MAINSTREAMING CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
SECTION 8.0
LIVELIHOODS AND VULNERABILITY ANALYSES
This section of the manual provides a methodology for facilitating farmers to
analyse their own vulnerability and capacity to adapt to Climate Variability and
Change at the community level. The focus is on their understanding of how their
lives and livelihoods are currently affected and might be affected in the future.
Using participatory tools farmers are facilitated to examine their own hazards,
livelihoods, vulnerability and capacities with a view to building resilience and
future adaptive capacity. Active participation of the farmers (community) is
essential. Agricultural Extension Workers (AEWs) need to be able to facilitate
this process of participatory analysis which empowers farmers themselves to
analyse their own situations and identify possible solutions to their current and
future problems.
Introduction
We have discussed how climate change acts as a multiplier of risk, exacerbating
the current and future hazards, shocks and stresses to which communities are
exposed. Rising temperatures, increasingly erratic rainfall and more severe
floods and droughts are already having drastic consequences for the livelihoods
and food security of resource poor people – particularly small-holder farmers.
Their coping strategies are no longer able to keep pace with rapidly changing
circumstances.
In order to ensure that AGRITEX helps to reduce the vulnerability of their clients
to the impacts of climate change, we need to understand who is vulnerable to its
effects and why. We need to be aware of and able to identify the potential
shocks and stresses that can impede the development of food security. Only
then can we assist communities to increase their resilience through building
adaptive capacity.
A Training Manual on Use of Climate Information and Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment for
Agricultural Extension Staff in Zimbabwe
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