Phase 2 (2004–2006)

Building on the First Phase of activity, Livelihoods and Climate Change has focused on the development of practical tools to facilitate the integration of risk reduction and climate adaptation into field projects. Specifically, the Project Partners have developed and field-tested a decision-support tool called CRISTAL (Community-based Risk Screening Tool - Adaptation & Livelihoods), which enables project planners and managers to: (a) understand the links between local livelihoods and climate; (b) assess a project's impact on livelihood resources important for climate adaptation; and (c) devise adjustments to improve a project's impact on these key livelihood resources.

Field tests of CRiSTAL were conducted in Mali, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Nicaragua and Sri Lanka. Feedback from each of the tests allowed project partners to fine-tune CRiSTAL, rendering it more useful and usable for project managers interested in mainstreaming climate risk into their field work.

CRiSTAL Tool

CRiSTAL Training

Training workshops in CRiSTAL are now being conducted in different regions around the world. Two workshops were conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2007 (Mozambique and Ghana). There are plans to conduct additional training in Francophone Africa, as well as expand activities to North America, Asia and Latin America.

The training in Ghana (November 2007) was conducted in partnership with CARE International, who introduced participants to their Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (CVCA) framework. The information gathered using the CVCA framework was then fed into CRiSTAL, allowing participants to better understand the range of tools and processes associated with adaptation planning and decision-making at the community level.

For information on upcoming training workshops or training materials, please contact Anne Hammill, IISD.

CRiSTAL Field Test Reports

Presentations