MAINSTREAMING CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
PRA tools should be used, including semi-structured interviews (focus groups,
key informants and individual households), community mapping, transect walk,
wealth ranking, Venn diagrams, seasonal calendar, livelihood analysis (including
coping strategies) and ranking. It is assumed that participants have some
experience of applying participatory methods and therefore they will not be
covered in detail here.
Task: Ask what experience of using PRA tools participants have? Why is it
important to use participatory tools? Discuss the nature of the information collected
in the community profile and what it can be used for.
The information collected should be useful for several purposes. Firstly, the
general profile provides a background and starting point for the facilitator to
organise the following VCA activities. It helps to highlight key issues, activities
and institutions, as well as identifying useful key informants or vulnerable groups
that may get missed. It is important to analyse this information before moving on
to the VCA activities to ensure that the issues raised are taken into account.
Secondly, based on the discussions around economic activities and wealth
ranking, focus groups can be formed for the following assessments. These
should consist of people who share some similar characteristics; this could be
shared livelihoods activity, common vulnerable geographical location within the
community, or similar levels of wealth or poverty. This means that there is likely
to be a fruitful discussion around the issues. Ensure that both women and men,
young and old, healthy and infirm, are all represented in each of the different
focus groups.
Finally, information collected as part of the community profile can be used as
baseline data, in addition to that collected during the vulnerability and capacity
assessments which will follow.
SLIDE – Task
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. Be realistic!
A Training Manual on Use of Climate Information and Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment for
Agricultural Extension Staff in Zimbabwe
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