Resilience — A Multi-Dimensional Concept

Prof. M Zahidul Haque

Prof. M Zahidul Haque

‘RESILIENCE’ is not merely a word originated from Latin word—‘resilire’ meaning “to leap back” or “recoil”. Resilience refers to the ability of an individual, system, or community to withstand, adapt, and recover from adversities, challenges, or stressors while maintaining functionality and growth.

It embodies strength, flexibility, and the capacity for renewal, transformation, or innovation under pressure.

Resilience is a dynamic and multi-dimensional concept essential for thriving amidst challenges. It was first used in Physics to describe the ability of a material to return to its original shape after deformation. Over time, the term has evolved and been adopted across various fields including agriculture, health, symbolizing the capacity to recover, adapt, and thrive despite adversity.

Talking about Resilience, Nelson Mandela once said—“do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again” Resilience is not about avoiding the storms of life but learning how to dance in the rain.

Emphasizing the importance of resilience, former US President Bill Clinton mentioned in a letter to this author—“Hillary and I just returned from Puerto Rico, where we were inspired by the resilience of our fellow citizens as they work to recover not only from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, but from the recent earthquakes that have struck the island. With your support, the Clinton Foundation is taking action to accelerate their efforts.” He defined-- Hope + Action = Resilience.

Academic research is also being conducted on achieving resilience on different fields. Recently this author had attended a Thesis defense session of MS Students of SAU as an external examiner. A student named Sifat Zaman presented a thesis on a different issue titled—“Addressing Resilience of Riverine Charland Agricultural Systems in Northern Bangladesh” The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr, Ranjan Roy and Co-supervised by Prof. Dr, Mohammad Zamshed Alam.

Resilience in Different Disciplines:

1. Agriculture

In agriculture, resilience denotes the ability of farming systems to absorb and recover from shocks such as climate change, natural disasters, pests, and market fluctuations. In agriculture, resilience can be achieved through --Adoption of sustainable farming practices.

--Diversification of crops and livestock to reduce dependency on a single source.

--Implementation of agroforestry, conservation agriculture, and soil health management.

--strengthening agricultural extension service plus government support.

For instance, the recent devastating floods in Bangladesh have highlighted the urgent need for resilience in agriculture. To build such resilience, the government has taken several measures to address the challenges caused by the floods including offering subsidies, low-interest loans, and compensation packages to affected farmers, providing farmers with high-yield, flood-tolerant seeds and inputs for rapid recovery, offering necessary training, etc.

Recently this author had telephonic conversation with some ex-students of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University who are now working in different capacities in different Upazila Agriculture Office under DAE who informed that due to government’s prompt intervention they have started recovering losses in agriculture sector caused by the flood. Tanzila Rahman Upazila Agriculture Officer (UAO), Ramu, Cox’s Bazar informed that they have almost accomplished the target of growing winter vegetables. They also have a bumper Aman paddy production in Ramu. The price of vegetables has come down to a considerable extent.

2. Resilience in Health

Health resilience refers to the ability of healthcare systems, communities, and individuals to prepare for, respond to, and recover from health crises while maintaining essential functions through Strengthening healthcare infrastructure and workforce, promoting public health measures and disease prevention, enhancing mental health support systems etc. For instance, during COVID-19 Pandemic, the global response showcased the necessity of healthcare system resilience and international cooperation.

3. Resilience in Climate and Environment 

In this sector, resilience involves adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change and environmental degradation while safeguarding ecosystems.

Examples include mangrove restoration projects to protect coastal areas from storm surges, urban greening initiatives to reduce heat island effects, implementation of carbon-neutral policies in urban development, etc.

4. Resilience in Development

In the context of socio-economic development, resilience implies the capacity of communities and economies to recover from setbacks such as poverty, conflict, or economic downturns, while advancing towards long-term growth and equity.

5. Resilience in Governance

Now an Interim Government has taken over the charge of Bangladesh Government through a student-led mass movement. The challenge before the Interim Government headed by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yunus is to achieve Resilience towards establishing good governance in the country by cleaning all the debris of evil actions done by the past fascist government through ensuring reforms in the main sectors including law and order, holding a free and fair election, etc.

Conclusion

Building resilience requires collaborative efforts, innovative strategies, and a commitment to continuous improvement to ensure that systems and communities are better prepared for uncertainties. This author sincerely believe that the Interim Government will be successful in bringing Resilience in all the segments of the country thereby making a poverty-free happy and prosperous Bangladesh.

(Prof. M Zahidul Haque is a former Faculty and Dean of Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Bangla Agriculural University and regular contributor to the GreenWatch, Dhaka)