West Pokot Community Engagement Study on Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis

Climate vulnerability and change can have significant impacts on regional, national, and local development efforts. In order to reduce these impacts and promote climate-resilient development, decision and development practitioners need to understand the climate vulnerabilities of the people, sectors, and community they are working with. Climate vulnerability can be determined by three interacting factors, namely; climate risks and changes, existing resilience capacities and barriers to resilience. Through these aspects, stakeholders can identify what, where, when and why social, economic and environmental systems pose a risk to climate change.

The objective of this assessment was to strengthen the capacity of Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction Committees and communities from Pokot Central and Pokot North sub counties, West Pokot County by engaging the communities on Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis- CVCA training to achieve the links between development and climate related hazards and disaster. Climate vulnerability and Capacity Analysis Approach focuses on options for increasing climatic resilience and adaptations, the involved community structures and stakeholders on Disaster Risk Reduction were able to conduct focus group discussions in Pokot Central and North Pokot Sub counties in context lens towards gender equality, sustainable ecosystem and inclusive governance. The assessment focused on climatic risks and changes, resilience and adaptations pathways and actions from the community. While many of the issues faced involved basic development challenges, climate variability is already having impacts on water, food security, livestock and livelihood of the affected communities. Participatory training methods were used to keep the participants actively involved during the training sessions. Specifically, learner-cantered approaches were deployed; talks, group work, simulations, slide presentations, plenary discussions, and case studies on Pokot Central and Pokot North.