Impact of culture towards disaster risk reduction

Number of natural disasters has risen sharply worldwide making the risk of disasters a global concern. These disasters have created significant losses and damages to humans, economy and society. Despite the losses and damages created by disasters, some individuals and communities do not attached much significance to natural disasters. Risk perception towards a disaster not only depends on the danger it could create but also the behaviour of the communities and individuals that is governed by their culture. Within this context, this study examines the relationship between culture and disaster risk reduction (DRR). A comprehensive literature review is used for the study to evaluate culture, its components and to analyse a series of case studies related to disaster risk. It was evident from the study that in some situations, culture has become a factor for the survival of the communities from disasters where as in some situations culture has acted as a barrier for effective DRR activities. The study suggests community based DRR activities as a mechanism to integrate with culture to effectively manage disaster risk

Cultural Resilience—The Roles of Cultural Traditions in Sustaining Rural Livelihoods: A Case Study from Rural Kandyan Villages in Central Sri Lanka

The reasons for the significance of cultural values are complex and many advocacy groups have not successfully provided clear explanations for and convincing arguments in favor of prioritizing cultural values in the development processes. The aim of this paper is to examine the roles played by culture in relation to livelihood resilience, posing the question of how cultural traditions might potentially offer alternatives/adaptive strategies, not only to strength livelihood assets of rural communities, but also in generating new opportunities during vulnerabilities caused by economic, social and political changes. Rural Kandyan communities afford us a good example of “cultural resilience”, relying on longstanding cultural traditions for their survival. This paper shows how culture and traditional values strengthen livelihood resilience and argues that while the impulse for change may come from external influences, adaptation comes from within, through dynamics, which are specific to values of the people

Gross National Happiness: A New Paradigm

With the criticisms for top-town philosophy, development policies are now claimed to be culturally sensitive, people cantered, flexible, dynamic and multi-sectoral. Today, people's values, customs, beliefs and traditional knowledge systems collectively named as 'culture' is increasingly recognised as significant, and highly prioritised as vital sources, particularly for grassroots development. The Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) emerged in the 1990s as an alternative path to address grassroots problems, giving more opportunities to centralise people, their values and capabilities. The approach was declared as a holistic and comprehensive framework to address poverty and wellbeing, both in rural and urban contexts. But, it has also been criticised widely due to the lack of cultural and historical consideration, market and gender relations, and asset measurements. This paper is built upon one of those critiques. The paper inquires into the role of traditional culture in building sustainable livelihoods in rural context. The inadequate attention of cultural aspect in livelihood context is a serious concern, as people's values, customs, beliefs and traditional knowledge directly influence the choice of livelihood strategies. According to the present livelihood analyses, culture is an impediment for livelihood sustainability and refers to something that causes 'livelihood vulnerability'. As far as people are centred both in the development process and livelihood analysis, their values, customs, knowledge, traditions and beliefs, should also be at the centre. At the same time, culture should be a soft and permeable concept rather than deterministic and rigorous

Cultural traditions and sustainable rural livelihoods : a case study from the Kandyan villages, central Sri Lanka

Considerable attention has been directed recently towards the role of culture and traditional values in the sustainable well-being of rural communities. Development scholars seem to have accepted that cultural attributes and values actually matter in development, but there is still much debate over 'how', 'why' and 'where' they matter. This thesis explores the significance of cultural traditions and the roles they play in the context of attaining sustainable rural livelihoods. The hegemony of 'Western values' is contested and the need for greater appreciation of 'other', non-Western values and traditions is emphasised. The research specifically explores how cultural traditions can support a livelihood perspective in pragmatic and more effective ways, whereby tangible and intangible aspects of culture and traditional values can be explicitly treated as an important resource, namely 'cultural capital' . Drawing upon evidence from field-based research in five craft-working villages in the Kandy region of central Sri Lanka, the study shows how culture and traditional values play a significant role in influencing livelihood choices, asset ownership, livelihood resilience and sustainability. The study utilises qualitative research methods with participatory techniques to evaluate 'how' people recognise and interpret their culture and traditional values, and 'what' specific roles these play in contributing to sustainable livelihood systems. It is suggested that the evaluation of livelihood assets through a cultural perspective provides a valuable and nuanced understanding of a community's genuine strengths and resource endowments and how these are, or might be, converted into livelihood outcomes . In addition to contributing to academic research and development planning in Sri Lanka, the thesis has wider relevance for development studies and livelihood analysis, and proposes future strategies for incorporating culture more effectively into development interventions which might hopefully lead to sustainable livelihoods

Cultural traditions and sustainable rural livelihoods : a case study from the Kandyan villages, central Sri Lanka

Considerable attention has been directed recently towards the role of culture and traditional values in the sustainable well-being of rural communities. Development scholars seem to have accepted that cultural attributes and values actually matter in development, but there is still much debate over 'how', 'why' and 'where' they matter. This thesis explores the significance of cultural traditions and the roles they play in the context of attaining sustainable rural livelihoods. The hegemony of 'Western values' is contested and the need for greater appreciation of 'other', non-Western values and traditions is emphasised. The research specifically explores how cultural traditions can support a livelihood perspective in pragmatic and more effective ways, whereby tangible and intangible aspects of culture and traditional values can be explicitly treated as an important resource, namely 'cultural capital' . Drawing upon evidence from field-based research in five craft-working villages in the Kandy region of central Sri Lanka, the study shows how culture and traditional values play a significant role in influencing livelihood choices, asset ownership, livelihood resilience and sustainability. The study utilises qualitative research methods with participatory techniques to evaluate 'how' people recognise and interpret their culture and traditional values, and 'what' specific roles these play in contributing to sustainable livelihood systems. It is suggested that the evaluation of livelihood assets through a cultural perspective provides a valuable and nuanced understanding of a community's genuine strengths and resource endowments and how these are, or might be, converted into livelihood outcomes . In addition to contributing to academic research and development planning in Sri Lanka, the thesis has wider relevance for development studies and livelihood analysis, and proposes future strategies for incorporating culture more effectively into development interventions which might hopefully lead to sustainable livelihoods

Cultural Resilience—The Roles of Cultural Traditions in Sustaining Rural Livelihoods: A Case Study from Rural Kandyan Villages in Central Sri Lanka

The reasons for the significance of cultural values are complex and many advocacy groups have not successfully provided clear explanations for and convincing arguments in favor of prioritizing cultural values in the development processes. The aim of this paper is to examine the roles played by culture in relation to livelihood resilience, posing the question of how cultural traditions might potentially offer alternatives/adaptive strategies, not only to strength livelihood assets of rural communities, but also in generating new opportunities during vulnerabilities caused by economic, social and political changes. Rural Kandyan communities afford us a good example of “cultural resilience”, relying on longstanding cultural traditions for their survival. This paper shows how culture and traditional values strengthen livelihood resilience and argues that while the impulse for change may come from external influences, adaptation comes from within, through dynamics, which are specific to values of the people

Cultural Resilience—The Roles of Cultural Traditions in Sustaining Rural Livelihoods: A Case Study from Rural Kandyan Villages in Central Sri Lanka

The reasons for the significance of cultural values are complex and many advocacy groups have not successfully provided clear explanations for and convincing arguments in favor of prioritizing cultural values in the development processes. The aim of this paper is to examine the roles played by culture in relation to livelihood resilience, posing the question of how cultural traditions might potentially offer alternatives/adaptive strategies, not only to strength livelihood assets of rural communities, but also in generating new opportunities during vulnerabilities caused by economic, social and political changes. Rural Kandyan communities afford us a good example of “cultural resilience”, relying on longstanding cultural traditions for their survival. This paper shows how culture and traditional values strengthen livelihood resilience and argues that while the impulse for change may come from external influences, adaptation comes from within, through dynamics, which are specific to values of the people.culture; resilience; rural communities; livelihoods; Kandy; Sri Lanka

Cultural capital and sustainable livelihoods in Sri Lanka's rural villages : towards culturally aware development

Increasing attention is being directed towards the role of culture in the development and well-being of rural communities. Systems of knowledge, beliefs, customs, norms and a wide range of culturally related activities, such as arts, crafts and music, can play a significant role in the everyday lives of people and contribute to the sustainability of human societies. The means through which culture can be effectively incorporated into development processes requires further research. This article develops the concept of ‘cultural capital’ to explore how cultural assets sustain an artisan class in three rural villages close to the city of Kandy in central Sri Lanka. The field research found that embodied cultural traditions and subsequent material outputs are vital ‘resources’ in achieving livelihood objectives and meeting family aspirations. We argue that the development industry needs to reconsider cultural assets and traditions and incorporate them into its work at conceptual and programmatic levels. Conceptually development needs to see itself as a cultural as much as economic or social process, and programmatically we see openings within sustainable livelihoods approaches for a greater explicit appreciation and awareness of locally-specific cultural traditions, strengths and perspectives.15 page(s