Prathijna Poonacha Kodira

Senior Consultant – Director's Office and Practice | ppoonacha at iihs dot ac dot in
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EDUCATION:
2013    MSc, Human Settlements,Katholieke University,Leuven, Belgium
2007    BArch,BMS College of Engineering, Vishweshwaraiah Technological University,

             Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Countries: India, Tanzania, Vietnam, Belgium
States: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Kerala, Odisha
Cities: Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Badami, Pattadakal
Languages: English, Kannada, Hindi, Coorgi

Prathijna Poonacha Kodira is a researcher and practitioner who works on climate change adaptation, focusing broadly on how social and environmental systems respond to impacts of climate change, especially in urban and peri-urban geographies. Specifically, her work looks at livelihood transitions, nature-based solutions as adaptation, and the intersection of climate change and the built environment. Prathijna is experienced in enabling and engaging in multi-stakeholder processes for dialogue and decision-making using approaches such as Transformative Scenario Planning and Appreciative Inquiry. In the process, she is interested in unpacking the complexity of participatory decision-making, especially in the urban context.

 

At IIHS, Prathijna has worked on several large multi-country, multi-partner projects, including the IDRC/FCDO-funded Adaptation at Scale in Semi-arid Regions (ASSAR) (2014–18), the British Academy-funded Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture as Green Infrastructure (2019–22), GIZ and Resilience First-funded Summary for Urban Policymakers (2022), and the AfD-funded Greening Urban Food Systems (2023–24). Additionally, Prathijna has also been part of the Director’s Office at IIHS since 2020, working closely with the Director, and contributing to strategic institution building processes and activities.

Teaching

  • Changing Climate, Changing Cities,Climate change, Urban Fellows Programme (UFP), IIHS
  • Food and the City, Urban Food Systems, Urban Fellows Programme (UFP), IIHS
  • Practica, Place-Based learning, Urban Fellows Programme (UFP), IIHS

 

Training

  • Vulnerability Concepts and Methods, Climate change and resilience, Project-related training, IIHS
  • Capacity Development Suite,Impact Assessment, Urban Practitioners’ Programme (UPP), IIHS
  • Local Adaptation Support (under Adaptation at Scale in Semi Arid Regions (ASSAR) project), Climate change and resilience, Project-related training, IIHS
  • Energy Efficient Habitat, Energy, Practice Programme, IIHS
  • Introductory Training Course on Climate Change and Environment, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Journal Article

  • Rao, N., Mishra, A., Prakash, A., Singh, C., Qaisrani, A., Poonacha, P., Vincent, K., and Bedelian, C. (2019).  A qualitative comparative analysis of women’s agency and adaptive capacity in climate change hotspots in Asia and Africa. Nature Climate Change
  • Rao, N., Patil, S., Singh, C., Roy, P., Pryor, C., Poonacha, P., & Genes, M. (2022). Cultivating sustainable and healthy cities: A systematic literature review of the outcomes of urban and peri-urban agriculture. Sustainable Cities and Society, 85, Article 104063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2022.104063
  • Singh, C., Patil, S., Poonacha, P., Koduganti, M., & Sharma, S. (2021). When the “field” moves online: Reflections on virtual data collection during COVID-19. Ecology, Economy and Society–the INSEE Journal, 4(2), 149-157. https://doi.org/10.37773/ees.v4i2.414
  • Rao, N., Singh, C., Solomon, D., Camfield, L., Sidiki, R., Angula, M., … Lawson, E. T. (2019). Managing risk, changing aspirations and household dynamics: Implications for wellbeing and adaptation in semi-arid Africa and India. World development, 125(2020).

 

Books/ Book Chapters

Patil, S., Rao, N., Koduganti, M., Singh, C., Poonacha, P., Sharma, S., Roy, P., Mahalingam, A., & Singh, N. (2023). Sowing sustainable cities: Lessons for urban agriculture practices in India. Indian Institute for Human Settlements. https://doi.org/10.24943/SSC12.2023

 

Other Writing

  • Kiran, A., Mahalingam, A., Singh, C., Mayavel, D., Koduganti, M., Roy, P., Poonacha, P., Patil, S., Sharma, S., & Malladi, T. (2023). An action agenda for urban agriculture in India (Policy Brief).  Indian Institute for Human Settlements.
  • Pillai, A. V., C. Singh., Patil, S., Dalal, T., Ranjit, N., & Poonacha, P. (2023). How is India adapting to heatwaves?: An assessment of heat action plans with insights for transformative climate action (IIHS-CPR Policy Brief). Indian Institute for Human Settlements; Centre for Policy Research. https://doi.org/10.24943/HIAH03.2023
  • Adelekan, I., Cartwright, A., Chow, W., Colenbrander, S., Dawson, R., Garschagen, M., Haasnoot, M., Hashizume, M., Klaus, I., Krishnaswamy, J., Lemos, M. F., Ley, D., McPhearson, T., Pelling, M., Kodira, P. P., Revi, A., Sara, L. M., Simpson, N. P., Singh, C., … Trisos, C. (2022). What the latest science on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability means for cities and urban areas. Indian Institute for Human Settlements. https://doi.org/10.24943/SUPSV209.2022
  • Revi, A., Roberts, D., Klaus, I., Bazaz, A., Krishnaswamy, J., Singh, C., Eichel, A., Kodira, P. P., Seth, S., Adelekan, I., Babiker, M., Bertoldi, P., Cartwright, A., Chow, W., Colenbrander, S., Creutzig, F., Dawson, R., De Coninck, H., De Kleijne, K., … Ürge-Vorsatz, D. (2022). The summary for urban policymakers of the IPCC’s sixth assessment report. Indian Institute for Human Settlements. https://doi.org/10.24943/SUPSV511.2022
  • Kaur, H., Aravind, J., Singh, C., Ajay, S., & Poonacha, P. (2022). Representing covid-19 impacts and responses on indigenous people: A multilingual media review in the Nilgiri Biosphere Region, India. Indian Institute for Human Settlements. https://doi.org/10.24943/NBR12.2022
  • Batra, P., Revi, A., Bazaz, A., Singh, C., & Poonacha, P. (2021). Transforming education for sustainable futures: India background paper (TESF Working Paper). TESF and IIHS.
  • Poonacha, P. (2019, December 26). How the upcoming satellite town ring road will affect lives and livelihoods around Bengaluru. Citizen Matters.
  • Poonacha, P., Koduganti, M. (2017). Thinking critically about the Future of Water Security in Bengaluru, India using Transformative Scenario Planning. ASSAR Information Brief, ASSAR, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Bazaz, A., Poonacha, P., Koduganti, M., Bhadwal, S., Gorti, G., & Ghosh, T. (2016). Climate adaptation policy: Key findings and recommendations. Ottawa, Canada: International Development Research Centre
  • Poonacha, P., Solomon, D., Bendapudi, R., Rahman, A., Basu, R., Badiger, S. (2015). Risks, vulnerability and impacts. In Revi, A., Bazaz, A., Krishnaswamy, J., Bendapudi, R., D’Souza, M., & Gajjar, S. P. (Eds.), Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Semi-Arid Areas in India (ASSAR Working Paper). Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Rahman, A., Poonacha, P., Solomon, D., Bendapudi, R., Bazaz, A., Gajjar, S. P., & Badiger, S. (2015). The regional to sub-national context. In A. Revi, A. Bazaz, J. Krishnaswamy, R. Bendapudi, M. D’Souza, & S. P. Gajjar (Eds.), Vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in semi-arid areas in India (ASSAR Working Paper). Cape Town, South Africa: ASSAR.
  • Venkata, M. K., Sharma, S., Poonacha, P., & Roy, P. (2023, August 10-12). Exploring the potential of green jobs through urban agriculture enterprises in India. Paper presented at the Sustainable and Inclusive Urban Development in Global South Conference. Institute for Human Development & National Institute for Urban Affairs.
  • Poonacha, P. (2022), Insights on urban and Periurban Agriculture as Green Infrastructure in the seed session: Exploring pathways for a city-wide plan for integrating pollination service and green infrastructure in Bengaluru, India, TNOC conference.
  • Singh, C., Patil, S., Poonacha, P., Roy, P., Malladi, T., Mahalingam, A., Koduganti, M., & Sharma, S. (2021). Understanding the impacts of urban and peri-urban agriculture on human wellbeing and urban sustainability: Case of Bangalore and Pune. In Urban imaginaries 2021: IIHS annual research conference proceedings (pp. 143-146).  Indian Institute for Human Settlements.
  • Poonacha, P. (2021), Unlearning – Learning – Sharing: reflecting on the experience of capacity development on the integration of climate change in development projects, Adaptation Futures Conference, New Delhi.
  • Poonacha, P. (2018), Lessons on operationalizing researcher-practitioner collaboration from the ASSAR project in India, Adaptation Futures Conference, Cape Town.
  • Poonacha, P (2017), Evaluating the Transformative Scenario Planning (TSP) process as a tool for developing sustainable climate adaptation strategies in India, European Climate Change Adaptation Conference, Glasgow.
  • Capacity Building Workshops on Energy-Efficient Habitat for Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission (TNCCM)
  • Scoping Study of Human Migration and Displacement within India
  • Intersections of Just Energy Transition and Climate-Induced Migration in India
  • Climate Change Local Adaptation Pathways
  • Adaptation at Scale in Semi-Arid Regions (ASSAR)—Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA)
  • COVID Observatories
  • Greening Urban Food Systems: Building Sustainable Urban Agriculture Practices in Bengaluru through Nature-Based Solutions
  • Identifying Steps towards Making India Compatible with the 1.5°C Target
  • Summary for Urban Policymakers (SUP)
  • Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture as Green Infrastructure (UP-AGrI)
  • Workshops on Energy Efficient Habitat
  • Re-visioning JnNURM: A Citizen Sector Initiative to Assess Impacts and Frame Alternative Strategies,INHAF,Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
  • Ahmedabad Heritage City Nomination,Center for Conservation Studies, CEPT University,Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
  • Documentation of Heritage Remples for ASI,Center for Conservation Studies, CEPT,Pattadakal, Karnataka, India