Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque and Dr. Md. Shakhawat Ullah Chowdhury :
The economy of the poor nation has been floundering hard hit by climate change. Environment friendly development has thus been taken up as the critical policy issue. This trend in development theme emerged as a global phenomenon at the fag end of the twentieth century when policy makers and international agencies were caught up by the dilemma of unavoidable environmental outcomes. Global civil societies try to develop a rational perception of a real worldview about sustainable development keeping in mind pronounced green house effect and global warming. The role of international conferenceas like Stockholm Conference (1972), United Conference on Environment and Development (1972) Rio De Janeiro World Summit (1992) and recent earth summits held in Copenhagen, Mexico, Durban, Cancun etc. played a critical role in spreading the neo social movement against global environmental problem chanting the slogan: ‘Conserve or perish’. The very recent climate summit advocated green fund to help the vulnerable states to combat climate change. Phobia that grippes international policy community is climate change growing out of global warming. Cyclone storms Bijli battered coast killing six and injuring five in April 7 2009. On May 26, 2009 Aila lashed coastal areas killing 150 people. Devastation caused by Sidre created grave concerns of government. Mahasen hit low lying delta coasts on 16 May, 2013. It wrecked havoc in many villages of south-eastern and south-western regions of Bangladesh including Cox Bazar, Teknaf and greater Barisal including Patuakhali, Kalapara and Barguna.
Needless to mention climate change has become a formidable threat to environment which is diametrically opposed to sustainable development. This is because the developers exploit the nature in the manner that ultimately impairs ecological balance. The developers through the use of science and technology try to construct road infrastructures, power plants, modern residential enclaves, industries etc. that may some times directly go against nature. The scientists and technocrats being developers use oil, gases and other fossil fuel that give rise to a number of contraindications fetching a lot to bring about environment degradation. Environmental scientists and experts are worried about the process of unplanned development that has brought to bear upon nature. They expressed grave concerns over rapid progress of science and technologies raising the rate of emission of carbon dioxide warming the globe.
It needs no stressing that the people in developing countries are four times more likely to die in natural disasters than people in developed countries. An increase in the global temperature is likely to potentially result in a sea level rise as much as one meter that may cause inundation of coastal areas and high frequency of submersion of vast area under water. The consequences are being faced by the people in different parts of the world regarding health hazards, natural calamities, draught, acid rain, desertification, sea level rise and so many greenhouse effects. There has been a high frequency of ‘natural and man-induced disasters’ in recent years. In fact over population in Asian and African countries has caused environmental degradation. The natural resources are under tremendous pressure subject to wanton exploitation.
The policy communities should avoid stoic indifference to the damages already taking place. Unplanned urbanization with growing urban jungles and industries is polluting and suffocating air. The deluge of urbanization is beginning to adversely affect the countryside. Development under rural modernization experiment has by now shown many a contraindication. There has been wanton destruction of forest trees in costal belts that serve to absorb carbon and the scorching heat of sun. So think of green beckoning to prevent global warming. Environment economists advocate ‘carbon-neutral economic production system’. This is the need of the hour. All the same they think to maintain ecological balance and bio-diversity in the Sundarbans. Production of environment friendly renewable energy technologies is under active consideration. There is a plan to ‘bring 20 per cent of total land under afforestation programmes by 2015 to attain self-sufficiency in forest resources’
Policy experts suggest to mitigate the crisis of climate change induced rural poverty through participatory approach. Participatory approach to learning is a central part of a research process. Research is not done just to generate facts, but to develop understanding of oneself and one’s context. It is about understanding how to learn, which allows people to become self-sufficient learners and evaluate knowledge that others generate. Good participatory research helps develop relationships of solidarity by bringing people together to collectively research, study, learn, and then act. There is no off-the-shelf formula, step-by-step method, or ‘correct” way to do participatory research. Rather, participatory approach is best described as a set of principles and a process of engagement in the inquiry.
The key note of participatory approach a participatory and democratic learning environment that provides people (especially the climate change victims) the opportunity to overcome what Freire has called the “habit of submission”-the frame of mind that curtails people from fully and critically engaging with their world and participating in civic life (Freire, 1978). It is only through participation in learning environments in which open, critical and democratic dialogue is fostered, Freire suggests, that people develop greater self-confidence along with greater knowledge.
Robert Chambers (1983) in his seminal work Rural Development: Putting the Last First provides insightful notes about participatory action research. . The central theme of this book is that rural poverty is often unseen or misperceived by outsiders, those who are not themselves rural and poor. The author contends that researchers, scientists, administrators and fieldworkers rarely view from the fringe.
Participation is a keynote of participatory approach. It has much to do with monitoring implementation process at the beneficiary level for improved action. It stresses open dialogue, periodic workshop and group discussion involving the beneficiaries to ensure feedback downward. The climate displaced villagers for example, can better communicate their problems and predicaments provided they obtain access to all avenues of participation in open-ended discussion.
The techniques of participatory approach are used to promote understanding of policy environment altogether with the real progress of the programs under implementation. Impact assessment through these techniques provides in-depth understanding of the actors and beneficiaries being the units of inquiry. These are extremely useful for obtaining insights and information that have not been assessed through conventional research techniques (Chambers 1983). Participatory method of evaluation operating in the framework of PR is program relevant. Evaluation report within a time frame is based on systematic observation, empiricism, depth analysis and scientific improvement of implementation decisions. The routs through which this method has been scientific are the common performance parameters like efficiency, adequacy, effectiveness, equity productivity and responsiveness. There are other parameters too depending on empirical requirements. The experts usually conduct impact assessment studies with professional commitment using common and situation specific performances parameters. They assess the needs and the values of various types of clientele. Constituency and clientele satisfaction are considered of importance in impact assessment (Natamara 1980).
UNDP Management Development and Governance Division have helped to test the methodology like process consultancy for developing participatory programmes and also for developing social capital. An external consultant role is to support and help build consensus. Process consultancy coupled with a programme approach can serve as a powerful tool for developing capacities to reach collective targets
Participatory research challenges practices that separate the researcher from the researched and promotes the forging of a partnership between researchers and the people under study. Both researcher and participant are actors in the investigative process, influencing the flow, interpreting the content, and sharing options for action. Ideally, this collaborative process is empowering because it:
brings isolated climate change victims together around common problems and needs validates their experiences as the foundation for understanding and critical reflection presents the knowledge and experiences of the researchers as additional information upon which to critically reflect contextualizes what have previously felt like “personal,” individual problems or weakness links such personal experiences to social realities.
The result of this kind of activity is living knowledge that may get translated into action.
A key methodological feature that distinguishes participatory research from other social research is dialogue. Through dialogue, people come together and participate in all crucial aspects of investigation, education and collective action. It is through talking to one another and doing things together that people get connected, and this connectedness leads to shared meaning. Dialogue encourages people to voice their perspectives and experiences, helping them to look at the “whys” of their lives, inviting them to critically examine the sources and implications of their own knowledge. In this context, dialogue allows to awaken participants’ voices and cultivates their participation as critical, active agents of change. This is particularly essential in the light of many social forces of domination at work in the lives of people from socially and culturally disenfranchised groups.
The researcher’s sharing of his or her perceptions, questions in response to the dialogue, and different theories and data invite the participants to critically reflect upon their own experiences and personal theories from a broader context. Ideally, in such a setting, the expert knowledge of the researcher combined with the experiential knowledge of community members, create an entirely new ways of thinking about issues.
Now-days much has been written about sustainable development. We define sustainable rural development in terms of sustaining livelihoods, reducing poverty, protecting and regenerating environment, intergenerational justice in resource use, conservation of bio-diversity, expansion of green and bio-technologies, institutional viability, resound economic growth, social and political stability. Developing capacities for good governance underpins all participatory elements in sustainable development process.
Empowerment of the vulnerable becoming more vulnerable out of climate change disaster is the hall mark of participatory approach to sustainable rural development. We can safely view target group approach as frontline component of the program for the vulnerable. True, this is a disadvantaged focused policy interventions. The idea is to enable the displaced rural poor to involve in participatory development process. There has been institutional concern to activate the vast reservoir of human resources to educate the poor and to enhance their nutritional status. Such concern is a symbol of realization about the inadequacy of the resource of the poor and powerless group of rural population. It is imperative to organize the powerless into an institutional framework though target group approach.
(Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque, Professor of Public Administration, Chittagong University and Dr. Md. Shakhawat Ullah Chowdhury, Asst Professor and Head, Dpt. Of General Education, Southern University Bangladesh)
