**2.1. User and provider engagement & collaboration**

480 Risk Management – Current Issues and Challenges

**2. The process of CRM** 

**systems**.

Many CRM frameworks, that include different key steps and elements (actors, tools, techniques etc.), have been developed to provide guidance and a degree of consistency for applying risk management to a range of climate-related issues3,4,5,6. These frameworks tend to be conceptual and general so that they can be easily applied to a wide range of concerns by both technical and non-technical users, and may vary in their foci and level of detail

The World Meteorological Organization Task Team on Climate Risk Management (TT-CRM), based on the expert guidance from the Symposium on CRM, proposes a definition of CRM as **a systematic and coordinated process in which climate information is used to reduce the risks associated with climate variability and change, and to take advantage of opportunities, in order to improve the resilience of social, economic and environmental** 

Despite the variety of frameworks and tools for assessing and managing climate risks, utilisation of the output to enable decision making is advancing rather slowly7. Continued guidance by risk management experts to begin the CRM process with user and provider engagement and collaboration has often not been considered, and assessments are still typically conducted by scientists and then the information is handed to users in a one-way exchange - the so called top-down approach - that often does not promote effective decision making. It is important to continue to promote collaboration between assessors and stakeholders (providers and users of climate information) at all stages of the CRM process, to enable all parties to understand the steps involved in the knowledge to action pathway,

The WMO Symposium on CRM discussed various CRM frameworks and steps, which has enabled the TT-CRM to identify the following key steps that are considered essential to consider in a CRM process. These should not be regarded in a linear manner, but rather

Communication and dissemination of climate risk knowledge, information and tools

Some of the key points for each of these steps are highlighted below, and practical examples, to demonstrate good practice on how they have been applied to real-life CRM projects, are

ranging from international to local, or general to sector specific.

**Box 2. Climate Risk Management (CRM)** 

and therefore to facilitate effective and sustainable CRM responses.

combined in an iterative or cyclical order:

 Adaptation and capacity development Monitoring, evaluation and improvement

Climate risk assessment

provided.

User and provider engagement and collaboration

Breuer and colleagues8 compared the traditional research model, in which researchers develop new technologies or tools that extension agents (professionals trained in skills such as communication and group facilitation, and usually also in technical areas of the sector they serve) deliver to end users, to a pipeline that delivers water. They proposed an alternate loop model, in which the loop encircles end-users, extension agents, and researchers with diverse opportunities for interactions among this co-learning community. The symposium supported this approach, and further recommended that science-based learning communities or communities of practice use as many methods as possible for engagement and collaboration.

In this section the engagement of agricultural stakeholders, particularly through experiences with the Southeast Climate Consortium of the United States of America (USA) (SECC), is emphasized. However, the same principles could be applied successfully for CRM decision makers in other sectors, for example water resource managers, coastal community planners, or wildlife managers.

The work of extension agents has been particularly successfully applied in the agricultural sector. Opportunities to engage end-users, e.g. farmers, in the process of developing a decision support system have included surveys, interviews, sondeos, workshops, focus groups, working groups, presentations and displays at association meetings, and on-line feedback8,9,10. An example of good practice in this sector has been the SECC, who developed AgroClimate (see http://agroclimate.org/), an on-line decision support system for extension agents and end users, using all of the engagement opportunities described above8,11,12 .

#### **Box 3. Steps for engaging farmers and outreach workers**


The most important points for engaging farmers and outreach workers as research collaborators identified through the experiences of SECC are straightforward: 1) knowing which questions to ask; and 2) listening to the answers. The various methods that were used for engagement with end users follow the basic iterative steps outlined in Box 3. 'Steps for engaging farmers and outreach workers', but each is unique in terms of the depth and breadth of information that they can evoke.

By providing a range of engagement methods, individuals can self select how they will engage in the community, depending on their level of interest, availability of time, and willingness to commit to an activity. This ability of community members to select the engagement activities in which they will participate applies to nearly all members of the community, including end-users, extension agents, and researchers. The exception to the self selection clause is a core team of three or more individuals who are fully committed to the community. The SECC strives to have a team that includes at least one social scientist (anthropologist or rural sociologist), climate scientist, and agricultural scientist. The ability of this committed team to work together will be the most critical factor in the success of the engagement.

Improving Climate Risk Management at Local Level –

Techniques, Case Studies, Good Practices and Guidelines for World Meteorological Organization Members 483

A working group includes members from science and the broader community who meet regularly, typically 3 or 4 times per year, to engage in dialogue on the new findings from science, information and technology needs of the broader community9. The steps for building and nurturing a climate working group are outlined in Table 1. The SECC has successfully established working groups for agricultural and water supply utility communities. Both have about 25 to 30 members and both are highly productive, yet each

A key element to the success of a climate working group is commitment, both on the part of the individual members of the groups and the institutions that they represent, if any. For example, most members of the water supply utility climate working group represent a particular water provider, city, or agency. If a member of any particular institution is not able to attend a meeting, the participating institutions identify an alternate who can attend. This policy provides both continuity and assures that the institutions have also committed

> Identify key stakeholder groups and individuals Assess climate-related concerns and priorities

Discuss interest in development of a climate working group

Identify convener and facilitator for an exploratory meeting

Discuss expectations and establish short- and long-term goals

Develop sub-groups as needed to address specific topics

Define outcome and process criteria to track progress

**Table 1.** Phases and activities for the building and nurturing a climate working group. Source: Bartels

By far, these climate working groups demand the greatest level of commitment from the learning community for any of the engagement methods that have been tested, but it is precisely this commitment that helps them advance science. The climate working groups help researchers build collaborative relationships with different stakeholder groups for ongoing learning, both by the scientists and the stakeholders. They link research with realworld decision needs to help improve resource management strategies of stakeholders as

Identify potential participants and assess their interest in working

Convene stakeholders to exchange information and explore scope

Include time for reflection and feedback for iterative group

Map network of stakeholder groups

for a climate working group

Define group norms and roles

 Develop a work plan and timeline Identify gaps in expertise and experience

together

adaptation

has distinct features that reflect the differences among the communities.

*2.1.2. Climate working groups* 

to the working group.

**Phase 1:**  Exploratory

**Phase 2:** 

**Phase 3:**

**Phase 4:** 

et al. (2011)9.

Group building and goal setting

Implementation

Monitoring and feedback

Two of the engagement methods noted above – sondeos and working groups (both powerful and less commonly used in other reported participatory research approaches) – are further described:
