Climate Risk Management in Action

Climate Risk Management in Action Series

While USAID has recently systematized its approach to climate risk management, USAID has been managing climate risks for years. Older examples demonstrate the value of managing climate risks as well as effective approaches for doing so. More recent examples illustrate USAID’s CRM process and how our tools and other resources can be applied. Since CRM is an active process, the steps of assessing, addressing and adaptively managing climate risk span the lifetime of the programming. Furthermore, with development benefits and climate impacts playing out for years to come, USAID and its partners will be learning about CRM best practices over time. If you have feedback on the process or results, please fill out this feedback survey.

USAID staff may consult internal agency resources for examples of climate risk assessment documentation.

Benefits of Climate Risk Management Series

A primary goal of USAID’s Climate Risk Management (CRM) policy is to increase the sustainability and cost effectiveness of USAID projects. Missions and partners are taking CRM actions that address climate risks in USAID’s complex working environments to produce diverse benefits in all sectors across USAID’s broad portfolio. This blog series on the Benefits of CRM showcases examples of activities in which CRM has contributed to reducing damages to infrastructure, protecting public health, restoring ecosystem services, and building capacity of local decision-makers and community members to better manage climate risks in the future. USAID staff may consult internal agency resources for examples of climate risk assessment documentation.

Towards Sustainable Fisheries in the Philippines: Climate Risk Management Key to Impact

USAID Fish Right’s CRM actions include increasing the amount of biologically significant area placed under improved management, strengthening the capacity of local governments and communities to improve coastal and fisheries resilience, mainstreaming resilience into existing fisheries management plans, leveraging funds towards the planning and implementation of ecosystem-based actions, and reducing mangrove destruction in program areas.

Minimizing Disruption to Family Planning Services in the Philippines

USAID ReachHealth has integrated climate risk management (CRM) into its health systems strengthening and service delivery interventions to align CRM with national and local disaster risk reduction policies for more sustainable impact. Following USAID’s 2016 CRM policy, the project developed a climate risk assessment tool, which it has applied to climate and non-climate events, including typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Protecting Water and Sanitation Infrastructure in Haiti: Climate Risk Management Sustains Project Gains

USAID’s WATSAN (water and sanitation) project works to strengthen local capacity and the water and sanitation infrastructure so that it can withstand and operate reliably under floods, landslides, and droughts. Integrating CRM into the project’s main activities has contributed to meaningful benefits, including sustained water savings, avoided damages to water and sanitation infrastructure, access to clean water, avoided travel costs, increased revenue for water service providers, and prevention of waterborne illnesses.

Climate Risk Management Promotes Peace in Uganda

CRM in Karamoja (no credits)

In the Karamoja region of northern Uganda, conflict frequently erupted among herders and communities over access to water and pasture for livestock.

“We experienced drought sometimes for 90 days,” said Mr. John Ekamarpus Longora, the leader of a kraal, a mobile enclosed livestock camp set up by pastoralists during the dry season. “The trees dry, water levels and sources go down, and conflicts tend to arise because of a scramble for natural resources.”

Climate Risk Management Increases Crop Yields and Strengthens Resilience in Kosovo

CRM Kosovo (small)

During its six years, the USAID Agricultural Growth and Rural Opportunities Activity solidified and sustained its achievements by fully integrating climate risk management into its agricultural development approach. Through CRM, USAID’s process for identifying and mitigating climate threats in all sectors, this Activity met its primary goals of boosting the competitiveness of Kosovo’s agriculture sector, raising farmer incomes, and generating new job opportunities.

Climate Risk Management Proves Critical to Sustaining Food Security in Cambodia

CRM Proves Crititcal to Sustaining (small)

A USAID-funded Cambodia fisheries project outperformed productivity goals after incorporating climate-sensitive design, including planning for increased risk of drought and extreme heat events. The Feed the Future Cambodia Rice Field Fisheries II (RFF II) project boosts fishery productivity in the Tonle Sap floodplain.

Climate Risk Management Strengthens Biodiversity Conservation in Dominican Republic

Climate Risk Management Strengthens BD Conservation (small)

Those who live in and around the Dominican Republic’s Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo UNESCO Biosphere Reserve have a first-hand understanding of the costly realities of climate change.

Armenians Address Water Vulnerabilities Head-On

Armenians Address Water Vulnerabilities Head On (small)

USAID/Armenia, through its Advanced Science and Partnerships for Integrated Resources Development (ASPIRED) project, has helped prioritize Armenia’s national goal to protect the country’s artesian aquifers, which are subject to water stress challenges that exist throughout the country.

Calming Climate-Related Conflict in Karamoja

Identifying and Managing Climate Risk (small)

A program in Uganda's Karamoja region is helping communities resolve conflict over grazing lands even as more intense drought increases pressure on these lands.

Attributes:

Activity, Planning the Assessment, Incorporate Assessment Results, Implement and Adaptively Manage, Uganda, Conflict Management and Mitigation, CRM

Identifying and Managing Climate Risk in Global Nutrition Interventions

Identifying and Managing Climate Risk (small)

The new global Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Project was one of the first activities to undergo USAID’s CRM process. The resulting extensive climate risk assessment highlighted the need to include strategies, interventions and assessments to build climate resilience both into program implementation and among beneficiaries in activity design.

Attributes:

Activity, Conduct the Assessment, Incorporate Assessment Results, Global, Nutrition, Food Security, CRM

Managing Fisheries in the Face of Climate Risk

Managing Fisheries in the Face of Climate Risk (small)

Climate risk management is woven throughout the design of a new USAID/Philippines fisheries protection project, which will improve fisheries productivity and increase the resiliency of fishing communities.

Attributes:

Activity, Conduct the Assessment, Incorporate Assessment Results, Asia, Philippines, Fisheries, CRM

Haiti Water and Sanitation Programs Prepare for Climate Events

Haiti Water and Sanitation (small)

A USAID/Haiti Water, Sanitation and Hygiene activity aims to increase sustainable access to water and sanitation services. The activity is pursuing multiple measures to address risks such as contamination of raw water supplies, damage to infrastructure and flooding of latrines due to more variable precipitation patterns and extreme events by, for example, ensuring the construction is resilient to expected climate impacts.

Attributes:

Activity, Conduct the Assessment, Incorporate Assessment Results, LAC, Haiti, WASH, CRM

USAID’s Country Strategy for Zimbabwe: Integrating Climate Risk Management

Zimbabwe country strategy image (small)

Climate change was included in the regular steps of creating a new USAID country strategy in Zimbabwe, which resulted in a stronger strategy. In the health sector, for example, the strategy calls for enhanced surveillance to monitor malaria, as changing average temperatures may spread the prevalence of mosquitoes to new regions of the country.

Attributes:

Strategy, Plan for Screening, Conduct the Screening, Incorporate Screening Results, Africa, Zimbabwe, Health, CRM

Engineering Design Builds Climate-Resilience in Haiti and Dominica

Engineering Design Builds Resilience image (small)

In Haiti and Dominica, infrastructure improvements were made that resulted in communities being more resilient to climate impacts.

Attributes:

Pre-CRM Policy, Activity, LAC, Haiti, Dominica, Infrastructure

Climate Risk Management Case Studies

Philippines: USAID ReachHealth - Climate Risk Management Case Study

In the Philippines, the USAID ReachHealth Project delivers family planning and maternal and neonatal health services to women and adolescent girls. USAID ReachHealth integrated climate risk management (CRM) into the design, implementation, and sustainability of its activities. The Project builds the capacities of healthcare workers and local governments to prepare for and respond to climate impacts and to ensure continuous delivery of healthcare services during and after extreme weather events, contributing to key project benefits.

Philippines: Fish Right Activity - Climate Risk Management Case Study

In the Philippines, the USAID Fish Right Activity improves marine biodiversity and fisheries management by reducing overfishing, destructive and illegal fishing, and degradation of marine ecosystems. Understanding the climate risks faced by the Philippines, USAID and the Fish Right team incorporated climate impacts into activity design and implementation, strengthening the long-term sustainability of activity interventions. This case study describes Fish Right’s climate risk management (CRM) actions in the Philippines during its first three years of implementation, with a focus on quantifying and, where possible, monetizing benefits from Program activities.

Haiti: USAID Water and Sanitation Project - Climate Risk Management Case Study

In Haiti, the USAID Water and Sanitation Project strengthens the technical and operational capacity of communal utilities and private purveyors of water and sanitation services. Climate stressors in the region—such as more intense and frequent hurricanes as well as droughts and floods—can damage water and sanitation infrastructure, exacerbating water shortages and increasing the risk of contamination. To address these challenges, the USAID Water and Sanitation Project incorporates climate risk in the design and implementation of its water and sanitation activities.

Uganda: USAID Securing Peace and Promoting Prosperity (EKISIL) Activity - Climate Risk Management Case Study

USAID EKISIL case study cover page (170x215)

USAID/Uganda’s Commodity Production and Marketing activity has taken a climate-smart agriculture approach that has lead to farmers adopting climate-resilient practices and technologies. This approach has contributed to increased yields and reductions in post-harvest losses.

Climate Integration Case Study: USAID/Uganda’s Commodity Production and Marketing

Integration case study USAID Uganda climate smart agriculture cover page

USAID/Uganda’s Commodity Production and Marketing activity has taken a climate-smart agriculture approach that has lead to farmers adopting climate-resilient practices and technologies. This approach has contributed to increased yields and reductions in post-harvest losses.

Attributes:

Pre-CRM Policy, Activity, Africa, Uganda, Agriculture

Climate Integration Case Study: USAID/Senegal’s Naatal Mbay

climate integration case study Naatal Mbay Senegal cover image

USAID/Senegal’s Naatal Mbay has taken a climate-smart agriculture approach that has, as an example, increased use of daily and seasonal rainfall data to help manage production risks from rainfall variability and drought.

Attributes:

Pre-CRM Policy, Activity, Africa, Senegal, Agriculture

Climate Integration Case Study: Assets and Market Access Innovation Lab

Climate integration case study - assets and market access lab cover image

The Assets and Market Access Innovation Lab leads research to help smallholder farmers in developing countries manage production risks and adopt improved agricultural technologies and practices. Areas of work include development of insured loans and index-based crop insurance.

Attributes:

Pre-CRM Policy, Activity, Agriculture