FACING SEASONAL CRISIS AND ‘MONGA’ IN THE NORTH-WESTERN BANGLADESH: TRANSFORMING VULNERABILITY INTO RESILIENCE

This paper looks into the issue of seasonal crisis in the North-western part of Bangladesh which is more popularly known as ‘monga' phenomenon. Building on empirical findings from a baseline study and post-interventional impact evaluation, this paper unbundles how seasonal crisis and monga situation was tackled successfully. The discussion provides significant insights and a concrete set of evidence on how minimal external support and local innovation can help people reducing seasonal vulnerabilities effectively. This also allowed people's resilience building efforts at household level and social-ecological system in an integrated manner. The paper analyzes interesting findings and shows that what approach worked well and what type of interventions helped households to manage the seasonal crisis locally. The analysis portrays how simple self-reliance and motivational initiatives with small in-kind support can transform intra-household dynamics even within a shorter time scale and lead towards sustainable practices. The analysis brought up a unique vulnerability-resilience nexus and puts forward evidence-based recommendations that can play a pivotal role in sustainable management of the monga situation and similar type of seasonal crisis in Bangladesh and elsewhere in the world.