Participatory tools to aid adaptation

From WikiADAPT

The table below is a summary by Kathleen Dietrich of Penn State University of the some of the many different tools used by practitioners in their work on adaptation. Many of these tools started life in the Development or Disaster Risk reduction fields, but have been being applied to support adaptation also. What would be great would be to hear any experiences that you have in using any of the tools below, or equally whether there are others that should also be on this list! Please add to the section below the table, or email us if there is anything that you would like to add.

Adaptation Tools	Sponsor	Purpose	Document Type	Scale/Location	Framework	Methods	Learning	Final Outcome	Other Notes
Climate Vulnearability and Capacity Assessment (CVCA)	CARE International	Vulnerability and Adaptatoin Assessment Toolkit	Comprehensive	Community-focus, multi-scalar assessment	Organized around four categories of “enabling factors”: climate-resilient livelihoods, DRR, local capacity devt, underlying causes of vulnerability.	Secondary research, policy analysis, key informant interviews, participatory methods at the community/household level	Makes an explicit statement and emphasis on learning by creating a dialogue across scales and with multiple stakeholders	Inform and strengthen adaptation planning processesby providing context-specific information	Conducted separately for men and women
Community-based Risk Screening Tool – Adaptation and Livelihoods (CRiSTAL)	InterCooperation	Project assessment and decision support tool	Guidelines	Community	2 modules - synthesizing information and planning and managing projects.	Possible methods include stakeholder consultations, participatory workshops, site visits, document review, Internet research, and interviews.	Does not include a specific component of learning, but instead serves as an evaluation and decision making tool for project planners and partners.	Devises adjustments to improve how projects impact the livelihood resources important to adaptation or suggest projects that better reduce climate risks.	Excel program, requires computer data entry
Climate Change and Environmental Degradation Risk and Adaptation Assessment (CEDRA)	TearFund	Project assessment and decision support tool, aid in access to information	Step-by-Step Manual	Southern NGOs	Identify hazards from community and science info., prioritize hazards, select appropriate adaptation options, consider new projects, monitor and evaulate	Scientificy information assessment, points of contact for information, Tools from PADR, matrix assessment, process completed through report	Experiential learning and social learning integral to the tool, some mention of an iterative process	Modified and newly agreed adaptation activities, improved understanding of climate change context and relation to environmental degradation	Unique emphasis on how NGOs understand climate change to assist their communities
Adaptive Capacity Benchmarking		Assess organizational capacities & change strategies in context of climate change	Comprehensive	Organizations	Based on 6 response levels (ex. stakeholder responsive, efficient management) and 9 pathways for change (ex. leadership, awareness)	Document review and interviews, variations on interviews like card sorting	Learning as a pathway for change, possibilites for transformational learning as an outcome	Recommendations for organizational improvement and climate change action plans	Provides examples of metrics and baselines for change
Child-oriented Participatory Risk Assessment & Planning (COPRAP)	Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (apdc)	Risk assessment, strengths & weaknesses of children	Step-by-Step Manual	Children	Series of possible methods, no clear framework	6 new tools - “Make me a Portrait of …”; “Dangerous Things”; “My Needs Before, During and After the Flood”; “Our Suggestions to Those in Authority."	No learning component included	Devise risk reduction solutions pertinent to children	-
Systemic Approach to Rural Development (SARD)	Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation	Livelihood assessment, planning, project assessment	Comprehensive	Community/Local Government	3-levels: household livelihoods, typology of households & relationships with other stakeholders, landscape and local history	Mapping, household typology, access to services, power/conflict analysis, outcome mapping, vision development, planning	Social learning process identified, iterative framework	Vision statement, Assist in the design and re-orientation of development interventions	Well explained and comprehensive toolkit
Participatory Vulnerability Assessment (PVA)	ActionAid	Vulnerability assessement tool	Comprehensive	Multi-level (community, district, national)	3 phases - preparation, analytical framework, multi-levelled analysis	Tools vary per level: PRA tools in the community, interview emphasis at other levels, recordings &video, not detailed since based on another tool (REFLECT)	No explicit learning component	Reveals causes of vulnerability, increases effectiveness of emergency and dvelopment activities	Promotes international level feedback
Participatory Capacities & Vulnerabilities Assessment (PCVA)	Oxfam	Vulnerability and coping assessment	Comprehensive	Community	Capacity and vulnerability assessment with participatory rural apprasial - perceptions, coping, response, development	Participatory rural appraisal tools (mapping, matrices, ranking, Venn diagram, etc)	Social learning process identified	Information presented to government and other stakeholders, strategic planning (proposals), advocacy tool	Good facilitation input
Community-based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM)	Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (apdc)	Risk assessment and management development	Comprehensive	Community	7 step process - selection, rapport building, assessment, planning, organization, implementation, monitoring/evaluation	Participatory rural appraisal tools (mapping, matrices, ranking, etc), secondary sources, visioning/planning, social network analysis	Small mention of social learning qualities, emphasis on risk communication	Creation of Community Disaster Risk Management Organization (CDMO) and implementation of management plan	Emphasis on risk communication and gender
Participatory Assessment of Disaster Risk (PADR)	Tearfund	Vulnerability and capacity assessment, action planning	Comprehensive	Community	Key steps: preparation, hazard assessment, vulnerability assessment, capacity assessment, key informant interviews, action planning	Participatory rural appraisal tools (mapping, matrices, ranking, Venn diagram, etc), modified sustainable livelihoods approach (assets)	Social learning process identified	Action planning and advocacy	Mention climate change & HIV/AIDS utility
Weathering the Storm	Disaster Mitigation for Sustainable Livelihoods Programme	Risk assessment and planning	Step-by-Step Manual	Informal settlements	3 Phases - prepatory groundwork (1-2 months), risk assessment (3-5 days), generate disaster risk reduction plans	Aeral photography, secondary sources, rapid apprasial tools, risk management capacities matrix,	Social learning process identified	Integrated disaster risk management - strategic planning	Great explanation of methods with pictures
Livelihood Assessment Toolkit (LAT)	IFO, FAO	Livelihood assessment, coping/response strategies, impact,	Comprehensive	Community-focus, multi-scalar assessment	3 steps: Livelihood Baseline (LB); an Initial Livelihood Impact Appraisal (ILIA), Detailed Livelihood Assessment (DLA)	Secondary sources, qualitative/statistical information, participatory rural appraisal tools,	No learning component included	Each step informs the next leading to various plans and actions within the pre or post disaster context	Comprehensive in scale of analysis and inclusion of statistical information

Additional tools?

What is missing from the list above? It's not intentional as we know this isn't an exhaustive list!

• Participatory Toolkit for Impacts and Adaptation

DFID/UKAID's Livelihoods and Forestry Programme in Nepal has just published a step-by-step guide to assessing the impact of climate change on forest dependent communities. This tool kit is designed to help communities and planners understand the likely local hazards and risks of climate change and look at the vulnerability of their environment and livelihoods. It helps them to analyse exiting methods of coping and adapting and then develop plans to increase resilience. The kit consists of a range of tools that can be used in various situations. District or VDC (Village Development Committee) level planning teams can use them to make assessments and gain an overview. Community based organisations (such as forest user groups, water management groups or soil conservation groups) can use them to prepare themselves and develop community level adaptation plans. Further information is available here and you can download the kit here

Experiences using the tools

How easy was it? Did it do what you expected? Did it help you to make a decision about adaptation in your project? Is there anything else that you wish it could do?

If we can start answering these questions then I think we can really build a resource that other users will find useful, and also that the developers of the tools themselves will find useful!