Jamba-Journal of Disaster Risk Studies最新文献

Environmental health practitioners (EHPs) are expected to possess critical competencies in disaster risk reduction, emergency response and recovery, which should ideally be developed during undergraduate education. However, since the transition in 2016 from diploma to degree programmes in environmental health in South African higher institutions, there has been limited insight into the adequacy of disaster management training in these programmes. This study aimed to analyse the training content, course structures and competency frameworks currently employed to prepare EHPs in South Africa for roles in disaster management. An exploratory concurrent mixed-methods design examined the current structure and delivery of disaster management modules in environmental health programmes across South Africa. A semi-structured self-administered questionnaire was used to elicit information on the relevance of disaster management in environmental health, course delivery, competency approaches and work-integrated learning. Findings revealed systemic inconsistencies and critical gaps in curriculum implementation. These challenges included the lack of module duration, structure standardisation and the limited integration of work-integrated learning and digital learning methodologies. The study concludes that a standardised national curriculum is needed that is aligned with the South African Disaster Management Framework, the EHP professional scope of practice and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Contribution: The study recommends establishing a Disaster Management Academics Forum to improve curriculum consistency, encourage academic collaboration and promote ongoing quality enhancement. These measures are essential for maintaining uniform graduate skills, which will strengthen the professional capacity of EHPs as frontline workers in disaster risk reduction and further reinforce South Africa's long-term resilience.

Agriculture is one of the main pillars of the economy in Southern Africa. According to the World Bank, the poverty rate in South Africa at the national level is 55%. Therefore, commercial farming is essential for economic development and poverty alleviation. However, certain factors pose a threat to the long-term viability of commercial crop farming. The aim of this review was to evaluate risk factors threatening commercial agriculture in South Africa. Several anthropogenic and environmental factors, such as climate change, pesticide contamination, land degradation, pests and diseases, were identified as risk factors threatening the sustainability of commercial crop farming in South Africa. Political factors such as the energy crisis and land reform were also identified as areas of great concern. A shift to regenerative agriculture is needed to ensure the sustainability of commercial agriculture because it is presently unsustainable.

Contribution: Agriculture has a crucial role in South Africa's economy, and the threats identified in this study need to be prioritised to help preserve farmers' livelihoods and the overall economy by reducing financial risks, reducing unemployment and maintaining a consistent supply of agricultural exports.

Effective disaster management hinges on prompt, informed decisions, where social media has emerged as a real-time information source. However, current artificial intelligence (AI) systems for disaster response rely on universal taxonomies that assume information relevance is consistent across geographical and cultural contexts - an assumption that fails to account for regional variations in disaster types, response capabilities and local priorities. This study questions the 'one-size-fits-all' approach by developing context-specific social media indicator taxonomies through participatory engagement with 104 stakeholders across Ghana and Mauritius. We developed a taxonomy of 39 social media indicators across four categories: urgent needs, impact assessment, situational awareness and vulnerable populations. Our findings reveal significant regional variations in disaster information priorities that contradict assumptions underlying existing universal frameworks. While impact assessment indicators showed convergence between countries, other categories revealed that there are still important areas for future research on incorporating local stakeholder knowledge into AI system design. Our participatory methodology provides a replicable framework for developing adaptive, context-aware machine learning classifiers that can transform static universal categorisations into dynamic systems aligned with unique regional priorities and operational contexts.

Contribution: We suggest future research areas that span across developing transfer learning approaches that leverage pre-trained multilingual models while incorporating region-specific context, creating active learning frameworks with local validation loops, implementing feedback mechanisms and establishing fair human-in-the-loop annotation processes that maintain quality.

Research on integrating Indigenous and Western knowledge systems for disaster risk reduction is increasing, particularly in South African communities where flooding is a significant issue. An integrated approach combining these knowledge systems within flood early warning systems could enhance community preparedness and risk reduction strategies. However, a lack of thorough studies on this topic in Alice Town creates a gap in guidance for local governments. The absence of models for collaboration between local governments and communities further exacerbates this gap. This paper utilised an integrative Indigenous qualitative research methodology to generate data through community conversations, interviews with local authorities and policy analysis. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings revealed that although Indigenous and Western early warnings are different, they are similar and should be integrated. So, a Collaborative Integrated Hybrid Flood Risk Reduction Model (CIHFRRM) was developed to guide the integration process for better early flood warning and align with the National Development Plan's goal of enhancing local government's responsiveness and sustainability. The study concludes that an Indigenous knowledge-based (IKS)-based integrated approach could provide new proactive opportunities for dealing with floods, thus increasing communities' capacity to predict, monitor and be prepared to reduce damage or address potential threats of floods.

Contribution: The study further recommends that the proposed model can be applied to other municipalities' disaster plans in South Africa.

Understanding the dynamics of social-ecological systems (SES) in the context of disasters is essential to bridge the interactions among humans, the environment and disaster risks. This perspective supports the development of disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies and the strengthening of community resilience while addressing practical and scientific gaps in the literature. The present study analysed global research trends on SES and disasters, focusing on publication patterns, thematic clusters and the geographical distribution of contributions. It employed a bibliometric analysis of 140 Scopus-indexed papers retrieved with relevant keywords. Network visualisation and data-density techniques were applied to identify research trends, thematic groupings and regional participation. The results highlight emerging themes and recurrent topics within SES and disaster studies, with substantial contributions from the United States, China, Germany and Australia and a steady annual increase in publications. Major thematic clusters included DRR, nature conservation, disaster management and climate adaptation. Areas gaining greater attention were climate adaptation, DRR and ecosystem management, signalling shifting priorities in SES and disaster research. This study underscores adaptation, resilience, governance and policy as central themes and emphasises the importance of interdisciplinary approaches and expanded databases for future investigations.

Contribution: The research provides a comprehensive overview of SES and disaster trends, offering insights to policymakers and practitioners to enhance DRR strategies and global resilience initiatives. It fills a critical gap in understanding the interplay between SES dynamics and disaster management.

Indonesia has a high risk of geological disasters because its location is on the arc of plate movement. One of the main threats comes from Mount Merapi, an active volcano that often erupts, significantly impacting the surrounding community. This study uses the Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS) approach to assess the community's hazard, vulnerability and capacity on the slopes of Mount Merapi, Magelang. This locale-based mapping integrates three main variables to provide a more comprehensive risk picture. The results show that 80% of households are in the high to very high hazard category, with the main threat types being volcanic ash and hot clouds. Household vulnerability varied, with 44.4% in the low category and 16% in the high category, indicating the presence of a significant population that was particularly vulnerable. On the other hand, the capacity of the community is still unevenly distributed, with almost half of the population having a very low capacity. Local Spatial Knowledge (LSK) is essential in reducing disaster risk, including public understanding of natural signs, safe evacuation routes and tradition-based mitigation strategies.

Contribution: The integration of LSK with Geographic Information System (GIS) technology strengthens the effectiveness of risk assessment, allowing for more accurate mapping and targeted intervention strategies. Public awareness of risks has grown significantly because of greater access to information enabled by digital technology, although local values still need to be preserved.

Disasters and pandemics have significantly disrupted livelihoods in rural regions of southwestern Uganda. However, there remains limited understanding of the resilience processes and recovery pathways available to these communities. This study addresses that gap by applying the three capacities resilience framework, comprising absorptive, adaptive and transformative capacities, to investigate how rural communities in Isingiro and Kisoro districts respond to and recover from such shocks. Using a qualitative methodology that included 34 key informant interviews and four focus group discussions, the research explores the vulnerabilities faced by rural populations, the role of institutions and the strategies employed at household and community levels to withstand and adapt to disruptions. Findings reveal that while state and non-state actors provide critical support, much remains focused on absorptive responses, offering short-term relief without fostering sustainable change. In contrast, adaptive strategies, such as reliance on indigenous knowledge and social networks, offer more community-driven resilience. The study also highlights the need for building transformative capacity, which remains underdeveloped but is essential for long-term livelihood security and systemic resilience.

Contribution: The findings underscore the need for long-term planning that integrates institutional frameworks with community-based approaches to enhance resilience. To build transformative capacity, substantial investments in addressing economic vulnerabilities, fostering income diversification and strengthening community participation in governance are critical. This study situates its conclusions within the resilience framework, emphasising that sustainable recovery requires collaborative efforts across institutional and community levels to build systems capable of absorbing shocks, adapting to changes and transforming in the face of future challenges.

Recent extreme weather events driven by climatic variation and change have severely impacted infrastructure, human life, and ecosystems globally, increasing the urgency for Early Warning Systems (EWS) and hybrid methods to observe extreme rainfall events. This article reviews existing studies on technical and social methods for monitoring extreme rainfall to explore the integration of these approaches in rainfall observation. Given the limitations of technical and social methods when used in isolation, it has become evident that hybrid approaches that integrate social and technical methods could enhance preparedness for catastrophic rainfall events. Therefore, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method was employed to identify and analyse studies on rainfall observation. A total of 3786 articles were identified from different databases, and after applying various filters, 144 studies were selected and analysed to improve our understanding of rainfall monitoring approaches. The key findings of this review indicate four main trends: (1) technical methods dominate over social methods because of their perceived reliability and precision; (2) in the Global North, only technical methods are used, with no recorded studies incorporating social approaches; (3) social methods, along with integrated approaches, are more prevalent in the Global South; and (4) integrated methods remain limited despite their potential to enhance rainfall monitoring. This review provides insights into the benefits of combining technical and social methods, highlighting their complementary strengths. By bridging the gap between high-tech solutions and community-based monitoring, integrating these approaches could improve EWS and strengthen climate resilience.

Contribution: This review addresses the gap in integrating technical and social methods for rainfall monitoring, emphasising their complementary strengths. It highlights the limited use of integrated approaches, particularly in the Global North, despite their potential to enhance EWS. This research advocates for inclusive and effective climate risk management by bridging high-tech solutions with community-based monitoring.