[DIPECHO Network] Emerging trends in disaster risk management: Strategies to address the consequences of Climate Change on Food Security

[Laxman Belbase]

Dear all,

Please find below an useful section of background paper on "climate change
and disaster risk management" presented at the "High-Level Conference on
World Food Security: the challenges of climate change and bioenergy"
organised by Food and Agriculture Organisation of United Nations (FAO) on
3-5 June 2008 in Rome.

Best
Laxman
Nepal


*Emerging trends in disaster risk management: local, national and
international strategies to address the consequences of Climate change on
Food security
**(A section of the paper on "Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management")*

*Community Based Strategies*
Community-based approaches to risk management and climate change adaptation
have much in common and are increasingly recognized as key instruments in
risk reduction. The approaches are based on participatory risk and
vulnerability assessments and planning processes. Support often focuses on
facilitating dialogue about local concerns and helping people define risk
reduction priorities combined with capacity building and training.
Community-based climate risk reduction measures might include practical
disaster mitigation measures, such as building dams or dykes, forming
emergency response committees, developing community-based early warning
systems and practising response and evacuation, advocating at the local or
national government level for policy change in favour of preventive action;
and enacting measures to reinforce the livelihoods of most vulnerable
groups.

New approaches are being developed to factor climate risk management into
development and humanitarian programmes; for example, though combining food
aid with promotion of financial risk management tools and use of weather
information (IFRC) or using food-for-work programmes for community
afforestation (WFP).

A number of key elements for processes aiming at supporting disaster risk
management and climate change adaptation at the local level are emerging
from FAO's work with farmers, fishers, extension services and line
departments. They include:

   - assessing existing situations and training needs including in-depth
   assessments of livelihoods strategies, natural resource management
   practices, farming systems and institutional set-ups;
   - organizational strengthening within the agriculture sector, but also
   linkages across sectors;
   - identifying and validating risk management and adaptation options and
   related technical capacity building on a per-demand basis;
   - promoting local empowerment processes such as community mobilization,
   awareness raising and policy dialogue;
   - sharing knowledge;
   - advocating for scaling-up based on lessons learned.


Some additional issues to take into consideration include:

   - communications and awareness raising – need to simplify complicated
   climate change concepts, use appropriate media (traditional or modern) and
   translate into local languages;
   - modelling and forecasting – need to ensure that people understand the
   uncertainty of climate change projections, in order to ensure community
   ownership of response actions;
   - technology and information – need to simplify tools to ensure they will
   be manageable at local level and to improve targeting, because resources
   normally allocated at national level can fail to reach the most vulnerable
   groups;
   - investment in education and migration – need to recognize this has
   become a key coping strategy for young generations in households dependent
   upon ecosystems that are under high stress;
   - risk mitigation approaches – need to promote and implement approaches
   through existing community institutions such as health points, religious
   institutions, schools and elders.


*National Strategies*
Disaster risk management, climate change and food security are addressed at
national level within different policy frameworks such as disaster risk
management legislation, national adaptation plans of action and national
strategies for food security. In addition, they are managed through
different line departments that often have no cross-sectoral coordination.
For example, the ministry of interior or civil protection normally is
responsible for disaster risk management while the ministry of environment
is responsible for climate change.

To address underlying factors of vulnerability and protect food security and
livelihoods from increasing climate risk, DRM and climate change adaptation
should be linked and embedded in development (Poverty Reduction Strategy
Papers, food security strategies) and sectoral strategies (agriculture,
forestry, fisheries, health infrastructure).

This will require additional political commitment and financial resources to
address risk reduction together with elements of institutional innovation
that include:

   - enhanced cross-sectoral coordination at all administrative levels –
   including disaster risk management, climate change and food security
   committees with representation of climatesensitive sectors and vulnerable
   groups;
   - enhanced chains of vertical local-district-provincial-national linkages
   and clear lines of command – combining bottom-up and top-down approaches15;
   - increased capacity building within climate-sensitive sectors –
   including adjustments to institutional set-up and staff training;
   - renewed emphasis on awareness raising, information sharing,
   communication and outreach – consolidating and simplifying messages;
   - increased promotion of synergies among academia and research
   institutes, policy-makers and end users – particularly in areas that need
   substantial investment in new technologies such as improved use of climate
   information and early warning systems;
   - adjusted mandates of middle-level service providers such as extension
   services – to enable them to deliver sector-specific advisory services
   related to climate risk.

*International Strategies*
At international level, priorities have been set in the UN International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction Hyogo Framework of Action (2005-2015) and
the Nairobi Action Plan. The Hyogo Framework for Action, endorsed at the
2005 World Conference on Disaster Reduction, identifies five priority areas
for action:

   1. Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and a local priority
   with a strong institutional basis for implementation.
   2. Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning.
   3. Use knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety
   and resilience at all levels.
   4. Reduce the underlying risk factors.
   5. Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels.

The strategy stresses the need to "promote the integration of risk reduction
associated with existing climate variability and future climate change into
strategies for the reduction of disaster risk and adaptation to climate
change, which would include the clear identification of climate related
disaster risks, the design of specific risk reduction measures and an
improved and routine use of climate risk information by planners, engineers
and other decision-makers" and to "promote food security as an important
factor in ensuring the resilience of communities to hazards, particularly in
areas prone to drought, flood, cyclones and other hazards that can weaken
agriculture-based livelihoods."

The Nairobi Work Programme, developed within the framework of the
implementation of the adaptation components of the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) helps countries:

   - improve their understanding of climate change impacts and
   vulnerability; and
   - increase their ability to make informed decisions on how to adapt
   successfully.

It is an international framework implemented by countries that have signed
the UNFCCC convention, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations,
the private sector, community groups and other stakeholders.

Climate-Related Risk and Extreme climate events is among the nine areas of
work the programme addresses to increase the ability of countries to adapt.
Activities in this area are designed to promote the understanding of impacts
of, and vulnerability to, climate change, current and future climate
variability and extreme climate events, and the implications for sustainable
development. However, food security issues are not taken into consideration.
It is to be hoped that this will be addressed within the context of the
post-Kyoto negotiations, under the UNFCCC. To fulfil their responsibilities
in implementing such frameworks, international agencies are increasingly
integrating climate risk management into policy documents, supported where
necessary by dedicated teams, programmes and funding windows.17. Both
subregional and international organizations have key roles in: a) producing
global statistics, monitoring tools, international protocols and standards;
b) building capacity and sharing information; c) providing technical
assistance in areas such as education, training, technical exchanges and
projects; and d) supporting financial, technological and knowledge
transfers.

The FAO Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture
is an example of a global monitoring tool. Since 1975, it has monitored the
food supply-and-demand situation at global, regional and country levels and
provided early warnings of food shortages. Food production, utilization,
import requirements and food aid needs are regularly monitored and reported.
Analysis of its 1986-2007 data reveals increases in countries facing food
emergencies in Africa, increases in food emergencies determined by natural
hazards and increases in emergencies caused by quick-onset hazards
(typically floods and tropical storms).

Interagency and multi-stakeholder partnerships increasingly are being
established for the development of such tools. The forest fire community,
for example, is far advanced in the development of inter-agency and
inter-governmental partnerships and processes to design hazardspecific
monitoring and management tools. Partnerships include international
organizations such as FAO and the UN International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (ISDR), global research centres such as the Global Fire Monitoring
Centre, universities, national governments and local networks.

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