Tropentag, September 19 - 21, 2012 in Göttingen "Resilience of agricultural systems against crises"

The Approach of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and GIZ Experience

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Rural Development and Agriculture, Germany

Abstract

The rural population in developing countries is increasingly exposed to longer-term deteriorations of the ecological, political, economical and social environment due to population growth, climate change and/or excessive exploitation of natural resources. Long-term degradation of the environment increases the vulnerability of rural populations. Sudden disasters and shocks are worsening the effects of long-term progressive degradation and destabilisation processes. Rural development bears considerable potential to reduce rural people's vulnerability and to strengthen their resilience. Some examples of the impacts of rural development on resilience will be presented in this session.

Keywords: Disaster, destabilisation, resilience, rural development

Contact Address: Martina Wegner, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Rural Development and Agriculture, Eschborn, Germany, e-mail: martina.wegnergiz.de