January 2013: The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) has published three reports on climate risk management (CRM) in Kenya, Niger and Uganda, as part of the UN Development Programme’s (UNDP) Climate Risk Management (CRM) Technical Assistance Support Project (TASP). The reports illustrate how different communities in high-risk countries may have to adapt to a changing climate across a range of sectors.

CRM TASP is led by UNDP’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) with inputs from the UNDP Bureau for Development Policy Energy and Environment Group (BDP/EEG). The objective of the project is to analyze risks to development associated with climate variability and change in order to define and prioritize risk management solution measures in both the short- and long-term.

“CRM for Malaria Control in Kenya: The case of the western highlands” highlights the potential of projected temperature rises and changing rainfall patterns to exacerbate current health risks and create new ones. Given climate variability, the report recommends key actions to prioritize malaria control, inter alia: strengthening health systems; improving malaria epidemic prediction by incorporating climate, health and socioeconomic data and local weather knowledge into monitoring efforts; and promoting bottom-up, targeted interventions that focus on local needs.

“Sustainable Wetland Management in the Face of Climate Risks in Niger: The Case of La Mare de Tabalak” recommends, inter alia, improving governance of the wetland through co-management by all communities within the watershed, and accelerating environmental restoration and protection to support biodiversity conservation and food security. It argues that such a management strategy could alleviate poverty, as well as improve community and household resilience to climate change.

“Climate Risk Management for Sustainable Crop Production in Uganda: Rakai and Kapchorwa Districts” examines options to reduce climate-related agriculture risks on beans, coffee and maize productivity, including: conservation agriculture; crop diversification and intercropping; enhanced information and communication technologies (ICT); small-scale irrigation; and watershed scale approaches. The report also recommends improving infrastructure and financing, such as storage systems, flood control structures, road infrastructure and access to rural micro-finance.

Each report includes chapters on: development profile; climate profile; climate impacts and risks; institutions and policies for climate risk management; and recommendations for CRM, including priority actions, governance recommendations and areas where further research is needed.

IISD also implementing the CRM TASP project in Latin America and the Caribbean (the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru). [Publication: CRM for Malaria Control in Kenya: The Case of the Western Highlands] [Publication: Sustainable Wetland Management in the Face of Climate Risks in Niger: The Case of La Mare de Tabalak] [Publication: Climate Risk Management for Sustainable Crop Production in Uganda: Rakai and Kapchorwa Districts] [IISD CRM Website] [Publication: UNDP Climate Risk Management]