Sunday, November 18, 2018

Dominica: Tackling climate disasters through cash transfers to social protection systems

https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/61933?&a=email&utm_source=pw_email
PUBLICATION DATE   07 Nov 2018

Dominica: Tackling climate disasters through cash transfers to social protection systems

By Regis Chapman, head of office, World Food Programme (WFP) Barbados (Caribbean Preparedness and Response)
Climate-related disasters and their dire consequences on vulnerable population are forcing us to re-think humanitarian assistance. Increasingly, the support of relief agencies is requested in countries where they do not traditionally operate, putting further pressure on already limited resources to reduce poverty and end hunger. One emerging solution is to transfer cash and with it technical knowledge, through existing national social protection systems to help them expand their capacity to respond to future shocks. The success of the emergency response in Dominica last year shows that a “shock-responsive social protection” model may be the way forward.
When hurricane Maria, one of the most devastating to hit the Caribbean in over a decade, fell on the island of Dominica in September 2017, it killed 31 people and practically destroyed this small eco-paradise next to French Guadalupe and Martinique. In the space of a few hours, most people were left without a roof, the country’s basic infrastructure was demolished, the electricity and telecommunication network stopped functioning and the main ports were blocked. It was an island under siege with a landscape reminiscent of a zone of war to use the words of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit in his address to the United Nations’ General Assembly after the disaster struck.
No one in the humanitarian community expected Dominica to be hit so severely as to need significant international assistance. The island is an upper-middle income country with tourism revenues, where humanitarian relief and development agencies such as the World Food Programme did not have a presence. However, considering the scale of the destruction, the government called for support in assisting its most affected people. Expecting Haiti to be hit, WFP had built up a stock of emergency relief supplies there and following Hurricane Irma which hit the Caribbean just days before Maria, a logistic hub was established in Antigua, both of which became essential when Maria hit Dominica. High-energy biscuits and then more complete in-kind food rations were initially distributed, the transport infrastructure and supply chain were re-established, and the telecom network restarted.
A month later, a joint cash transfer programme was established between the Ministry of Social Services, Family and Gender Affairs (MSSFGA) and WFP to provide cash to almost 25,000 people (nearly 40 percent of the population) through an existing social protection mechanism known as the Public Assistance Programme (PAP), which gives regular support to the most vulnerable people. Top-up funds were given to all the beneficiaries already registered in the PAP programme, and additional funds were allocated to the most affected population not previously enrolled in PAP. The transfer value was calculated by taking into consideration the average family size, the monthly cost of the minimum food basket and, by partnering with UNICEF the cost of providing children with sufficient and nutritious food, as well as clothes, hygiene, education and any other basic need. That helped people begin the long process of return to a normal life. Total cash transfers from WFP amounted to US$3 million over four months in addition to the US$790,000 provided by the Government and US$700,000 by UNICEF to cover the specific needs of children.
WFP had already implemented and advocated for this shock-responsive social protection approach before in the Latin America region, and now in the Caribbean it has identified a need for technical assistance at the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), an established inter-governmental cooperation mechanism with 18 participating States. Consequently, it started a sub-regional project focused on four main areas of support: information management and analysis, end-to-end supply chain management and emergency telecommunications, shock responsive social protection and climate change adaptation and risk financing.
To quote again Prime Minister Skerrit, “before this century no other generation had seen more than one category 5 hurricane in their lifetime. In this century, this has happened twice and notably it has happened in the space of just two weeks”. Unfortunately, we won’t prevent hurricanes from occurring, but we can ensure that their impact on people is reduced, and we can do that by investing in preparedness of government systems.

Saturday, November 17, 2018

National Puerto Rican Agenda. Nov. 17, 2018. UDC School of Law

Attended:
       National Puerto Rican Agenda -Capital Region Engagement Session
       University District of Columbia
       David E. Clark Law School
       November 17, 2018     9:30am-12noon
       Washington, D.C.
















Discussion:

  1. IDEA HACKING for individual and groups
  2. Areas of concern for NPRA National & Chapter Leve
            P,R, Diaspora.  Unity, and collective efforts
            Housing
            Food
            Education
            Environmental
            Concerns
            Women, Business Opportunities
            Climate Change
            Disaster\Emergency Management


Charles D. Sharp
Chief Executive Officer
Black Emergency Managers Association
           International
1231  Good Hope Road  S.E.
Washington, D.C.  20020
Office:   202-618-9097 
bEMA International 
      










“Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.” ¯   David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas

Cooperation, Collaboration, Communication, Coordination, Community engagement, and  Partnering (C5&P)             A 501 (c) 3 organization.




Friday, November 16, 2018

Retirement of Executive Director of BFI


Can't wait until my exit.  CDS CEO BEMA International


BFI Transition News and Urban Agriculture at Berkeley



Dear BFI Friends and Supporters,

It’s been a rewarding five years serving as the founding Executive Director of the Berkeley Food Institute. I have thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed working with an amazing, dedicated group of colleagues, faculty, students, funders, and community partners to develop and grow programs to create more sustainable, healthful, and just food systems. I am heartened by BFI’s progress in catalyzing research, empowering students, impacting policy, and more. I’m inspired by the new generation of leaders involved in food systems at Berkeley and far beyond.

With mixed emotions, I share news of my retirement as Executive Director of BFI effective at the end of this year. I look forward to moving on to new adventures but will remain in an advisory capacity with BFI. I am excited to announce that Nina F. Ichikawa, currently BFI’s Policy Director, will serve as Interim Executive Director. Dr. Kristine Madsen will continue as BFI Faculty Director, and our other highly capable BFI staff will continue to serve during this time of transition.

I feel honored to have been involved in BFI since its beginning and am excited to see the Institute’s continued success. I am very grateful to our funders and wonderful team who have enabled BFI to thrive. Thank you for your support of BFI, past, present, and future.

Warmly,
Ann Thrupp


PS: Individual gifts provide a critical base of support for BFI’s programs. As this season of giving and gratitude approaches, please consider a gift to fuel our work to create diverse, just, resilient, and healthy food systems. Thank you!

A class field trip to the UC Gill Tract Community Farm.


Urban Agriculture at Berkeley
As an urban land-grant university, UC Berkeley is in a unique position to conduct research, teaching, and outreach on metropolitan food production. In this newsletter, we share cutting edge Berkeley Food Institute research and resources on the challenges and opportunities of growing and distributing food in the city.

From the Field: Urban Agroecology in the East Bay is Producing Food, Education, and Healthy Soils
Urban agriculture is often an important component of community food security and food sovereignty, for the simple reason that “growing your own food is a transformative act” (Helmer 2016). This past spring the Berkeley Food Institute launched a 3-year collaborative research, education, and extension urban agriculture project, Sustainable Urban Farming for Resilience and Food Security, to better understand and address questions of urban agriculture viability, sustainability, and equity within the East Bay community and beyond. In a new blog post lead researchers Jennifer Sowerwine and Charisma Acey discuss the project team’s work on assessing food access and food distribution methods, soil health and soil contamination, and beneficial insects and their habitats. Read more here.

City Slickers “Ag Day” brings local elementary school students to explore the Farm Park on October 25, 2018. Photo by: Alana Siegner


Policy in Focus: Berkeley Passes Urban Agriculture Ordinance
The City of Berkeley has instituted a set of zoning and rule changes aimed to make agriculture in the city easier and more affordable for would-be urban farmers. Small-scale produce growers (livestock and cannabis are excluded) are now able to grow and donate or sell without a permit; larger-scale operations will see their fees lowered and paperwork reduced. BFI friend Rob Bennaton of UC Cooperative Extension is quoted in an article on the changes in Berkeleyside.

A research plot at the Oxford Tract. Photo by Timothy Bowles.


Research Highlight: Urban Agriculture
Does Urban Agriculture Improve Food Security? Examining the Nexus of Food Access and Distribution of Urban Produced Foods in the United States: A Systematic Review
A new literature review in the Journal of Sustainability conducted by Alana Siegner, Jennifer Sowerwine, and Charisma Acey, found that while many studies cite the potential food security benefits of urban agriculture, there are few that robustly measure the impact of urban farms on improving food security in low-income communities. Without understanding deeper historical and structural challenges including poverty, racism, and divestment in specific communities and neighborhoods, policymakers and advocates risk backing policies that could have unintended consequences or negative impacts on vulnerable communities.
Indicators of Land Insecurity for Urban Farms: Institutional Affiliation, Investment, and Location   
In a recent article in the Journal of Sustainability Joshua Arnold and Paul RogƩ report on how land security affects urban farms' ability to persist. The researchers divided urban agriculture sites by tenure status (high-security and low-security) and found that affiliation with a school, sufficient funds for irrigation services, and ability to hire staff are important indicators of their land tenure status and can seriously impact the amount of food they can produce. The authors emphasize the importance of equity in financial and institutional support for urban farms.


In the Community: Experiential Learning Toolkits in Campus Farms and Gardens
This year the Berkeley Food Institute collaborated with partners at UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz to expand opportunities for experiential learning in campus farms and gardens. Funded through the UC Global Food Initiative, the three campuses increased programming, improved coordination between garden spaces, and initiated off-campus garden internship programs in local public schools. With representation from UC Davis' Student Farm, UC Santa Cruz' Farm and Garden, and UC Berkeley's network of several urban farms and gardens, each partner contributed unique and valuable knowledge. In order to share these learnings more broadly, the team created three toolkits, intended as practical guides for campuses interested in starting and/or expanding similar programs. These include:

Students working at the UC Gill Tract Community Farm. Photo by Mollyvan Lamouth.


BFI Events

The Socioeconomic Dimensions of Agroecology

December 3rd, 2018, 4 – 5:30PM | 114 Mulford Hall

This presentation by Center for Diversified Farming Systems postdoctoral scholar Antoinette M. Dumont will focus on the socioeconomic dimensions of agroecology by first identifying a list of principles in popular and scientific literature and, as a second step, by putting the principles to the test of a qualitative study of a diversity of Belgian food systems. Event details here.

UC Gill Tract Community Farm Party

November 18, 2018, 11AM – 3PM | UC Gill Tract Community Farm

Get your hands dirty, and hang out with the community while cultivating and nourishing the fruits and vegetables that help feed the Bay Area. Create new relationships with local community members, spread happiness to the neighborhood and the earth, and promote positive change for the environment. Invite your friends; everyone is welcome! Event details here.

Sickle Cell Disease – Healthy Volunteers & Patients Needed. November 16, 2018

Doctors at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) seek healthy volunteers (with or without a sickle cell trait) and patients with sickle cell for a research study. Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder that occurs mainly in people of African descent. Study participants will have a one-time visit to the NIH to provide blood samples. Researchers hope this study will help us better understand sickle cell disease.

To be eligible for this study, you must:
  • Be between the ages of 18 to 80 years
  • Describe yourself as African or African American
  • Not have had a blood transfusion within the last 8 weeks
  • Not be pregnant
What is involved?
  • Blood collection
  • Genetic and DNA testing
  • Compensation is provided
Location: The NIH Clinical Center is America's Research Hospital is located in Bethesda, Maryland, on the Metro red line (Medical Center stop).

For more information, contact:
NIH Clinical Center Office of Patient Recruitment
1-866-444-1132 (refer to study 18-H-0146)
prpl@cc.nih.gov
TTY for the deaf or hard of hearing: 1-866-411-1010
Se habla espaƱol
https://go.usa.gov/xP8Hx

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Missing Insight. NIMS Alert 33-18: FEMA Releases 2018 National Preparedness Report


Review of 2018 National Preparedness Report two major area should be included as part of future national preparedness report:  overall health, both physical & mental for secure and resilient communities.

Behavioral health is often overlooked in the recovery of communities with ‘hard system approaches’ with community physical resources to mitigation planning and recovery.

BEMA International

FEMA Releases 2018 National Preparedness Report
Today, FEMA released the 2018 National Preparedness Report. In its seventh year, this report summarizes the nation's progress toward becoming a more secure and resilient nation.
The report highlights lessons learned from previous responses, along with findings from preparedness activities. The events and activities captured in the report allow responders and emergency managers throughout the nation to better understand capabilities, identify shortfalls, and build capacity in preparation for future large-scale and catastrophic incidents.
The 2018 National Preparedness Report also identifies gains made in preparedness across the nation and identifies where challenges remain. These findings provide insights into preparedness and informs decisions about future program priorities, resource allocations, and community actions.
The 2018 Report considers select 2017 real-world incidents that tested the nation’s capabilities, preparedness trends from state, tribal and territory perspectives, and an overview of activities and investments to build and sustain capabilities. As a result, it provides in-depth evaluation of five core capabilities identified in previous reports as facing persistent preparedness challenges— Infrastructure Systems, Housing, Economic Recovery, Cybersecurity, and Operational Coordination.




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