Center for Sustainable Development (CSD)

Arriving in Dhaka can be overwhelming. The prospect of doing my MSc field research is already a big task, but add a new culture, language, sounds and smells and you’ve got a pretty good idea just how immense my initial shock was. Luckily, I had the support of the Centre for Sustainable Development to help me find my feet in my new surroundings. The CSD not only provided a warm welcome, with friendly faces and even some lovely exchanges on people’s experiences in Germany, but also offered fantastic logistical support. Unfortunately my research was not based out of Dhaka, so I could not use the desk and internet access provided for very long, however I read some of the literature published by CSD and it was superb to kick start the first stage of my research.  With my co-supervisor from CSD (Dr. Samiya Selim), I attended a Gobeshona meeting where I was able to network with academics and NGOs working in the field of climate change adapted livelihoods. This meeting was a great first contact and I am thankful for CSD for the exposure.

The aim of my field research was to look at different approaches used by NGOs to transform livelihoods in coastal Bangladesh. The people living in the coastal regions of Bangladesh face several problems; ranging from increased cyclone frequency and intensity to salinity intrusion, riverbank erosion and lack of alternative income sources. The NGO sector has played a big role in disaster relief and livelihood support through monetary and technical means. Understanding different approaches, and looking at projects that have finished in the last 10 years, will hopefully enable me to identify strong and weak points in generating a self-sustaining process. Self-sustaining processes are in itself an aspect of sustainability because it implies that the people involved in the project can carry out independent work beyond the project’s timeframe, and possibly even, the region. The knowledge of what may lead to a self-sustaining process can then be used to aid effectiveness and implementation of future projects and to establish project sustainability.

I hope to be the first of many students from University of Bremen who will come to Bangladesh and collaborate with CSD to continue the outstanding work and share in their passion to help combat the growing need for climate adaptive solutions.

I was given the opportunity to visit ULAB-CSD during an internship-related field trip in Dhaka. At the time, I had yet to formulate my idea for my thesis but nonetheless I felt a strong desire to return to Dhaka as a visiting researcher at CSD. As my internship at a Sustainable Development Consultancy in Denmark came to an end, an outline to a thesis idea began to take form and through correspondence with Dr. Samiya Selim, I was able to get reflections on the ideas that I had, coupled with some very valuable advice on fieldwork and logistics in general.

My research focuses on aspects of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), a form of education which of late has gained remarkable interest in the international community: phrased as “the master key to development” it is considered to be the silver bullet to meet expectations of economic growth worldwide. Bangladesh, partaking in the global trend of recognizing TVET for its instrumental values, also explicitly counts TVET as a key component in moving towards its goal of becoming a middle-income country. Recent years has seen an increase in programs aiming to increase skilled TVET graduates coupled with an increased focus of including more women in these programs. Through the capability framework I am aiming to capture what characterizes young Bangladeshi female TVET students’ educational goals and which actors they perceive as a potential support or obstacle in pursuing these. As such, it enables my analysis to depart from the common lens of human capital theory towards an analysis where the objective and agency of the learner is put at the forefront.

Through the vast network of Dr. Samiya Selim and CSD, I was put in contact with key experts on the issue which allowed for much appreciated feedback throughout my time in Dhaka. Moreover, I got invited to numerous conferences and networking events, which allowed a broader understanding of the education system and the wider situational context. In addition, CSD put me in contact with the most professional and sharp young interpreters, who quickly understood my style of interviewing and the objective of my study.

I would highly recommend the Visiting Researcher program at CSD ULAB to others studying or conducting research in this part of Asia.

Arriving in Bangladesh to begin my PhD fieldwork back in April 2019 was a daunting prospect. I had tried my best to sort logistics out from my department at Oxford University, but knew a lot of these would need to be sorted on the ground. Eventually I found my feet in the vibrant and inexhaustible city of Dhaka, but I have no doubt that things would have been a little smoother had I already known about ULAB and the Centre for Sustainable Development’s fantastic Visiting Researcher scheme.

I was lucky to meet with Oliver Scanlan, Research Fellow at CSD, who then went to introduce me to Dr Samiya Selim and the rest of the team. For the second phase of my research from September onwards I officially became a Visiting Researcher, participating in a wide range of research activities as a result. From giving feedback on papers, to supporting the annual conference, to contributing to field trips and reports, writing newspaper articles and teaching classes, I have greatly enjoyed being a part of the CSD team and engaging in the vibrant intellectual community here.

I am grateful to CSD for enabling me to bring together my two main interest areas – technology for development and conservation of the natural environment in the face of the climate crisis – in the work that I have done here. For example, engaging in the research work on Oxfam’s PROTIC work, which is a participatory project that works with rural women to create smartphone based information services on climate adaptation strategies – deepened my understanding of the potential of digital tools to enhance climate resilience. Visiting Cox’s Bazaar with senior academics from Keele University and Bremen University to scope out pro-poor technology projects was also a real highlight of my time here. This trip enhanced my knowledge of the challenges inherent in trying to achieve both social and environmental sustainability through technology.

Aside from the great work that CSD does, the team are also tremendously welcoming and supportive. I feel fortunate to have met them all, and look forward to staying in touch in the future.

I came to Bangladesh in my first year of my PhD to start building my research network and to get a sense of the country. It was my first time in Bangladesh, and I’m glad that I was able to be hosted at CSD. Everyone was incredibly friendly, and it was very helpful to hear about the lab’s various research projects to help sharpen my own budding research interests. My stay coincided with the CSD annual conference on sustainable development, so it was a great opportunity to be exposed to a wide range of sustainable development research.

The desk space was located in the CSD office, so it was nice to feel a part of the CSD team. It was also great to be able to use the ULAB library—especially since many of the books were not available in my own institution’s library. Through their connections, I was able to visit various sites and projects in Bangladesh to get some exposure to some key environmental and social challenges.

My experience at CSD was incredibly helpful in building my research network in Bangladesh and I look forward to keeping in touch!

I am a post-doctoral researcher at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain), and work in the ERC-funded BIGSEA project as part of the Earth System Dynamics research group (https://earthsystemdynamics.org). Our project aims to develop a unified framework model which represents the most important interactions of the global human-ocean system. I came to Bangladesh to complete fieldwork on subjective well-being in small-scale fishing communities and how it changes, along with fishing effort and environmental perceptions, at different degrees of market integration.

Partnering with the CSD proved a great decision for the duration of the trip; from being picked up at the airport terminal upon my arrival, to being provided with networking opportunities, to the invaluable help in organizing the fieldwork logistics, it was a wonderful experience and a great entrance gate and reference to a deeper understanding of the fascinating and complex country that is Bangladesh.

Our sampled locations needed to include both remote areas and sites fully integrated in the global economy. CSD staff advised me on selecting the sites, which ended up being the remote island of Nijhum Dwip, and several fishing communities in the crowded and more developed Chittagong area.

The scientists at CSD, through their wide network of contacts in Bangladesh, selected a brilliant team of university students who actively participated as field assistants and enumerators in the field research. They also provided the introduction to the communities we would work with, ensuring we had their approval and support to undertake our study. Included are some photos from my fieldwork and my experiences with the CSD team.

I am particularly grateful to Mr. Joy Bhowmik for his kind assistance and efficient handling of logistic matters. I would like to give special thanks to Dr. Samiya Selim for her warm welcome to the team. In the future, I look forward to fruitful ongoing collaborations with the Center for Sustainable Development at ULAB.

Arriving in Dhaka can be overwhelming. The prospect of doing my MSc field research is already a big task, but add a new culture, language, sounds and smells and you’ve got a pretty good idea just how immense my initial shock was. Luckily, I had the support of the Centre for Sustainable Development to help me find my feet in my new surroundings. The CSD not only provided a warm welcome, with friendly faces and even some lovely exchanges on people’s experiences in Germany, but also offered fantastic logistical support. Unfortunately my research was not based out of Dhaka, so I could not use the desk and internet access provided for very long, however I read some of the literature published by CSD and it was superb to kick start the first stage of my research.  With my co-supervisor from CSD (Dr. Samiya Selim), I attended a Gobeshona meeting where I was able to network with academics and NGOs working in the field of climate change adapted livelihoods. This meeting was a great first contact and I am thankful for CSD for the exposure.

The aim of my field research was to look at different approaches used by NGOs to transform livelihoods in coastal Bangladesh. The people living in the coastal regions of Bangladesh face several problems; ranging from increased cyclone frequency and intensity to salinity intrusion, riverbank erosion and lack of alternative income sources. The NGO sector has played a big role in disaster relief and livelihood support through monetary and technical means. Understanding different approaches, and looking at projects that have finished in the last 10 years, will hopefully enable me to identify strong and weak points in generating a self-sustaining process. Self-sustaining processes are in itself an aspect of sustainability because it implies that the people involved in the project can carry out independent work beyond the project’s timeframe, and possibly even, the region. The knowledge of what may lead to a self-sustaining process can then be used to aid effectiveness and implementation of future projects and to establish project sustainability.

I hope to be the first of many students from University of Bremen who will come to Bangladesh and collaborate with CSD to continue the outstanding work and share in their passion to help combat the growing need for climate adaptive solutions.

Ruyel is a third-year Ph.D. Candidate in the Sustainability Management program of the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development at the University of Waterloo, Canada. Before joining his Ph.D. program, Ruyel finished a Master of Arts in Geography from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, and a Master of Science in Coastal and Marine Fisheries from Sylhet Agricultural University, Bangladesh. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Fisheries from Sylhet Agricultural University. Ruyel’s primary research interest is small-scale fisheries governance. For his doctoral study, he aims to look at the transboundary governance of small-scale fisheries in the Sundarbans, covering both Bangladesh and India. He aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the role of transboundary governance in facilitating the vulnerability to viability transition of small-scale fisheries in the Sundarbans. He plans to explore the interconnection of vulnerability to viability transition concept to the notion of governability for small-scale fisheries in this region. Besides, Ruyel is interested in studying access to fisheries resources and markets, fisheries supply chain, and conservation and sustainability of marine and inland fisheries resources.

I am currently a Master of Environmental Studies (MES) student under the supervision of Dr. Prateep Nayak, at the University of Waterloo School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development. Before beginning my graduate studies, I completed my undergraduate at Toronto Metropolitan University, majoring in Urban and Regional Planning, and minoring in Geography and Sociology. My primary research interests exist in socio-ecological systems, governance, equity, small-scale fisheries, and resource management more widely, as well as vulnerability to viability transitions. Through working with ULAB and as a part of the V2V Global Partnership, I am researching how stakeholder interactions affect the viability and vulnerability transitions within a co-management setting, specifically using the Sundarbans as a case study. Through this study, I hope to better understand the role of small-scale fishers in community-based and co-management institutions.