Building resilience in the face of nexus threats: local knowledge and social practices of Brazilian youth

Project Information

NEXUS-DRR

Grant agreement ID: 833401

DOI

10.3030/833401

Project closed

EC signature date 11 April 2019

Start date 5 August 2019

End date 20 February 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 270 327,36

EU contribution

€ 270 327,36

Coordinated by

THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - NEXUS-DRR (Building resilience in the face of nexus threats: local knowledge and social practices of Brazilian youth)

Reporting period: 2021-08-05 to 2022-08-04

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The complex interactions of the food-water-energy nexus have become prominent in academic research and policy discourse dealing with both existing and emerging environmental challenges. Nexus thinking has set the imperative for recognising the interconnectedness and structural interdependencies of food, water, and energy systems as essential for sustainable urban governance and development. There has been an increasing awareness and concern regarding secure access to and availability of water, food, and energy, especially in the context of climate change. Natural hazards such as floods and landslides can have an impact on the long-term availability of resources and pose a major risk to resource security. As the existing challenges are exacerbated by climate change, building long-term resilience to resource insecurity becomes even more crucial. Through the integration of nexus thinking and DRR, the project developed novel and interconnected pathways that go beyond short-term responses to strengthening communities’ long-term resilience. The challenges presented by intersections of the nexus with natural hazards are particularly profound in developing countries such as Brazil. Brazil has been experiencing a rapid and unplanned urban expansion leading to the development of marginalized and precarious communities in (peri-) urban areas that are prone to recurring disasters. NEXUS-DRR was based on the premise that communities develop social practices to reduce their vulnerability to nexus threats based on their local knowledge, e.g. through the optimization of resource use. Youth are among the most vulnerable groups to the effects of insecurity and disasters. At the same time, young people can assume a key role in risk reduction strategies as ‘everyday agents’ within their local environments, thereby challenging the domination of ‘adult’ knowledge. The aim of the action was to explore young people’s (aged 12-18) local knowledge and social practices related to nexus threats in marginalized and disaster-prone communities in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, Brazil, and to identify pathways for integrating youth knowledge into public policies and education for resilience. To this end, NEXUS-DRR pursued four research objectives:
RO 1: To analyse the ways in which young people understand and experience their everyday role in the food-water-energy nexus, related to their everyday use of resources and their (lack of) inclusion in accessing the different dimensions of the nexus.
RO 2: To explore young people’s knowledge of the underlying causes of nexus threats (e.g. landslides and flooding) as well as their perceptions of future nexus scenarios regarding their access to and their use of the nexus.
RO 3: To explore the social practices of youth to reduce their vulnerability to resource insecurity and to create resilient communities, by analysing their practices in dealing with nexus threats and by identifying their needs for capacity building.
RO 4: To critically reflect on how youth knowledge and their social practices can be valued and taken into account for the development of public policies, focusing on integrating the role of youth agency in participatory early warning systems and education for resilience.
The action was undertaken in collaboration with the School of Public Health at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) and the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham (UoB). The action was designed using participatory research, empowering young people as co-producers of knowledge. Data was collected using face-to-face youth-led workshops as well as remote activities with approximately 40 participants, using WhatsApp as main means of communication. Activities included online group discussions, individual interviews and interactive activities such as photovoice to reflect on chronic and acute everyday disaster risk, adaptive actions, youth agency and emotional resilience.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Results showed that that young people had important knowledge regarding unsustainable practices and causes of disaster risk (e.g. unplanned urban growth, deforestation, unsafe housing structures, littering). In addition, they developed important adaptive social practices to live (better) with resource scarcity. This included practices such as saving water and energy, engaging in local production and exchange of fruits and vegetables, recycling and reusing, and adjusting their mobility to cope with resource scarcity. Young people also displayed emotional coping strategies such as using humour to ‘normalise’ or disengage from disaster risk. The research indicated that today’s ‘new normal’ of acute and everyday disaster risk, interconnected with resource insecurity, requires new ways of adapting to and preparing for risk. To empower youth to recognise their agency without minimizing or denying their experience, the project developed a guiding framework for (interdisciplinary) scholars and practitioners. The so-called "EMPOWER"-framework aims to improve long-term (emotional) resilience to disaster risk through both formal and community-based education, based on seven key action points for transformative change: Engagement, EMotions, Participatory practices, hOpe, Well-being, Education, and self-Reflections. The project showed that participatory peer- and intergenerational learning approaches can contribute to young people's empowerment as co-producers of knowledge by engaging them in a critical reflection on challenges but also on solutions. To date, research results have been published in several high impact publications, including six peer-reviewed journal articles, four book chapters, policy-reports, blog articles and a podcast, targeting a scientific public, policy-makers, and practitioners. The Fellow has also given over 30 (invited) talks at international workshops and conferences. The action also included two multi-stakeholder seminars to discuss impact and future pathways for integrating youth knowledge into public policies and education.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

As an internationally valued expert in the field of youth agency, (remote) participatory youth research, resource insecurity, resilience and urban wellbeing, the Fellow has been appointed Assistant Professor in Human Geography at the University of Birmingham. The Fellowship has had a wider impact on society and policy processes, including a remote university extension course through the Faculty of Public Health at the University of Sao Paulo. The course provided participatory learning activities for approximately 40 young people from the urban periphery of Sao Paulo on urban development, resource scarcity, and climate change and was integrated in the annual planning of the Secretariat for Social Assistance of the Municipality of Franco da Rocha, Brazil. The Fellow has also driven South-North knowledge exchange and new interdisciplinary research collaborations on urban nexuses of youth, climate and resource insecurity, leading to new collaborations in teaching and research between UoB and USP and beyond. The Fellow has also organised two multi-stakeholder workshops to reflect on (1) pathways for creating youth-friendly and sustainable cities and (2) integrating youth knowledge in local policies and education for disaster resilience.

Youth-led walking tour in Franco da Rocha, Brazil.