Food security is a wide concept which comprises several terms, one of them being food availability. This aspect is directly related with the food system ability to produce enough food, which in turn depends on land and water availably, productivity and food consumption levels.
Food supplies are currently a mixture of local and non-local production, determined by market. However non-local production could not always be available or accessible, as it has happened many times in the history due for example to disruptions in transport, economic crises or wars. Moreover, the effect of global processes like growing population, oil crops cultivation, changes in land use or climate change can produce disruptions in non-local food supplies at different levels, forcing people to focus on local production. Therefore, the analysis of local food system ability to cover local food needs is a key question that contributes to food security of populations.
In the United Kingdom, low risk awareness of heatwaves among local officials from municipalities, health and social care organizations contrasts with recent scientific findings that suggest an increase in the frequency and magnitude of extreme temperatures in the context of climate change. This discrepancy gives an impetus to better understand the pathways and constraints of how formal and informal institutions in local heatwave planning in the UK can drive paradigm shifts in risk governance. Within a local government context, the presentation traces the dynamics of learning that follows from a creative tension between bureaucratic rules, on the one hand, and flexible social relationships, on the other hand. London, UK, a global frontrunner in urban climate change adaptation, serves as an in-depth case study, drawing on six-month of empirical research with local risk management organizations.
Over the last two decades, the issue of environmentally-induced migration has gained greater attention in academia, media coverage and political circles. Most studies acknowledge that it is not appropriate to simply assume a straightforward relationship between migrants and environmental change, underlining that environmental factors are intertwined with social, economic, demographic and political drivers. Mountain regions are identified as being a very ‘vulnerable’ areas (alongside coastal areas and drylands) with regard to global environmental change, indicating that the drivers of migration in mountain regions are numerous and closely intertwined. In Bolivia, mountain communities are characterized by a high level of mobility which is a traditional and well-established practice in Andean livelihoods to reduce vulnerability to both environmental and non-environmental risks. Consequently, most of the households are involved in a process of multi-residency and/or circular migration at various scales (local, national, international).
Vulnerability towards multiple hazard risks is an area of increasing concern but little concrete investigation. Currently, multiple hazard risk assessments focus on the identification of locations affected by multiple hazards. Yet, this approach is insufficient to determine the multiplier effect of multiple hazards on social vulnerability, specifically raising the question; are the impacts of two or more hazards greater than the impacts of one and if so, to what extent? This is the key question that the research seeks to address.
After the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, the Government of Aceh started to promote disaster risk reduction and to build disaster resilience in order to address the current challenges in disaster risk mitigation in Aceh Province. This study highlights the governmental and non-governmental strategies for resilience building at the local level. It will focus on assessing the effectiveness and sustainability of the different strategies, contrasting governmental and non-governmental measures.