Laying the Foundation for Resilient Livelihoods through a Biblical Approach to Participation and Stewardship

There has been a lot of talk about resilience lately, but what does it all mean and how should we think about it in terms of agricultural and community development from poverty reduction and improved well-being? In a global context of variability and change – be it economic or environmental – and persistent areas of chronic food insecurity, how can we help people on the path to more productive, sustainable and resilient livelihoods, whilst being good stewards of the gifts God has given? In this talk, Doug will share some insights and experiences
as a development practitioner and researcher, examine recent trends in efforts to tackle chronic poverty and food insecurity and suggest a path that is at once faithful to our biblical roots and effective in addressing the root causes of the problems faced by the poor in rural agricultural communities around the globe.

Presenter : Doug Brown is Director, Agriculture and Food Security at World Vision International and responsible for the promotion of sustainable, productive and resilient agricultural livelihoods across the World Vision Partnership, internally through the development of organizational strategy, policy and practice as well as in external relationships. Doug has taught in the areas of international development and economics and conducted research in Cameroon and Kenya focused on the relationship between household resource management decisions, poverty and environmental degradation. Prior to his doctoral studies he worked for over 10 years at the grass roots level in agricultural and community development in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His international experience began through a 4 month
cross-cultural exchange to the Philippines. Doug has a Ph.D. in the Economics of Development from Cornell University, a Certificate in Biblical Studies from Tyndale Seminary and a B.Sc. in Agriculture from the University of Guelph. He was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and lives in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.