Chennai is one among the most climate change vulnerable cities in the globe and is a hotspot for floods, cyclones, water scarcity, heat stress and sea level rise. The Climate Resilient Chennai programme aims to streamline and catalyse the transition of Chennai towards becoming a Climate resilient city. We will focus on climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives in Chennai, urban ecology, inclusivity, accessibility and people’s well being (Good air, water, food and life for all).
Chennai Foodscape Project aims to enable sustainable transformation of the food systems of Chennai towards organic food, shorter supply chain and fair price to farmers. The project will involve various actions like organizing monthly organic farmers’ markets, sessions and workshops on food, identifying and supporting organic farms nearby Chennai (Thiruvallur, Chengalpattu and Kanchipuram district) and authentic organic stores in Chennai, policy advocacy etc.
Chennai Wetlands project aims to foster the conservation and protection of wetlands in Chennai and work on inclusive urban planning and peri-urbanisation. The project will involve landscape and socio-cultural mapping and documentation of Chennai’s rivers, lakes and other wetlands, working with urban marginalised communities and providing inputs and guidance for urban planning.
The communities dependent on nature-based livelihoods being among the most marginalised have contributed the least to climate change but are deeply affected by it. Moreover, a decentralized and distributed approach to production, exchange and market is an important response to climate change and for people’s well-being. The Local Livelihoods and Climate Action programme will focus on documenting the impacts of climate change on these communities and models of resilience and co-creating/supporting various livelihood initiatives.
The project involves documenting the status of dry land agriculture in Tamil Nadu, issues faced by the farmers, impact of climate change, the success models developed by farmers and recommendations to the government. It is part of a fellowship project of the founding partner.
We will support various sustainable livelihood initiatives in collaboration with local communities and civil society organisations. The focus will be on ensuring fair compensation and dignity for nature-based livelihood groups like farmers, fishers, women groups, palmyra climbers, artisans, pastoralists etc.
The youth are at crossroads as they are extremely vulnerable to complex challenges of environmental degradation, climate change and growing economic inequality. The climate crisis has triggered the attention of young people and common citizens but their actions need to be channelised in the right direction as they are highly disconnected from grassroots realities. The Youth and Civic Engagement programme focuses on education and narrative building among youth and citizens through experiential learning platforms and effective communication of nuanced perspectives.
We will organise curated livelihood and wetland tours in Chennai for youth. Livelihood tours will involve visits to nature-based livelihood units like organic farms and will focus on its environmental and socio-economic aspects, and conscious consumerism. Wetland tours will involve visits to various water bodies of a particular watershed and will focus on eco-social, cultural and historical aspects.
We will organise sessions for school and college students and the public on various topics related to livelihood, urban ecology and climate change. We have already developed learning modules like ‘Rethinking Development’ (using the framework of Development, Distress and Direction), ‘Know your food’ (eco-social aspects of the food we eat), ‘Urban Ecology’ (Chennai’s wetlands and landscape), ‘Understanding Climate Change’ (Localised perspective of Climate Change) etc. We will also develop these sessions and modules into comprehensive courses and youth camps.
Aram Thinai Podcast is a Tamil podcast focusing on climate change from the lens of common people and nature dependent communities. We share grassroots stories of resilience, inspiration, and endurance along with our nuanced perspectives in a conversation mode through the podcast.
Frames from the field is an effort to record people’s lived experiences and knowledge (especially nature-dependent communities). We will publish photo essays and articles on land, life and livelihood with an eco-social angle as part of the initiative.
Scribble stories project aims to use visual communication tools to effectively communicate localised climate resilience and the disproportional impacts of climate change. It will involve crafting and publishing illustrations, comic series, books, art works, exhibitions etc.
