Development Cooperation, Kenya

Murasi argues that it may take longer for a community to become less vulnerable if their stressors are complex. In addition to referring to a number of aspects to consider in assessing resilience, Murasi argues that a minimum time frame does not exist, as even the most stable systems and communities buckle under shocks and stresses at some point in time. Constant re-evaluation and strengthening of systems is the best way to ensure preparedness, mitigate effects and enable fast recovery.

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