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ADVANCED CEN TRE FOR ENABLINGDISASTER RISK REDUCTION

Research Brief1

The Advanced Centre for Enabling DisasterRisk Reduction (ACEDRR) has supportedpractitioners to engage in a number ofresearch studies on specific aspects of

disaster risk reduction. These studies havealready impacted some ofthe decisionsmade at the field level by development

practitioners.

What is the role of research in disaster riskreduction?

Aid practitioners often do needs assessments,monitoring and evaluation as part of theirprojects. Needs assessments answer thequestion, what are this community’s felt needs,and which ofthose needs can we address to havethe biggest impact?Monitoring and evaluationchecks progress against a logframe, answeringthe question, to what extent did we do what wesaid we were going to do?

While these very practical inquiries do anchorand inform how aid practitioners implementtheir programs, there is room for research toanswer the question, what are the actual criticaland systemic issues that are keeping people herevulnerable?Only by answering this questionwill aid agencies be able to improve the waythey implement disaster risk reductionprograms.

But humanitarians and development workersare hesitant to undertake the research thatcould answer this question, fearing thatresearch would be costly and time-consuming,and believing that precious resources would bebetter spent implementing programs.

The Advanced Centre for Enabling DisasterRisk Reduction (ACEDRR) at the Tata-DhanAcademy believes that there is an alternative toclassical research, which can meet these needs

The Role of Research inDisaster Risk Reduction

ADVANCED CENTRE FOR ENABLING DISASTER RISK REDUCTION: RESEARCH BRIEF 1

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and help disaster responders and development practitioners toimplement their programs more effectively, ultimately allowingthem to enact more sustainable and cost-effective programs.

For this reason, ACEDRR has supported DHAN Foundationresearchers to undertake three descriptive research investigations,each one specifically designed to inform DHAN’s developmentactivities to increase resilience of some of Tamil Nadu’s poorestcommunities.

The first project looks deeply into the factors that threatenbiodiversity and fishing activity in Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu, andcomes up with recommendations to address these threats.

The second research project is an investigation into changingrainfall patterns in three areas of Tamil Nadu: Vellore,Nagapattinam and Madurai. This research analyzed rainfallpatterns and made suggestions about the types of alternativecrops that should be planted after considering how the rainfallpatterns were shifting or changing.

The third research project was a risks and vulnerability mappingof 10 villages. The research looked deeply into the risks andvulnerability factors of 10 communities in Nagapattinam in orderto lay the groundwork for future disaster management work inthese communities.

These research projects for disaster risk reduction demonstratedifferent relationships between researchers and practitioners witheach other, and between researchers and community members.

One lesson from these projects is about how research institutions,NGOs and communities can work together to reduce the disasterrisk of the very poorest people in the world.

Types of Research

The research that ACEDRR undertook in its first phase, and thatare presented here, are descriptive research projects. The aim ofdescriptive research is to describe data and characteristics aboutthe population or phenomenon being studied.

Descriptive research does not allow researchers to demonstrate acausal relationship between the statistics and characteristics theyfind, but it does present the landscape of a scenario, one thatwould allow a reader, perhaps a practitioner, to identify ways andmethods by which they could intervene.

Each of these projects was conducted by a team ofDHAN’sdevelopment experts who intended, from the very beginning, touse the research to improve the lives of the poor communities

One lesson from theseprojects is about howresearch institutions,

NGOs and communitiescan work together to

reduce the disaster riskofthe very poorest

people in the world.


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with whom they work. By having practitioners conduct theresearch, ACEDRR is taking advantage of the experts’ familiaritywith the issues, and desire to find solutions to real and pressingproblems. Despite the fact that their experience brings clarity, itmight also bring bias. Even though these projects are intended tobe used directly for practice, it is important for practitionersdoing research to work closely with advisors who can ensure thatresearch is high-quality and objective.

DHAN calls this development research—research conducted forthe express purpose of informing development programs.

While this type of research may not have the formal validityrequired by classical research, it does have a strong actioncomponent. And, where classical research might sit on a shelf in alibrary somewhere, the findings from each of these projects havealready improved the accuracy of development interventions andimproved the lives of the poor.

Risks and Vulnerabil ity Mapping

Identifying the risks and vulnerabilities of the local communitiesis the first important step in the management of disasters. It laysthe foundation for further disaster preparedness and mitigationactivities. This pilot project explores how the coastal communitiesare affected by various hazards, what the factors are that causethe vulnerability of the local communities and how thecommunities manage disasters.

The research has generated risks and vulnerability maps for tencoastal villages. The maps are useful to reduce the vulnerability ofthese specific communities. The information available in the pilotreport will be useful in preparing the contingency plan beforedisasters, and in implementing the plan during and after disasters.

ACEDRR supported a team of practitioners to undertake a pilotproject in which they used participatory rural appraisal methodsto help 10 villages in Nagapattinam map their vulnerability tofuture disasters. “We wanted to find out what makes people feelvulnerable,” said Gayathri, a leader on the project. Theimportance of this project is that it places a high value on theopinions of vulnerable people themselves.

By guiding community members through a transect walk, thecreation of a community map, wealth rankings and seasonalcalendars, the practitioners were able to get a sense of the majorthreats to the lives and livelihoods of people in these villages inNagapattinam.

Because these villages sit near the notoriously wet Cauvery Delta,floods are their biggest regular threat. However, after a flood

“We wanted to find outwhat makes people feel

vulnerable,” saidGayathri, a leader on

the project. Theimportance ofthis

project is that it placesa high value on the

opinions ofvulnerablepeople themselves.


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communities face epidemics ofwater borne diseases. Droughtsare also common.

Rather than simply map vulnerabilities though, this project wentfurther. It helped community members take action to reduce theirvulnerabilities. After the community had a clear diagram of theirrisks and hazards, they divided themselves into groups ofvolunteers—first responders who would jump to action when ahazard strikes.

Some of the villagers joined an early warning group, who wouldalert their neighbours when a hazard was approaching. Otherssigned up to conduct search and rescue missions, to evacuatetheir neighbours, to remove dangerous debris, or to administerfirst aid.

While this study focused only on integrating disaster riskreduction into the daily lives of vulnerable people, it has lessonsto share with MFIs. For example, in Sri Lanka, the popularity ofMFIs might be improved if they created products in conjunctionwith a community to address the vulnerabilities and hazards thatthreaten community members on a daily basis.

By mapping the vulnerability of poor communities withcommunity members, self-help groups or corporate MFIs candetermine which types of activities and products can best reducedisaster risk. These activities can also generate a market formicrofinance products by helping vulnerable people betterunderstand how such products will mitigate their daily risks.

Self-help model microfinance groups may be better situated toimplement these kinds of participatory vulnerability mapping and

VULNERABILITY PROFILE OF NAGIPATTINAM

This pilot project took place in Nagipattinam, acoastal district ofTamil Nadu, which has its own

unique set ofdisaster risks.

Nagipattinam is an area that faces frequent cycles ofdroughts and flooding. In the last 40 years, the area hassuffered from 5 floods and 6 droughts. More than that,the Cauvery delta region of the district is known foroccurrence of floods and droughts in the same year.

For example, from 1 983 to 1 984, the Southwest monsoonwas very weak and rainfal l was low. The inflow of waterfrom Mettur reservoir was almost non-existent. This ledto drought conditions from July to October 1 983. Cropsdied, and farming famil ies suffered.

With the onset of the northeast monsoon, from Octoberto November 1 983, paddy was planted. In December 1 983

and into the new year, there were heavy rains in thedelta. These led to unprecedented floods inNagapattinam. Unfortunately, floods also ruin a farmer’scrops. Only farmers who own land get governmentcompensation for crop loss due to floods. Farmers wholease or borrow land received no compensation. This lawis sti l l in effect today.

Though farmers cannot control the weather, with a littleadvanced warning they can save their valuables andtheir famil ies. Because floods occur as a result of heavyrains from monsoons, cyclones or storm surges, or froman overflow of the Mettur reservoir, they can often bepredicted a few days before the occurrence.

In that case, an early warning is given on All India Radioand Television. When the warning is given, vi l lagersmake arrangements to keep their things in a safe place,and if necessary, seek shelter with family members in theupland areas.


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community-based response planning activities. While corporateMFIs can encourage or require their clients to undertake disasterrisk and vulnerability assessments as part of their applicationprocess, if people lack interest in MFI products anyway, asevidenced by the Sri Lanka study, its unlikely that stricterapplication requirements will bring them on board.

Disaster Risks and Vulnerabil ity and the Livelihoods ofTraditional Fisheries: A Study in Palk Bay Region, TamilNadu

There are 7.9 lakh individuals in Tamil Nadu whose livelihoodsrely on the fishing industry. These are not just fishermen, butpeople who are involved in fish drying, selling, net making andmending, boat construction, fish transport, fish handling, fishprocessing and fish marketing. Anyone working in theseprofessions relies heavily on a healthy and thriving fishingindustry, which in turn, relies heavily on the conservation of fishstocks.

The ecosystem of Palk Bay, which contributes to the rich marinefish production in the region at present, is under threat due todestructive fishing habits. The indiscriminate use of habitat-destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling, coral mining,dynamite fishing, and effluent disposal from aquaculture farms,contribute to the destruction of the most important marine ecosystems in the region. This would lead to a definite reduction offishery resources in the region, ultimately affecting the fishingactivity and particularly the traditional fishers in the region ofPalk Bay.

The study aimed to understand how the socioeconomic status oftraditional fisher folk has changed over the years, to understandthe impact of natural disasters on the ability of these fishingfamilies to earn a living, and the role of different programs inprotecting and promoting the livelihoods of these communities.Researchers hope that the findings will illuminate new areas ofintervention for practitioners.

The study used stratified random sampling to select 300households in six villages, based on whether motorized craftmade up the majority of fishing boats, or whether non-motorizedcraft made up the majority. Researchers collected primary data byconducting detailed surveys with men and women in fishingfamilies here. They also held group discussions in seven villages,only one ofwhich corresponded to the villages where theyconducted surveys, in order to understand the broader issuesfaced by fishing families who rely heavily on coastal naturalresources.

The indiscriminate useofhabitat-destructive

fishing practices likebottom trawling, coral

mining, dynamitefishing, and effluent

disposal from theaquaculture farms,contributes to the

destruction ofthe mostimportant marine ecosystems in the region.


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Researchers bolstered their primary data with secondary datafrom relevant departments and research institutions, like theDepartment of Fisheries, and the Bay of Bengal Program, theCentral Marine Fisheries Research Institute, among others.

From this work, researchers found that traditional fishermen,fishermen using artisanal or non-mechanized boats, are facingstiff competition from an increased number ofmechanized boatsin the area. The number ofmechanized fishing boats and thecatch per trawler has increased since 1977. While the number oftraditional fishing boats has also increased since 1977, the fishcatch per traditional fishing boat has significantly declined in thesame time.

In addition to increased competition for fish, traditionalfishermen, and everyone in the fishing industry, face decliningfish stocks as a result of unsustainable fishing techniques.

Eighty five percent of respondents reported no benefit fromNGOs, and the benefits reported from research institutes werealmost nil.

In addition to drawing conclusions about greater need forhousing, sanitation and public health initiatives, among otherthings, the researchers conclude that the risk of fisher folk tonatural disasters is less pressing than their risks of livelihoodsdisasters. As a result, researchers recommend that practitionershelp fisher folk strengthen their livelihoods by organizingthemselves into groups, by gaining access to healthy creditthrough self-help groups or cooperatives, and by improvingmarket access. They recommend that practitioners helpcommunity members diversify their livelihoods by adding value

A researcher consults with residentsduring the research process. Participationby local community members is a criticalcomponent ofall ofDHAN’s work.


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to their fish catch through creating alternative products: forexample, by drying and packaging fish, fisher folk can sell theirwares at a higher price. Researchers also recommend formaleducation and community aquaculture to help diversifyfishermen’s livelihoods. Researchers recommend thatpractitioners help communities stabilize their livelihoods bycreating and implementing effective policies around restrictingthe number of crafts that are fishing, and that the communitywork together to manage coastal resources. They suggest usingthe partnership model, where the government, non-governmentalorganizations and community members work together aspartners.

The outcomes would help DHAN to fine tune its developmentplan of the people institutions already in function in Palk Bay,and take up necessary capacity-building initiatives to diversifythe livelihoods of the coastal community. From this study, DHANwill initiate a campaign in coastal areas highlighting the need forconservation. The study is helping DHAN to fine tune its policyinitiatives towards sustaining the livelihoods of the traditionalfishing community, towards coastal resource conservation.

Rainfed Farming

Rainfed farmers in various parts of Tamil Nadu are very clearlydealing with the effect of climate change. Once predictablerainfall is increasingly varied and violent. Some farmers say thatthey are not getting rain in the critical months of the croppingseason, others that the southwest monsoon has completelydisappeared making groundnut impossible to grow. They agree,though that rainfall distribution is changing rapidly, and that thetotal amount of rainfall has declined in the last two decades.

As a result, frequent crop failure, by drought or excess rainfall, iscommon in rainfed areas. These disasters are compelling farmersto find coping mechanisms or else give up farming and find otherways ofmaking their livings.

The goals of this study were to evaluate the existing croppingpatterns employed by farmers in areas where rainfed farming isstill a thriving source of income for farmers. The researchreswould determine the strengths and weaknesses of these croppingpatterns with regard to available rain. In order to do this theycompiled and studied 40 years of rainfall data to determine trendsin rainfall. They used these to identify the potential componentcrops and derive new cropping patterns given the realities ofrainfall trends and that are socially and economically viable andenvironmentally adaptable.

The researchers cross checked their rainfall data with farmer’sown experiences in three disparate areas of Tamil Nadu:

Frequent crop failure,by drought or excess

rainfall, is common inrainfed areas. These

disasters arecompelling farmers to

find copingmechanisms or else

give up farming andfind other ways of

making their livings.


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Nattarampalli in the Vellore district, Vedaranyam in theNagapattinam district and Tirumangalam in the Madurai district.While farmers suggested alternative cropping strategies based onthis rainfall, they quickly learned that farmers take more intoconsideration than the rain when they plant.

For example, some farmers were able to keep plants producing forlong after their traditional growing season if it was lucrative todo so. Many farmers made cropping decisions based on seed costand sale price of the final good, to determine whether the cropwould be marketable. Researchers, who came to the villages withsuggested alternative cropping patterns in hand, soon realizedthat no solution that was not considered and agreed upon byfarmers would take root.

Because farmers design cropping patterns by taking into accountfactors beside rainfall (the need for dry spell in the crop periodfor optimum growth, the ability of the crop/variety to withstandmoisture stress/excess moisture, the ability of the crop to use dew,the soil moisture availability), rainfall analysis should begrounded in the vast reserve of real life experience of farmers,through repeated structured interactions with them, both for datainputs and for reality checking of the inferences.

Researchers also determined that other researchers studying thisissue should collect specific rainfall data from sites very close totarget communities. “The samples we have taken variesdrastically from place to place,” said Palanisamy, lead researcheron this study. It cannot be extrapolated from district level datacollection sites.

After the project was completed, researchers completed pilotprojects with three disparate regions, to look examine at microlevel coping mechanisms in order to determine more usefulrecommendations than those in this report.

Conclusion

ACEDRR has made it its mission to determine the best kind ofresearch for disaster risk reduction, including research that mighthelp practitioners prepare communities for major hazards, andreduce their vulnerability, microstudies that can be implementedin one week, immediately following a disaster, that could helpinform the response, and action research that could help targetrecovery efforts and allow those affected by the disaster to havemore ownership over their wellbeing.

While these types of research diverge from classical, academicresearch, they bring the kinds of deliverables that developmentpractitioners are looking for.

“The samples we havetaken varies

drastically from placeto place,” said

Palanisamy, leadresearcher on this

study. [Rainfall data]cannot be extrapolatedfrom district level data

collection sites.


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Risks and Vulnerabil ityMapping: A Study inCoastal Vil lages ofNagapattinam District

Objectives

• To identify and map the risks andvulnerabi l i ties of ten vi l lages ofNagapattinam district.

• To identify the factors contributing tothe vulnerabi l i ty of the community tovarious disaster risks.

• To suggest specific measures forincorporating in the preparedness planin response to various disaster risks.

Methods

• Mapped the vulnerabi l i ty of tenvi l lages using participatory researchtools l ike time line analysis of disaster,social and resource mapping withdisaster prone areas, pair-wise rankingof disasters, pair-wise ranking ofcritical faci l i ties to disasters,seasonality analysis of disasters, andfocus group discussions.

• Helped 1 0 vi l lages begin planning adisaster atlas and a contingency planto address common hazards.

Outcomes

• A map of the causal factors ofdisasters, the vulnerabi l i ties of thecommunity, the prediction of disasterand early warning systems, the natureof damage experiences, and localcoping mechanisms for seven hazardscommon to Nagapattinam district(floods, cyclone, tsunami, drought,epidemics (human and cattle) andcrop pests).

• Ten vi l lages more aware of their risksand vulnerabi l i ties and poised toengage in disaster risk reductionactivities to reduce theirvulnerabi l i ties.

Lesson Learned

• Despite the huge impact of thetsunami, more people are affectedevery year by floods.

• Vi l lages have coping mechanisms todeal with more common hazards, l ike

flash floods and animal diseases, butthese could be more effective.

• The panchayat is the most importantplayer when it comes to disaster riskreduction. While the state has orderedall panchayats to have disastermanagement committees, thesecommittees need to be educated andtrained in order to be more effective.

• Early warning systems exist but arenot very useful . Panchayats shouldconnect with early warninginstitutions to warn people well inadvance of inclement weather thatmight cause flooding.

What is next?

The DHAN Resource Centre inNagapattinam has conducted a trainingof trainers on how to map risks andvulnerabi l i ties of vi l lages to bui ld thecapacity of panchayats and NGOs to dosimilar work. The pi lot report wil l beshared with NGOs, panchayats andacademic institutions in the hope that itwil l be used as a reference guide that wil lpromote more accurate disaster riskreduction projects in Nagipattinam andmore high quality vulnerabi l i ty mappingfor disaster risk reduction in other areas.

Disaster Risks andVulnerabil ity and theLivelihoods of TraditionalFishers: A Study in PalkBay Region, Tamil Nadu

Objectives

The overall aim of the study is to assessthe disaster risk and vulnerabi l i ties andlivel ihood related risks and vulnerabi l i tiesof the traditional fishing community andto arrive at possible areas ofinterventions. In this context, the specificobjectives of the study are:

• To study the socio economicbackground of traditional fishers andits change over the years.

• To understand the traditional fishers’l ivel ihood pattern, extent ofdependence on different l ivel ihoods,and its change over the years.

• To study the impact of naturaldisasters on the l ivel ihoods oftraditional fishers.

• To study the role and contribution ofdifferent programmes which are beingimplemented by different agencies toaddress the l ivel ihood risks oftraditional fishers.

• To derive possible areas ofintervention to sustain theirl ivel ihoods.

Methods

• Conducted a sample survey in eachvi l lage covering 50 households.

• Compiled secondary data fromrelevant departments and researchinstitutions.

• Conducted primary data collectionthrough a detai led survey coveringtraditional fishers both male andfemale and labours involved in fishing.

• Conducted interviews with keyinformants including vi l lage leaders,resource people in research andacademia and leaders of communityorganisations, NGOs involved incoastal l ivel ihoods and relatedgovernment official .

• Used participatory rural appraisaltechniques.

• Held focus-group discussions tounderstand the specific and broaderissues in their l ivel ihoods.

• Created case studies to record theexperiences of traditional fisher folks.

Outcomes

• An awareness of the presentsocioeconomic and livel ihood status ofthe traditional fishing community inTamil Nadu among the researchers.

• A report on the l ivel ihoodsustainabi l i ty of the traditional fishercommunities.

• A documentation of possible areas ofintervention to strengthen the existingl ivel ihoods, diversified viable alternatel ivel ihood options so that the naturalresource is not over exploited.

Lesson Learned

• Fishing famil ies face greater risks fromlivel ihood vulnerabi l i ty than they facefrom natural disasters.

• The decl ining fish resources, reduced

Project Summaries


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catch per effort, high input cost,operation and encroachment ofmechanised crafts increase thel ivel ihood risks and vulnerabi l i ties.

• The coping mechanisms adopted bythe community in managing thel ivel ihood related risks are mainlyborrowing from money lenders, banksand self-help groups.

• Existing development programmeshave yet to address the risks oftraditional fishers in a comprehensivemanner. Many operate in a top downway with l imited impact at thegrassroots level .

What is next?

The outcomes wil l help DHAN to finetune its development plan of the PeopleInstitutions already in function in PalkBay and take up necessary capacitybui lding initiatives to diversify thel ivel ihoods of the coastal community.From this study, DHAN will initiate acampaign in coastal areas highlightingthe need for conservation. The study wil lal low DHAN to fine tune its policyinitiatives towards sustaining thel ivel ihoods of the traditional fishingcommunity towards coastal resourceconservation.

Coping with Disasters:Participatory Designing ofEfficient Cropping Patternsfor Rainfed Locations

Objectives

• To evaluate the existing croppingpattern for its strengths andweaknesses with regard to avai lablerain.

• To identify the potential componentcrops and a new cropping patterngiven the realities of rainfal l trends.

• To develop a new cropping pattern

that is social ly and economicallyviable and environmentally adaptable.

Methods

• Researchers ensured effectiveparticipation of community atdifferent stages of the researchprocess l ike data collection, checkingthe inferences from secondary dataanalysis, identification of alternatecrops and validation ofrecommendations.

• Researchers col lected primary andsecondary data, including rainfal l datafrom near by India MeteorologyDepartment (IMD) station and rainfal land Evapo-transpiration (ET) datafrom near by research station.

• Researchers also collected informationregarding existing cropping patterns,rainfal l requirement of particularcrops, strengths and weaknesses ofexisting cropping patterns, change incropping patterns over the years.Suitable alternate crops were collectedfrom the farming community throughworkshops and focus groupdiscussions.

• Researchers used the followingmethods for analyzing the data:coefficient of variation; initial andconditional probabi l i ty levels; trendsof the rainfal l ; length of growingperiod.

Outcomes

• In-depth understanding of rainfal lpattern including distribution,dependabi l i ty and changes over theyears by the team members of RFDPand by the community.

• Identification of best practices andgaps related to the existing croppingpatterns with respect to uti l isation ofrainfal l .

• Suggestions for changing croppingpatterns to optimally uti l ise the

current rainfal l pattern.

• Enhanced ski l ls and knowledge onrainfal l analysis by a few teammembers.

Lesson Learned

• Because farmers design croppingpatterns by taking into accountfactors beside rainfal l (the need for adry spell in the cropping period foroptimum growth, the abi l i ty of thecrop/variety to withstand excessmoisture, the abi l i ty of the crop to usedew, the soi l moisture avai labi l i ty),rainfal l analysis should be grounded inthe vast reserve of real l ife experienceof farmers, through repeatedstructured interactions with them,both for data inputs and for realitychecking of the inferences.

• Though climate change is happeningeverywhere, it affects each vi l lagedifferently. “The research we havetaken varies drastical ly from place toplace,” said Palanisamy, leadresearcher on this study. Researchersshould collect specific rainfal l datafrom sites very close to target.ommunities. I t cannot be extrapolatedfrom district level data collection sites.

• Though climate change seems like anew issue in the public sphere,farmers are well aware of cl imatechange and have already developedcoping mechanisms to helpthemselves reduce their disaster risk.

What is next?

After the project was completed,researchers completed pi lot projects withthree disparate regions, to look examineat micro level coping mechanisms inorder to determine more usefulrecommendations than those in thisreport. The lessons learned from all ofthese studies are being incorporated intothe Rainfed Farming DevelopmentTeam’s future work.


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Project Holders

Risks and Vulnerability MappingDhan People Academy, DHAN FoundationPulloothu,El l is Nagar Via,Madurai-625 01 6Tel: +91 -452-247541 6/2475305,Email : [email protected]

Disaster Risks and Vulnerability and theLivelihoods ofTraditional Fisheries: AStudy in Palk Bay Region, Tamil NaduACEDRR, Tata-Dhan AcademyT.Malaipatti , Thenkarai (PO),Mull ipal lam (SO), Solavandhan (via),Madurai -625 207Tel: +91 -4543-293405/406, +91 -452-2301 51 0Fax: +91 -452-2602247Email : [email protected]: www.dhan.org/acedrr

Coping with Disasters: ParticipatoryDesigning ofEfficient Cropping Patterns forRainfed LocationsRainfed Farming and DevelopmentProgramme, DHAN Foundation1 8, Pi l laiyar Koi l Street,S.S Colony,Madurai-625 01 6Tel: +91 -452-261 0794, 261 0805Fax: +91 -452-2602247Email : [email protected]: http://www.dhan.org

Project Funding Support

OXFAM AmericaGlobal Headquarters226 Causeway St., 5th Floor,Boston, MA 021 1 4-2206,Fax: (61 7) 728-2594

Brief compiled by Kate Tighe. Edited anddesigned at Tata-Dhan Academy.

ACEDRR

The Advanced Centre for Enabling DisasterRisk Reduction (ACEDRR) is a specializedcentre of Tata-Dhan Academy established toenhance the knowledge and practice on disasterrisk reduction through research and pilotprojects, training and education, networking,consultancy, and policy advocacy activities toensure secured lives and livelihoods ofvulnerable communities.

Tata-Dhan Academy

Tata-Dhan Academy is promoted by DHANFoundation, a pioneering grassrootsorganization, and Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Mumbai,to identify, nurture, and groom young graduatesinto development professionals through itsflagship two-year Programme in DevelopmentManagement. The Academy offers a number ofshort-duration Development ManagementProgrammes and undertakes research,documentation, and consultancy services.

DHAN Foundation

DHAN Foundation works with about 8,50,000families in 12 states of India, striving to improvethe lives and livelihoods of vulnerablecommunities by organizing them to reducepoverty and address their various developmentneeds. The interventions are spread acrossurban, rural, coastal, and tribal contexts. DHANworks in different thematic areas includingmicrofinance, tank-fed agriculture, informationand communication technology for the poor,and local self-governance.

Tata-Dhan Academy

T. Malaipatti, Thenkarai (PO),Mullipallam (SO), Solavandhan (via)Madurai -625 207, Tamil Nadu, IndiaTel: +91-4543-293405/406, +91-452-2301510Fax: +91-452-2602247Email: [email protected]: www.dhan.org/acedrr

preventionweb - knowledge platform for disaster risk reduction · 2011. 5. 24. · 1 * $'# * . - +...

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