A new digital tool combining scientific climate risk information with local and traditional knowledge is helping communities in India manage climate risks more effectively.
<p>The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is the world’s largest public works-based social protection scheme. While <a href="https://developmentevidence.3ieimpact.org/search-result-details/impact-evaluation-repository/impact-evaluation-of-national-rural-employment-guarantee-scheme-in-india/7015">evidence shows that MGNREGS is going some way to help communities in India cope with climate impacts</a>, if the scheme integrates climate risk information in its planning, implementation and monitoring, it has the potential to increase communities’ resilience to climate change by taking early action to address climate impacts. </p>
IIED and the Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Technology (MPSCT) have co-developed the Climate Resilience Information System and Planning tool for MGNREGS (CRISP-M). The mobile and web-based tool was launched in October by India’s minister for rural development Shri Giriraj Singh, and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office minister Lord Tariq Ahmad.
<p>CRISP-M has already been successfully piloted in 18 village panchayats of Niwali Block in Badwani, Madhya Pradesh and has been endorsed by India’s rural development ministry with planned roll-out in two districts and seven states.</p>
The tool is designed to facilitate climate risk-informed geographic information system (GIS) planning, decision making and monitoring for MGNREGS through three core components:
<p>Using the tool, communities can turn their needs and priorities into collective action. CRISP-M thus seamlessly uses a bottom-up approach alongside traditional top-down approaches to achieve its objective.</p>
The impacts of climate change and the capacity of local communities to adapt in the aftermath of these impacts is location-specific and also depends on the ability and willingness of the community to adapt – this means communities being fully aware of their vulnerability to climate impacts.
Therefore, community participation is a key facet when developing any tool aimed at building the capacity of communities to better respond to climate impacts.
<p>Drawing on community input and feedback, CRISP-M has been designed to put hands-on community participation front and centre. By ensuring community participation and buy-in, the tool makes communities aware of all the various options available to them during various planning stages, such as during the construction of a check dam or dyke.</p>
<p>Despite the escalation of climate change over the past 50 years with impacts that are intensifying rapidly, the UNFCCC did not recognise the importance of early warning systems until the adoption of the <a href="https://unfccc.int/process/conferences/pastconferences/cancun-climate-change-conference-november-2010/statements-and-resources/Agreements">Cancun Adaptation Framework</a> in 2010. COP26 in Glasgow saw a strong call for more planning and finance for early warning systems, with the major thrust being behind risk-informed early action.</p>
The following are key requirements for implementing risk-informed early action:
The advantages of combining scientific climate risk information, methods, practices and technology with the community-level planning process, traditional knowledge, practices and skills cannot be overemphasised.
<p>The CRISP-M tool integrates all these elements in a simple, easy to use interface. It can be used not only by organisations but by local communities themselves to prepare in advance for tackling extreme climatic events, especially ‘slow onset’ events such as droughts.</p>
Raashee Abhilashi is the national coordinator for IIED’s 'Enhancing climate resilience impacts of India’s social protection' programme'
Ally Renton is a former senior coordinator in IIED’s Climate Change research group
The article was first published as an IIED blog here
It has been republished under the CC BY 4.0 license.