Page 33 - FMR64_Trafficking and smuggling & Climate crisis and local communities_2020_web

FMR 64 Climate crisis and local communities 33

June 2020 www.fmreview.org/issue64

resilience and adaptive capacity in rural and years. Finally, one worker was contributing to
remote areas. Some residents of the rural Fijian the construction of a village guesthouse, on the
village of Lobau, for example, have moved premise that this might help attract NGOs to
from agriculture and subsistence farming establish environmental projects in the village.
to working in the cash economy in urban In short, climate resilience building is a
centres but part of their income is directed to key part of Pacific Island migrants’ pursuit
community projects and facilities – such as of work opportunities offshore. Given this,
building and repairing Lobau’s community integrating training in building climate-ready
hall which is used as an evacuation centre in housing – which is at the same time culturally,
times of disaster. Urban migrants also send contextually and geographically relevant – into
cash to those who remain in the village, while the SWP is one example of how addressing
villagers send local produce to those who climate risk could be better mainstreamed
have migrated to urban environments. Rural into international labour mobility.
to urban migration in Fiji, and elsewhere in
the region, not only can help people achieve Renewing cultural attachment to place –
sustainable livelihoods but also is increasingly Tuvalu
used as a way of building resilience to Funafala village in Tuvalu is only accessible
environmental change and disaster (even by sea. Infrastructure there is limited, with
though, as is true with most types of mobility, no schools, shops or roads and with no
it can also involve risks). In rural areas, public ferry service to the nation’s capital,
people’s survival depends on a precarious an hour away by small motorboat. Funafala,
mix of agricultural and non-agricultural as with all of Tuvalu, is on a low-lying
sources of income. Greater engagement by, and atoll and experiences coastal erosion. This
support from, public authorities in ensuring remote island community, which has no cash
that these sectors connect and complement economy, might reasonably be expected to
one another are needed if livelihood strategies be experiencing out-migration but in fact
such as internal migration are to help improve the opposite is true. The 10 households that
livelihood outcomes for rural households. comprise Funafala are well aware of climate
change risk, particularly that stemming from
Going abroad for work – to Australia sea-level rise, yet nobody plans to leave.
Australia’s Seasonal Worker Programme On the contrary, the number of households
(SWP), in operation since 2012, permits citizens is increasing. Why is this the case?
from nine Pacific Island countries and Timor- Funafala land is traditionally owned by
Leste to work temporarily in the Australian the indigenous people of Funafuti, part of
agriculture and accommodation sectors. The the same indigenous group who are also
purpose is to fill Australian labour gaps while landholders in Tuvalu’s capital. The village
contributing to economic development in the site has historically been an area of settlement
countries from which workers originate. Of 12 for Funafuti people, but changes such as
Solomon Island SWP migrants interviewed, increasing urbanisation in the capital have
all planned to use money they were earning meant population numbers have varied
in Australia to construct or upgrade housing over time. The present community members
in Solomon Islands. For example, one worker all value the opportunity to live a more
explained how upgrading his house from traditional life compared with life in the
a thatched leaf construction to one of iron, capital itself, and this is driving in-migration
concrete and timber would provide greater to the village. Fishing and household food
protection for his family during inclement cultivation provide at least partial subsistence
weather. Another worker was considering livelihoods, and handicraft materials are
exactly where to build his new house, given easier to source here. Most households
that his current house was situated very supplement their subsistence livelihoods
close to the coast and he had witnessed the with some paid employment in the capital.
encroachment of the shoreline over recent Water tanks and solar panels supply water