Sustainable Livelihood strategies: How urban community resilient towards disaster?

Abstract

It has been more than a decade after 5.9 SR earthquakes hit one of the most destructed area Tembi Hamlet, Bantul District, Yogyakarta Province. Amidst the wreaking havoc, the area gained its resilient in no time. This research, aimed to 1) explore what are the factors influential towards local resilient, especially micro-small-medium enterprises; and 2) analyze strategies to tackle disaster. It employed mix method, while the key questions were developed using "Sustainable Livelihood Approach"by DFID, geared with "Pentagram Asset"mapping for each spatial and temporal unit. The research impetus is to explore urban resilient of Tembi, Bantul using three important variables such as access, asset and activities. The research sample was taken through purposive sampling for Small-Medium Scale Enterprises in the research area. The data collection employed questionnaires and in-depth interviews and observed through ancillary data. There are 3 important variables measured within the research, such as access, asset and activity of SMSE. Hereafter, the research classified the observed data into scales, which later on expanded into the pentagram scale. The model to formulate research findings developed using "Sustainable Livelihood Approach"by DFID. The data processing technique used software SPSS, Microsoft Excel and ArcGIS were geared with "Pentagram Asset"mapping for each spatial and temporal unit. The result revealed that 1) the micro-small-medium enterprises in urban area are resilient towards earthquake due to fair physical, natural and financial assets management and abundant social, human and political assets. These assets have created enabling environment towards behavioral change of urban society; 2) Despite various livelihood strategies existed in urban areas, the research highlighted three types of livelihood strategies within disaster risk management perspective, i.e. survival (disaster), consolidation by no-change plan mechanism and accumulation strategies by change plan mechanism (post disaster). Critically, pentagram assessment is able to identify feasible local assets and activities, however it left the policy, institution, interaction and multi sector aspects from the spotlight. Herewith, the research proposes evaluation scan to rethinking sustainable livelihood approach within disaster risk management by adding these aspects into the observation. It also revealed that local autonomous initiatives to extend urban based economic activities and supported by abundant political interest play pivotal role in disaster management at developing countries.