Document / Publication
Feinstein International Center (FIC)
This study seeks to improve the overall knowledge of the relationship between disaster risk reduction (DRR) and livelihood strategies, to improve the understanding and gaps in knowledge, practice, and policy, and to improve the impact of donor-funded DRR programs carried out by implementing agencies. The report is organized as follows: (i) a comprehensive literature review on existing DRR practices is included, identifying gaps that should be explored in future research; (ii) the Haiti case study explores financial resilience in urban settings; (iii) the Nepal case study looks at traditional DRR programming in a rural flood affected area; and (iv) the Kenya case study explores conflict management and disaster risk reduction in a conflict-prone context. Each case study is followed by a list of recommendations for DRR programming in the described context.
The case studies identified capture as much breadth and variety of disasters as possible, including geographical areas, affected livelihood assets, and population groups. The first case study focuses on urban populations, and more specifically on financial resilience of households in Port-au-Prince following a large, covariate, sudden-onset disaster—the 2010 earthquake. The second case study serves as a traditional case study of DRR focusing on a rural, agrarian, and marginalized population living under an annual threat of flooding with traditional NGO DRR support with an emphasis on participatory methods. The final case study addresses the research gap that exists because the majority of DRR programming is frequently discussed in the context of natural hazards and climate change, but not in regard to conflict or political vulnerability.