MAINSTREAMING CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
APPENDIX 6
2012
Slide 1
Livelihoods and vulnerability analysis
• VCA is a participatory process to determine the
nature, scope and magnitude of the effects of
hazards, shocks and stresses on the community.
• It determines the likely negative effect on
elements of livelihood strategies
• Why some households are more badly affected
than others.
• It identifies the coping strategies and resources
(capacities) present.
Slide 4
Elements of community profile
• Layout of community (mapping)
• Economic / livelihood activities (identification of
occupational and different socio-economic
groups)
• Social and institutional networks (Venn diagram)
• Seasonal factors, such as weather, cropping and
labour patterns (calendar)
• General issues and challenges (group discussion)
Slide 2
Steps in VCA
• Community selection and profiling
• Hazard assessment
• Livelihoods vulnerability assessment
• Capacity assessment
• Prioritisation of risks and risk reduction
strategies
Slide 5
Task
• Each Group to spend 20 minutes drawing a rough
map of a rural community with which they are
familiar. Include information/notes on different
economic/livelihood activities, fields, crops etc,
social institution and networks, areas exposed to
hazards and stresses, etc,
• Try to include most of the information that you
would hope to gain from initial community
profile.
Slide 3
Aims of assessment
• To identify and prioritise current and future risks
(including unknown risks) that the communities will
need to reduce.
• To empower the community by raising their awareness
of their own situation, their vulnerabilities and
capacities
• To build capacity for the community to be able to adapt
to current and future hazards, stresses and shocks.
• To collect baseline information against which risk and
vulnerability reduction, adaptive capacity and
resilience can be measured (M&E).
Slide 6
Hazard assessment
• Hazard assessment determines the likelihood
of experiencing a natural or man-made hazard
and analyses the nature, impact and
behaviour of each specific hazard experienced
by the community.
• Climate change interacts with known hazards
to potentially produce conditions which have
never been experienced before. Uncertainty
becomes a hazard itself.
A Training Manual on Use of Climate Information and Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment for
Agricultural Extension Staff in Zimbabwe
Page 131