COMMUNITIES BUILD RESILIENT LIVELIHOODS AS CLIMATE DISASTERS WORSEN

Caritas India is promoting disaster-resilient livelihoods that help vulnerable communities withstand climate shocks, protect food security, and recover more quickly by combining traditional knowledge with disaster risk reduction and sustainable farming practices. The Catholic humanitarian organization emphasizes that strengthening livelihoods before disasters strike is essential as climate change intensifies floods, droughts, and other hazards disproportionately affecting poor rural households across India.

About the role

Caritas India’s resilient livelihood programs integrate disaster risk reduction into conventional livelihood strategies to reduce underlying risks while improving households’ ability to cope with future shocks. The organization focuses on protecting livelihoods from immediate and long-term shocks and building the capacity of food production systems to absorb and recover from disaster events. Its work supports vulnerable groups including farmers, fisher folk, weavers, and agricultural laborers, aligning with the global Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The organization organizes its work around three pillars: livelihood protection, livelihood promotion, and livelihood recovery. The core idea behind resilience is to help communities recover and "bounce back better" from shocks by adopting appropriate technologies and practices and building on their adaptive capacity.

Responsibilities

• Integrate disaster risk reduction into livelihood strategies to reduce vulnerability and enhance recovery.
• Support vulnerable communities, including farmers, fisher folk, weavers, and agricultural laborers, in adopting resilient practices.
• Promote local innovations to reduce disaster risks and increase incomes, such as flood-tolerant crops, irrigation systems, and diversified livelihoods.
• Design recovery efforts that improve livelihoods to withstand future disasters, rather than simply restoring pre-disaster conditions.
• Advocate for ecosystem-based approaches combining environmental management, disaster risk reduction, and climate adaptation.
• Strengthen community organizations and collaboration among development and environmental practitioners.

Examples of Impact

• In Bihar, village disaster committees repaired a dangerous embankment breach using locally available materials, preventing severe flooding.
• Flood-tolerant rice varieties in Bihar helped farmers like Uday Kant Rai reduce crop losses and earn an additional 5,000 rupees (US$ 53).
• In Odisha, community advocacy restored two nonfunctioning irrigation systems, enabling farmers to irrigate about 40 hectares after years of drought-related losses.
• In Assam, portable weaving looms allowed women like Renumai Misong to continue earning during floods, increasing incomes and building savings.
• Farmer Monalisa Payeng in Assam diversified into vegetables, livestock, and weaving, increasing her household income by about 50% within a year.

Looking Ahead

Caritas India calls for stronger ecosystem-based approaches that combine environmental management, disaster risk reduction, and climate adaptation. The organization recommends greater awareness of ecosystem services, stronger community organizations, and increased collaboration among practitioners. Rebuilding livelihoods after disasters should create stronger, more resilient income opportunities capable of withstanding future climate shocks.