routes to...

ROUTES TO RESILIENCEINSIGHTS FROM BRACED YEAR 1Paula Silva Villanueva, Catherine Gould and Florence Pichon

Synthesis paper

CONTACT THE AUTHORS

Paula Silva Villanueva is the director of ResilienceMonitor

and leads the BRACED Knowledge Manager Monitoring and

Results reporting team. Over the past 10 years she has developed

a number of monitoring and evaluation frameworks and systems

in the field of climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction

and sustainable development.

Catherine Gould is a senior programme manager working in

BRACED Knowledge Manager’s Monitoring and Results Reporting

team. She has over 10 years’ experience designing programme

monitoring and evaluation frameworks and developing practical

tools, templates, processes and guidance for development,

emergency response and resilience building programmes.

Florence Pichon is a Research Officer at ODI working in

the Water Policy Programme. Her research interests include the

political ecology of natural resource management, the use of

crisis modifiers to mitigate climate related risks, and securing

climate-resilient livelihoods.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This document was written by Paula Silva Villanueva, Catherine Gould and

Florence Pichon. Research support was provided by Ghislaine Guiran and Jessica

Roberts. The authors wish to acknowledge inputs from team members of the

Knowledge Manager into specific sections of the report, in particular: Blane

Harvey (use of climate and weather information); Roop Singh (BRACED climatic

context); Emily Wilkinson (understanding BRACED outcomes); Elizabeth Carabine

(Decentralisation); Virginie Le Mason (inclusive decision-making and women’s

empowerment); and Katie Peters (BRACED in difficult environments). Their

combined inputs have been critical for deepening the analysis of the findings.

We are also grateful to the project Implementing Partners, whose year 1 annual

reports provided the data and basis for this work. The report has benefited from

critical review from Robbie Gregorowski, Maarten van Aalst and Katie Peters of

the Knowledge Manager and Derek Poate (external). The donor DFID have also

provided their feedback and discussed how to ensure the findings are taken up

and applied both within BRACED and other similar programmes. Finally, we thank

Charlotte Rye and Clare Shaw of the Knowledge Manager for their support in the

publication process.

Contents

Acronyms 3

Foreword 4

Executivesummary 5

1.Introductionandbackground 16

1.1TheBRACEDprogramme 16

1.2Purposeofthisreport 17

2.Methodology 20

2.1Makingsenseoftheprojectdata 20

2.2Movingfromprojectdatatoabroaderview 21

2.3Limitations 23

2.4Structureofthereport 25

3.Pathwaystoresilience 26

3.1Changesinresilienceknowledgeandattitudes 27

3.2Strengtheningcapacitiesandskillstomanageclimateanddisasterrisks 37

3.3Buildingpartnershipstodeliverinterventionsforresilience 46

3.4Improvingdecision-makingthroughinclusiveresilience-building 55

3.5Summary:BRACEDpathwaystoresilience 59

4.Understandingresilienceoutcomes 62

4.1Theresiliencecapacitiesbeingbuilt 65

4.2Achievingtransformation 74

4.3Summary:understandingBRACEDoutcomes 76

5.Resilienceincontext 78

5.1Whateffecthaveshocksandstresseshad? 81

5.2Resilienceincontext:emergingthemes 86

5.3Summary:resilienceincontext 92

6.Conclusionsandrecommendations 94

6.1Concludingcomments:whathaschanged? 94

6.2Questionsforfurtherreflection,debateandlearning 100

Annex1:ComponentsoftheBRACEDprogramme 102

Annex2:BRACEDTheoryofChange 103

Annex3:BRACEDM&E‘infrastructure’ 104

Annex4:TheBRACEDprojects 105

Annex5:Project-levelscreeninggrid 107

Annex6:Mappingofprojectactivitiesandapproachesandrecurrentthemes 108

Annex7:Furtherillustrativeexamples 113

Annex8:BRACEDresearchoutputs 117

Annex9:Summaryoflessonslearnt 119

List of tablesTable1:Programmesynthesisanalyticalframework 21

Table2:Knowledgeandattitudesprogressmarkers 29

Table3:Illustrativeexamples–communicationtoolsandapproaches

forclimateinformation 34

Table4:Capacityandskillsprogressmarkers 39

Table5:Synthesisofindividualcapacity-building

activitiesandemergingchanges 40

Table6:Buildingeffectivepartnershipsprogressmarkers 49

Table7:Illustrativeexamples–BRACEDmainpartnerships 50

Table8:Inclusivedecision-makingprogressmarkers 57

Table9:SynopsisofBRACEDprojects 106

List of figuresFigure1:BRACEDAreasofChange 6

Figure2:BRACEDAreasofChange 18

Figure3:Synthesismethodology 23

Figure4:KeyfindingsfromthefirstAreaofChange–

Knowledgeandattitudes 28

Figure5:KeyfindingsfromthesecondAreaofChange–

Capacitiesandskills 37

Figure6:KeyfindingsfromthethirdAreaofChange–

Buildingpartnerships 47

Figure7:KeyfindingsfromthefourthAreaofChange–

Decision-making 55

Figure8:Anticipatorycapacityoutcomeindicators 68

Figure9:Absorptivecapacityoutcomeindicators 69

Figure10:Adaptivecapacityoutcomeindicators 71

AcronymsBRACED BuildingResilienceandAdaptationtoClimateExtremes

andDisasters

BRICS BuildingResilienceinChadandSudan(BRACEDproject)

CIARE ClimateInformationandAssetsforResilienceinEthiopia

(BRACEDproject)

CSO CivilSocietyOrganisation

DCF DecentralisingClimateFunds(BRACEDproject)

DFID DepartmentforInternationalDevelopment(UK)

DRR DisasterRiskReduction

FM FundManager

INGO InternationalNon-GovernmentalOrganisation

IP ImplementingPartner

IRISS ImprovingResiliencetoClimateChangeinSouthSudan

(BRACEDproject)

KM KnowledgeManager

KPI KeyPerformanceIndicator

M&E MonitoringandEvaluation

MAR MarketApproachestoResilience(BRACEDproject)

MRR MonitoringandResultsReporting

PHASE ProvidingHumanitarianAssistanceinSahelEmergencies

PRESENCESProjetdelaRésiliencefaceauxChocsEnvironnementauxetSociaux

auNiger(BRACEDproject)

RIC4REC RenforcementdesInitiativesCommunautairespourlaRésilience

auxExtrêmesClimatiques(BRACEDproject)

SDGs SustainableDevelopmentGoals

SUR1M ScalingupResiliencetoClimateExtremesforover1MillionPeople

(BRACEDproject)

WHH Welthungerhilfe(BRACEDproject–nameofleadagency)

4ROUTES TO RESILIENCE: INSIGHTS FROM BRACED YEAR 1

ForewordBuildingResilienceandAdaptationtoClimateExtremesandDisasters

(BRACED)isauniqueprogramme,thebiggestglobalefforttobuildresilience

locally,inhighlyvulnerableplaces,yetatscale.Itaimstocountertherising

riskstodevelopmentinachangingclimateandoffersolutionsthataddress

someofthemostpressingglobalpriorities,expressednotonlyintheParis

Agreement,butalsointheSustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs),theSendai

FrameworkforDisasterRiskReduction,andinthecommitmentsfromthe

WorldHumanitarianSummit.

TheBRACEDKnowledgeManagerischargedwithsupportingandstrengthening

knowledgemanagementwithinBRACED,butalsotoensurethatlessonslearnt

arecapturedandamplifiedinsupportoftheseglobalgoals.Aspartofour

monitoringandevaluation(M&E)efforts,Iamveryproudtopresentthisreport,

whichprovidesthefirstprogramme-levelsynthesisofresultsfromacrossthe

BRACEDprogramme.ItsystematicallyandthoroughlyanalyseshowBRACED

projectsarebuildingresiliencesofar.

Ofcourse,thefirstyearisonlythebeginningandalotofefforthasgoneinto

initialstepsbyBRACEDprojectImplementingPartners:participatoryanalysisand

assessmentsofclimatevulnerabilityandcapacity,theselection,designandinitial

implementationofresilience-buildingactivities,andestablishmentofcritical

partnerships.However,wearealreadyseeingimportantpatterns,especiallythe

criticalrolesofknowledgeandattitudes,capacityandskills,partnershipsand

inclusivedecision-making.Importantlessonsarealsoemergingaboutthetimeit

takestobuildresilienceandtherelativebalanceofdifferentaspectsofresilience

thatcanbeachievedovertime,withastrongeremphasisonanticipatoryand

absorptivecapacitiesintheinitialstages;moretimeisneededtobuildadaptive

capacityandachievetransformativechange.

Itrustthattheevidencefromthisreportwillalreadystarttoinformnotonlythe

BRACEDpartners,butalsoamultitudeofotheractorsimplementingorfunding

resilienceprogrammes,inthecontextoftheincreasingfocusonresilienceinthe

implementationoftheParisAgreementandtheSDGs.

AsaKnowledgeManager,weareconfrontedwithneworsharperquestionsthat

willguideourworkintheremainderofBRACED,inourM&Ebutalsoresearch

andlearningactivities.Theanalysishasalsoresultedinimportantlessonsfor

resilienceM&Emorebroadly.Thesearesharedinaseparatecompanionpaper.

Finally,I’dliketothankallofthoseintheBRACEDfamilywhohave

contributedtothisanalysis.Firstandforemost,therearetheauthorsand

the15ImplementingPartners,whohavegeneratedtheresultsontheground

andproducedtheproject-levelreporting.Therearealsoourcolleaguesinthe

BRACEDFundManagerandtheDepartmentforInternationalDevelopment

(DFID),aswellaspartnersaroundus.Weareonalearningjourneytogether

andthisreportisanimportantcontributiontoourcollectiveeffortstobuild

resilience,acrosstheBRACEDprogrammeandintheworldatlarge.

Maarten van Aalst

Director,BRACEDKnowledgeManager

5ROUTES TO RESILIENCE: INSIGHTS FROM BRACED YEAR 1 ExEcutivEsummary

IntroductionOneyearintotheimplementationoftheBuildingResilienceandAdaptation

toClimateExtremesandDisasters(BRACED)programme,thisreportcollates

andsynthesisesevidencefromBRACEDprojectImplementingPartners’(IPs’)

year1annualreports,tounderstandhowprojectsarebuildingresiliencesofar.

BysynthesisingtheworkofBRACEDprojectIPsfirmlygroundedinpractice,

thefindings,lessonsandrecommendationsfromthisreportcontributetothe

ongoingBRACEDevidenceandlessongenerationeffortsattheprojectand

programmelevels.

Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes

and Disasters (BRACED)

BRACEDaimstobuildtheresilienceofupto5 million vulnerable

peopleagainstclimateextremesanddisasters.Itdoessothrougha

three-year,£110millionUKgovernment-fundedgrantsupportingmore

than120organisationsin15consortia,across13countriesinEastAfrica,

theSahelandAsia.

image:usaiD

Through a 3-year,£110 million UK

Government-fundedprogramme,

BRACED supports

across 13 countries in East Africa, the

Sahel and Asia

... to become more resilient to climate extremes and disasters

!

to help up to5 million

people...120organisations

in 15 consortia

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


TheBRACEDprogrammeoperatesinsomeofthemostfragileandchallenging

countriesintheworld.Whiletheprogrammeisnotexplicitlyconflictorsecurity

focused,manyoftheprojectsareimplementedinacontextaffectedbyconflict

orinstability.BRACEDprojectscoverawiderangeofissues,fromsecuring,

servicingandpromotingtrans-borderlivestockmobilityacrosstheSahel,to

sharingskillsandtechnologytoimprovetheuptakeofclimateinformation

inEthiopia,tosupportingsmallholderfarmersinNepaltotakeadvantageof

economicopportunitiesandinvestmentsinclimate-smarttechnologies.The

BRACEDKnowledgeManager(KM)isgeneratinganevidencebaseofwhat

worksandwhatdoesnottobuildresilience,inordertoeffectchangeacrossand

beyondtheBRACEDfocuscountries.Thisreportdocumentsattheprogramme

levelhowBRACEDprojectsarecontributingtobuildingresiliencetoclimate

extremesandrelateddisasters.

SynthesisingprogresstodateacrossthesetofprojectsagainsttheBRACED

monitoringandevaluation(M&E)frameworkhasinvolvedacloseexaminationof

theBRACEDpathwaystoresilience:anin-depthanalysisofresilienceoutcomes

andanassessmentofthecontextinwhichBRACEDprojectsoperate,usingboth

thematicandcontentanalysis.

Aseparaterelatedreport,’Routestoresilience:lessonsfrommonitoring

BRACED’reflectsonwhathasbeenlearntfromtheBRACEDMonitoringand

ResultsReporting(MRR)effortstodate.Thiscompanionreportreflectson the

M&EframeworkitselfandtheexperiencesoftheBRACEDKMinrollingthe

frameworkoutandapplyingitforthefirsttimethroughtheyear1project-to

programme-reportingprocessthatwasfollowedtoproducethesynthesisreport.

Figure 1: BRACED Areas of Change

Changes in decision-makingprocesses through

inclusive participation, as one key aspect of a resilient system.

Changes in thequality of partnerships to deliver interventions.

Changes in capacities and skills

of national and local government, civil society and private sector to manage the risks of climate extremes and disasters.

AREAS OF CHANGE

?

Changes in knowledge and attitudes in relation to

resilience-building, in order to further strengthen policies and practices. OUTCOME

Poor people in developing countries have improved their levels of

resilience to climate-related shocks and stresses. This is measured using the three dimensions of resilience:

Anticipatory, Absorptive and Adaptive capacity.

http://www.braced.org/resources/i/?id=ed9b8fa6-1174-4973-902c-6b1a5b9eae63



Key findings: achievements and challengesBRACEDisauniqueprogrammeseekingtoachievehighlyambitiousaimsin

difficultandvolatilecontexts.Theoverallfindingofthissynthesisisthat,despite

contextualspecificity,aseriesofkeythemeshaveemergedclearlyacrosstheset

ofprojects.Thoughtherehavebeendelaysinimplementationandoperational

challenges,thereisearlyevidencethat,attheendofyear1,BRACEDisstarting

tomakeencouragingprogress.Thereisalsoanindicationthat,overall,project-

levelprogresstodateisinlinewiththeprogramme-leveltheoryofchange.

“BRACEDisauniqueprogrammeseekingtoachievehighlyambitiousaimsindifficult

andvolatilecontexts.Theoverallfindingofthissynthesisisthat,despitecontextualspecificity,

aseriesofkeythemeshaveemergedclearlyacrossthesetofprojects”

BRACED project IPs have had an incredibly busy first year, initiating a very

large number of activities in separate locations across different countries.

Duringyear1,effortshaveconcentratedonimprovingtheknowledgebaseof

keystakeholdersthroughparticipatoryassessments,andtheselection,design

andinitialimplementationofactivitiesthroughparticipatorycommunity-based

approaches.Communitydialoguesandtheestablishmentofcommunitygroups

havesetthegroundworkforasupportingandenablingenvironmentthat

enhancescapacitiesandskills.

BRACED projects have established a wide range of strategic partners, from

private sector to national meteorological offices to local civil societies and

international research institutions, in order to support the effective delivery

of project activities. Workingthroughadiverseandcomplexsetofpartnerships

hascausedsomedelaysinimplementation.However, evidencetodateshows

thatworkinginpartnershipisworththetimeandeffort,asthisenablesprojects

toaccessagreaterrangeoftechnicalexpertiseandcapacitiessotheycanaddress

complexmulti-facetedproblems.Collaborationandnetworkingundertakenby

BRACEDIPshavealsopresentedopportunitiestoaffectnational-levelpolicies.

During year 1, project IPs have also made substantial progress in creating an

enabling environment for better access to, dissemination and use of climate

and weather information. Climateandweatherinformationisbeingusedto

engagewithcommunitiesandsub-nationalpolicyprocessesandinformdecision-

makingrelatedtoagricultural,pastoralistanddisasterpreparednessactivities.

Thewidespreaduseofinformationrelatedtoamajorevent(ElNiño)confirms

thatBRACEDIPsareprovingeffectiveinactingasintermediariesbetweenmore

formalclimateservices,suchasnationalmeteorologicaloffices,andcommunities.

However,theuseofclimateinformationincommunityplanningprocesseshas

beenfairlylimitedsofar.Whereinformationhasbeenused,thereisastrongbias


towardsprioritisinglocalisedshort-terminstrumentalgoals,coupledwithalack

offocusonlong-termadaptation.Thereasonsforthisremainunknown.

There are emerging examples of capacity-building activities leading to

changes in attitudes, behaviour and practice in relation to climate resilience

planning, agricultural practices and production through market-based

approaches and access to finance and savings for asset building and

livelihood diversification. However,furtherstepsarenecessarytoconsolidate

thisandensurethesustainabilityofemergingchanges.Evidencesofarhighlights

theimportanceofactivitiesnotbeingimplementedinisolationfromeachother.

Rather,theyareintegratedtoaddresstheunderlyingcausesofvulnerability

whileenhancingresiliencecapacities.Essentialingredientsofcapacity-building

approachesincludeworkinginclosecollaborationandbuildingtrustand

leadershipforthetrainingstobesuccessfulandyieldresults. However,the

culturalandsocio-politicaldimensionofinfluencingbehaviourandpracticeare

provingtobeachallengeforBRACEDprojects.Asaresult,itistooearlyinthe

programmetodemonstratetheextenttowhichimprovementsincapacityare

influencinglocalplanningprocesses.

Women’s economic empowerment stands out as a key objective of most

capacity-building efforts in BRACED. The participation of vulnerable groups

in BRACED activities has increased, but this is only the first step towards

inclusive decision-making.Todate,projectshavefocusedoncreatingsafe

spacesfortheactiveengagementandparticipationofwomenandchildrenin

community-basedactivities.However,thereislimitedevidencewithregardto

whetherthemostmarginalisedgroupsareabletoarticulatetheirvoicesinthese

arenas,theextenttowhichtheiropinionsandknowledgeareconsideredand,

ultimately,whatchangesintermsofenhancedresilienceasaresult.

AdetailedanalysisofBRACEDpathwaystoresilienceandlessonslearntcan

befoundinsection3.

Whenexaminingtheextenttowhichprogrammeactivitiesarecontributingto

BRACEDoutcomes,intermsofthree‘capacities’–anticipatory,absorptiveand

adaptive–BRACEDprojectsappeartobeontracktoachievepositiveoutcome-

levelchange.However,year1reportsdonottellustheextenttowhichprojects

willachievechangesinoutcome-levelindicatorsbytheendoftheprogramme.

Certainactivitiesmayhavecontributedtomoremeaningfuloutcomesthanothers:

When communities themselves are given the responsibility to define their

own resilience priorities, some choose to only focus on building resilience

capacities to deal with immediate threats. Asaresult,inprojectswhere

communitiesthemselvesdefinepriorities,activitiesareorientedaround

enhancinganticipatoryandabsorptivecapacity,whichareperceivedas

moretangiblethanadaptingtofuturerisks.However,BRACEDhypothesises

thatbuildinganticipatory,absorptiveandadaptivecapacitiesisneededto

enhanceresilienceandadapttolonger-termclimaticchanges.

Diverse activities intend to build adaptive capacity, but may work across a longer

time scale. Emergingevidencesuggeststhatadaptivecapacityisconsideredmore

challengingtobuildwithinthetimescalesofBRACEDprojects,asclimaticchangesare


lessvisibletocommunitymembersandthuslesslikelytopromptimmediateaction.

Adaptivecapacityinterventionsoftenneedtobeaccompaniedwithsignificant

behaviouralandsocialchangesthataredifficulttoinfluenceintheshortterm.

BRACED projects may generate more achievements in building anticipatory

and absorptive capacity than adaptive capacity or transformative change.

Earlyinsightssuggestthatabsorptiveandanticipatorycapacitiesmightbemore

relevanttothethree-yearBRACEDtimeframe.

AdetailedanalysisofthemesandlessonslearntaboutBRACEDoutcomescan

befoundinsection4.

Thecriticaloperationalchallengesfacedtodatehavestemmedfromworkingin

countriesvulnerabletobothdisastersandpoliticalinstability,aswellasconflict.

During the first year of BRACED, climate and disaster-related shocks affected

nearly half of the countries in which the projects operate, impacting on

project progress. AnticipatingandmanagingcrisisiscentraltoBRACEDprojects.

Duringyear1,severalIPsaccessedandmadeuseofcontingencyfundingwith

theintentionofprotectingthedevelopmentgainsofBRACEDinvestmentsin

thefaceofshocksandstresses.However,year1annualreportsprovidelimited

narrativeandcontextualisationofprogresstodateinrelationtotheclimatic

contextwithinwhichprojectsoperate,alongwithhowtheactivitiesand

strategiesimplementedbyIPsdealwiththis(andtowhatextent).Thesystematic

monitoringandreportingofresultsinthecontextofshocksandstressesremains

agapandachallengeacrossBRACEDprojects.

BRACED projects operate within a complex interplay of social, cultural,

environmental, political and economic factors that shape BRACED routes to

resilience.BRACEDprojectsarebeingimplementedinareasofrecurrentcrisis,

politicalinstabilityandconflict,andincountrieswithweakgovernancesystems.

ThisreportindicatesarealdangerthatBRACEDprojectsmaynotincorporate

the‘reallife’dynamicsofresilience-building.Contextdoesmattertoresilience

outcomes.Afocusonshocksandstressestendstoovershadowthewiderset

ofdynamicsoperatinginaparticularareaorcountry.

Adetailedanalysisofcontextualfactorsandemergingthemesandlessonscan

befoundinsection5.

Concluding commentsAddressingthequestionofHow are BRACED projects building resilience to

climate extremes and disasters?requiresanunderstandingofthemultiplefactors

thatmakearesilience-buildingprojectorprogrammeunique,andtherefore

goesbeyondsummarisingprogresstodate.Thisreporthighlightstheneedfor

BRACEDprojectIPstofurtherunpacktheresilience‘story’,identifyinghow

activitiesareintegratedandtheextenttowhichinterventionsdealwithclimatic

shocks,stressesandthewidersetofcontextualfactorsthatimpactonhousehold

andcommunityresilience.


Despiteprogressmadetodate,itistooearlyintheprogrammeto

demonstrateoutcome-levelresultsintermsofimprovedresiliencecapacities.

Evidencesuggeststhatnowthebuildingblockshavebeenestablished,more

tangibleresultswillstarttobeseenduringyears2and3.However,theauthors

wouldsuggestthatBRACEDprojectsmayhavesetambitiousoutcome-level

objectives,asthe‘reallife’dynamicsofresilience-buildingmaynothavebeen

incorporatedintoprojectdesignandimplementation.AlthoughBRACEDisright

tobeambitious,thetimeframeoftheprogrammemaymeanthatinsomeareas

onlymarginalchangeswillbeachieved.Giventhecomplexityandlong-term

challengesthatBRACEDaimstoaddress,thereisariskthatsubstantial

outcome-levelchangesmaynotbedetectablebytheendoftheprogramme.

“Giventhecomplexityandlong-termchallengesthatBRACEDaimstoaddress,thereisariskthatsubstantialoutcome-levelchangesmaynotbe

detectablebytheendoftheprogramme”

ItisalsoimportanttohighlightthattheBRACEDprogrammetheoryof

changeisbasedonabottom-upandtop-downassumption.Thebottom-

upelementisthefield-basedprojectsthatarethefocusofthisreport.The

assumptionwasthatwhiletheproject-levelcommunity-basedapproacheswill

achieveanddeliversustainedoutcomesandimpactonpeople’sresilienceto

climateextremes,successfulpracticesandapproacheswouldbereplicated

andscaledupthroughthe(separate)top-downprovisionofnationalpolicy

andcapacitysupportandpolicyinfluence.Thedelaysinthedesignand

implementationofthiscomplementarytop-downworkmayhinderimpactofthe

overallBRACEDprogramme.Basedonthefindingsofthisreport,theBRACED

KMwillidentifyanyimplicationsforthepathwaysandassumptionsabouthow

changehappensandrevisetheprogramme-leveltheoryofchangeaccordingly,in

conjunctionwithDFID,theBRACEDFundManager(FM)andtheprojectIPs.

BRACEDisauniqueprogramme.WithIPs’workfirmlyrootedinpractice,

wehopethatthefindingsandlessonsemergingfromthisreportwillconstitute

aground-breakingcontributiontoknowledgeandevidencegenerationefforts

inthefieldofclimateanddisasterresilienceprogrammesandaccompanying

monitoringandresultsreportingefforts.

Key messages and recommendationsSixkeymessageswithcross-cuttingrecommendationsforboththeKM

attheprogrammelevelandIPsattheprojectlevelhavebeenidentified

throughthefindingsofthisreport.Together,thesewillimprovetheBRACED

programme’songoingeffortstobuildknowledgeandevidenceonwhatworks

tostrengthenresilience.

ItisimportanttonotethatBRACEDisnearlytwoyearsintoitsthree-year

implementationtimeframe.Therearethereforesomelimitationstowhat


canbeadaptedandachievedintheremainderoftheprogramme.Thatsaid,

manyoftherecommendationsproposedareinlinewith–andfurtherbuild

upon–existingresearch,monitoringandlearningwork,particularlyoftheKM,

creatingscopefortheirapplication.Therecommendationsarenotprescriptive;

itissuggestedthatIPsconsidertheminthecontextoftheirprojects.Thekey

messagesandrecommendationsmightalsoberelevantforthosedesigningand

implementingotherresilience-buildingprojectsandprogrammes.

Key message 1: Accessing and using weather and climate information is a

critical element in building anticipatory, absorptive and adaptive capacities.

Tobesuccessful,projectsneedtoovercome potentialchallengesand bias

towardsprioritisinglocalisedshort-termclimateinformation.Moresupport

shouldbeofferedtoIPsandcommunitiesinbuildingbridgesbetweenthe

seeminglyeasieruseofnear-terminformationandthemorechallenginguse

oflonger-terminformation.

Recommendations: BRACEDpresentsauniqueopportunityto

integrateclimateservicesintoresilienceprogramming.Toachieve

this,IPsandtheKMshouldfurtherexplore:

• The incentives and motivations behind the observed focus on

near-term climate information.Isthisdrivenbysupplyconstraints

(e.g.lackofavailabledataorcapacity)orbyalackofdemand

(e.g.stakeholdersnotaskingforlongertermprojections)?Ifit

istheformer,theKMshouldsupportIPsinaddressingthese

constraints(e.g.throughitsClimateandWeatherHelpdesk).

• The new roles that IPs are playing as intermediaries/advisors

between formal climate services and communities.Howare

theseadvisoryfunctionsperceivedbythetargetedusersovertime?

(ThereisKMresearchspecificallylookingatthis.)

• The extent to which the limited reference to historical data or

longer-term (decadal to multi-decadal) projections limits the

adaptation components of BRACED projects.

Key message 2: Achieving meaningful resilience outcomes requires

knowledge, skills and capacities that go beyond the expertise of a particular

IP.Effectivepartnershipsareacriticalcomponentofresilience-building

programmesinordertodrawoneachother’sexpertise,knowledge,experience

andresourcesandtojoinforcesforcommongoalsasmuchaspossible.

Identifyingthe‘right’combinationofpartnersisasimportantasthedesignand

implementationofprojectactivities.Evenwhenknowledge,financialmeansand

asupportive(governance)environmentareoftenstilllacking,IPscansometimes

producecreative,affordableandapplicabletechnologiesandsolutionsthrough

networkingandpartnerships.


Recommendations: Partnershipsthathavethepotentialto

provideeffectiveapproachestoresilience-buildingarevitalforthe

BRACEDprojectstoyieldmaximumimpact.Duringtheremainder

ofBRACED,IPsandtheKMshoulddevelopabetterunderstanding

aboutthefollowing:

• The role of partnerships in resilience-building, and how best

to ensure that partnerships are greater than the sum of their

parts.Thereisaneedtobetterunderstandhowinter-organisational

learningacrosspartnerstranslatesintolonger-term,positiveimpacts

toincreasecommunityresilience.

• Establishing a means of credibly measuring, reviewing and

documenting partnerships, in terms of both results and processes.

Key message 3:The starting point for enhancing individuals’ resilience is

recognising and addressing social exclusion and gender inequality. While

improvementsinwomen’sparticipationinprojects’activitiesandaccessto

resourcesarefundamentalstepstotake,theydonotinthemselveschangepower

relations,andthereforemaynottranslateintoinclusivedecision-making.

Recommendations: Inordertobuildabetterunderstanding

ofhowsocialexclusionandinequalitycanbeaddressed, IPsand

theKMshould:

• Pay closer attention to the sociocultural aspects underpinning

anticipatory, absorptive and adaptive capacities.Thisincludes

improvingtheanalysisbetweentransforminggenderrelationsand

theproject’stheoryofchangeforresilience-building.

• Document cases where inclusive decision-making takes place,

inparticular,examplesillustratingthelinksbetweenparticipation,

voiceandpower.

• Further investigate and document the specific types of

activities and strategies that should be integrated in resilience

programming to support inclusive decision-making.

Key message 4: Building anticipatory and absorptive capacity to deal with

current risks and threats is the first step for communities that are highly

vulnerable to climate change.AsBRACEDprojectscontinueinyears2and3,

itwillbeimportanttothinkabouthowanticipatoryandabsorptivecapacities

canbedevelopedinwaysthatprovideasolidfoundationforbuildingadaptive


capacityinthelongerterm.Understandinghowresiliencecapacitiesinterrelate–

andrevisitingwhetheritismorechallengingtobuildadaptivecapacityin

thelifespanofaBRACEDproject–willbeakeyinsighttoinformtheoriesfor

buildingcommunity-levelresilienceontheground.

Recommendations: Tobuildacomprehensiveunderstandingof

resilienceoutcomesandinformfutureresiliencetheory,programme

designandimplementation,IPsandtheKMshouldconsiderthe

followingintheremainderofBRACED:

• In places where communities are prioritising enhancing

anticipatory and absorptive capacity, investigate how these

capacities are being built inwaysthatprovideasolidfoundation

forbuildingadaptivecapacityinthelongerterm.

• As shocks and stresses occur, document if and how people and

communities are learning from these,andwhethertheyrebuildin

waysthatreducetheirfuturevulnerability.

• Investigate the role that community groups play in enhancing

social capital,andthusenablingcommunitiestocopewithdisaster

eventsandstrengthentheirabsorptivecapacity.

• Document the level of integration, layering, timing and

sequencing of the different capacity-building activitiesneeded

toimproveabsorptive,adaptiveandanticipatorycapacities.

Key message 5: While resilience-building interventions have building capacity

to manage shocks and stresses as a primary objective, addressing and dealing

with the socioeconomic and political dimensions of resilience-building are

equally important.Writingoperationalrisksawayintoanassumptioncolumnis

notenough.Theoperationalchallengesofworkingincomplexsettingsnotonly

callformorepragmaticprojectdesignsandtimeframes,butalsoforexploring

howlinkstootherprogrammesaddressingissues,suchaspeacebuildingand

governancereforms,arenecessaryprerequisitesforclimateresilienceprogrammes.

Recommendations: Improvingprogrammedesignandimplementation

beginswiththerecognitionandaddressingofthe‘real-life’challenges

involvedinimplementingresilience-buildingprojectsandprogrammes.

IPsandtheKMshould workcloselytogetherto developanevidence

baseandbetterunderstandingof:

• The role of contingency fund mechanisms in resilience-

building programmes, along with the extent to which they can


support protecting resilience gainsbothinadvanceof,andin

thefaceofshocksandstressesduringtheprojectcycle.TheKM

isalreadyworkingwithrecipientIPsofthePHASEfunding,on

anevaluativelearningpiecewiththisasitsfocus.

• The opportunities and trade-offs of integrating climate disaster

and peacebuilding goals as prerequisite criteria for resilience-

building interventions,byengagingconflictexperts.

• How to better integrate context analysis, beyond merely listing

risks and assumptions, in programme design and M&E.The

designandimplementationofresilience-buildingprogrammes

shouldincludenotonlytechnicalaspects,butalsothesociocultural

factorsthatinfluenceattitudes,behaviourandpractice.

Key message 6:While resilience-building projects focus on building

anticipatory, absorptive and adaptive capacity to shocks and stresses, in

practice resilience-building programmes seem to be, at their core, ‘good’

development projects with ‘tweaks’. BRACEDhascomealongwayin

conceptualisingandoperationalisingresilienceinpractice.IPshavealsodeveloped

tailoredindicesandestablishedbaselinesinordertomeasureprogressand

achievements.Understandingthefactorsthatconstitutetheresilienceofparticular

householdsisthestartingpointfordevising,deployingandimplementing

resilience-buildingstrategies.Evidenceandemerginglessonstodatehighlights

thatBRACEDroutestoresilienceareunderpinnedbydevelopmentprogramming

thatexplicitlytakesclimateshocksandstressesintoaccountandbuilds

stakeholders’capacitytomanageclimateanddisasterrisk.Whilethereisevidence

thatsuchapproachesrequirein-depthassessmentsandanalysisofstakeholders’

vulnerabilitiesandcapacities,itisdifficulttoidentify–fromyear1reports–how

suchapproachestranslateintoa‘different’setofactivitiesthatgobeyond‘good’

developmentworkandriskmanagementapproaches.

Recommendations: ThereisariskthatBRACEDmaylooklike

‘oldwineinnewbottles’.Inordertosupporteffectiveprojectand

programmedesign,implementation,M&Eandfuturefundingbythe

endoftheprogramme,the KM along with IPs should identify and

develop a set of criteria that identifies what makes resilience-

building different in practice.

Specificreflections,lessonsandrecommendationsonmonitoringandresults

reportingcanbefoundinthecompanionreport,’Routestoresilience:lessons

frommonitoringBRACED’.




Questions for further reflection, debate and learningWiththeaimofcontributingtoongoinglearningaboutresilienceprogramming,

theauthorswishtoengageprojectIPs,theKM,DFIDandwideraudiencesin

consideringtwocriticalquestionsthatariseasaresultofthefindingsofthis

report.Emerginginsightsshedsomelightforinitiatingdiscussion;however,

theBRACEDprogrammeshouldcontinuetoanswerthefollowingquestions

throughoutitslifetime:

What is BRACED doing differently?Thequestionthatarisesinpracticeis:what

‘tweaks’shouldweexpecttoseeinprojectsthatotherwisedrawheavilyfrom

good‘simple’localdevelopment?Emergingevidencetodatesuggeststhat,at

thecommunitylevel,integrateddisasterriskmanagementwithdevelopment

approachesisonewayofenhancingresilience.Putdifferently,theBRACED

projectsshowthatresilienceisbuiltthroughgooddevelopmentwith‘tweaks’

thatsupportcommunitiestodealwithshocksandstresses.Attheprogramming

andorganisationallevel,however,resilience-buildingapproachesrequireworking

indifferentpartnerships,usingdifferentkindsofinformationandbeingmuch

moreflexibleinplanningandspending.Tosomeextent,thatmaynotalterthe

contentoftheinterventionsatthehouseholdlevel,butitcertainlychangesthe

waytheprojectimplementerhastoplananddeliverinterventions.

“Resilience-buildingapproachesrequireworkingindifferentpartnerships,using

differentkindsofinformationandbeingmuchmoreflexibleinplanningandspending”

What is a realistic time frame in which to strengthen resilience and build

a solid evidence base? Evidencetodatesuggeststhattwokeyfactorsquestion

theachievabilityoftheoverallprogramme.First,attheprojectlevel,settingup

thestructuresandpartnershipsrequiredtoimplementprojectactivities(that

is,thefoundationsforresilience-buildingactivities)takeslongerthanoriginally

envisaged.Second,evenifobjectivesaremet,itisquestionablewhetheritis

possibletogeneratetheevidencetodemonstratethatresiliencehasbeenbuilt

withinthetimeframeoftheprojects.Thisisbecausebuildingresiliencerequires

attitudinal,behaviouralandcapacitychanges,allofwhichtaketime.IPsand

theKMmayhavesetgoalsthataretooambitious,bothintermsofachieving

objectivesandgeneratingevidenceandlessonsonwhatworksandwhatdoesnot

inbuildingresiliencetoclimateextremesanddisasters.Athree-yearprogramme

suchasBRACEDshouldnotexpectultimatelessonson‘whatworksbest’tobuild

resiliencebut,rather,togenerateemergingguidanceintermsoftweakstogood

developmentandpromisingwaysofworkingtobuildandevaluateanticipatory,

absorptiveandadaptivecapacities.

16ROUTES TO RESILIENCE: INSIGHTS FROM BRACED YEAR 1 introDuctionanDbackgrounD

1.1 The BRACED programmeThethree-year,£110millionDFID-fundedBuildingResilienceandAdaptation

toClimateExtremesandDisasters(BRACED)programme1aimstobuildthe

resilienceofupto5millionvulnerablepeopleagainstclimateextremesand

disasters.ItwaslaunchedinJanuary2015andsupportsover120organisations

in15consortiaacross13countriesinEastAfrica,theSahelandAsia.

The15projectsareledbyBRACEDImplementingPartners(IPs)whoare

connectedthroughaFundManager(FM)andaKnowledgeManager(KM).

TheFMisresponsibleforoverseeingthedeliveryofBRACEDprojects.TheKM2

leadsthemonitoring,evaluationandresearchactivitiesbasedontheprojects

attheprogrammelevel.Theevidenceandknowledgegeneratedfeedsinto

learning,uptakeandcommunicationactivitiesinordertoeffectchangeacross

andbeyondtheBRACEDfocuscountries(seeannex1formoreinformationabout

theBRACEDcomponents).

1 www.braced.org

2 bracEDknowledgemanager(2016)LearningaboutresiliencethroughthebracEDprogramme:anintroductiontotheroleofthebracEDknowledgemanager.bracEDknowledgemanagerinformationleaflet.London:oDi

1.INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUNDimage:asianDevelopmentbank

http://www.braced.org

http://www.braced.org/resources/i/?id=c30ed2e2-0f5e-4f41-9959-72cd6077e230&com.dotmarketing.htmlpage.language=1




OnekeycontributiontotheBRACEDKM’sworkisanannualprogramme-

levelsynthesisandanalysisofBRACEDprojects’annualmonitoringand

resultsreporting.ThisisbasedonaBRACEDprogrammetheoryofchange

(seeannex2)andsupportingMonitoringandEvaluation(M&E)frameworkand

systemdevelopedbytheKMMonitoringandResultsReporting(MRR)teamto

understandhowresilienceisbeingbuiltinBRACED.(Forfurtherinformation

ontheBRACEDtheoryofchange,M&Eframeworkandsystem,seethe

companionreport,’Routestoresilience:lessonsfrommonitoringBRACED’,3

andtheBRACEDM&EGuidanceNotes.4TounderstandhowtheMRRwork

fitswithinabroaderM&EsystemimplementedbyboththeKMandFM,see

annex3.)

1.2 Purpose of this reportThisreportistheculminationoftheBRACEDKM’sMRRworktodate.It

examinesthefollowingquestion:How are BRACED projects building resilience

to climate extremes and disasters? Thereportoutlineskeyevidenceand

findingsinresponsetothiscentralquestionbringingtogetherandsynthesising

evidencefromIPs’year1projectannualreportsattheprogrammelevel.In

particular,itexaminesprogressagainsttwoelementsoftheBRACEDtheory

ofchange:thepathwaystoresilienceandtheexpectedoutcomes.Figure2

illustratesthispartofthetheoryofchange.

“ThisreportistheculminationoftheBRACEDKnowledgeManager’sMRRworktodate.

Itexaminesthefollowingquestion:HowareBRACEDprojectsbuildingresiliencetoclimate

extremesanddisasters?”

EachBRACEDprojectisusingdifferentinterventionstrategiesandbeing

implementedindifferentclimaticandoperatingcontexts.(Fordetailsonthe

projects,seeannex4.)Thisreportidentifiesemergingthemes,challengesand

drawsbroaderlessonsaboutchangesinresilience,howthesecanbeunderstood

andthefactorsshapingthem.Itisanticipatedthatthesewillbefurtherbuilt

uponbyresearch,monitoringandevaluationofbothIPsandtheKMduring

theremainderoftheprogramme.(FordetailsoftheKM’songoingresearch

workseeannex8.)

3 silvavillanueva,P.,gould,c.(2016)’routestoresilience:lessonsfrommonitoringbracED’.bracEDknowledgemanagerreflectionPaper.

4 silvavillanueva,P.,gould,c.,gregorowski,r.,bahadur,a.(2015)‘bracEDprogrammemonitoringandevaluationguidancenotes’.bracEDknowledgemanager.


http://www.braced.org/resources/i/?id=761757df-7b3f-4cc0-9598-a684c40df788





Acompanionpaperproducedatthesametimeasthisone,’Routestoresilience:

lessonsfrommonitoringBRACED’,examinesarelatedquestion:‘What lessons

have we learnt from the monitoring and results reporting efforts to date in

BRACED?’Thisreflectionpaperreflectson theM&Eframeworkitselfandthe

experiencesoftheKMinrollingouttheframeworkandtestingitforthefirst

timethroughtheyear1project-toprogramme-reportingprocessfollowedin

ordertoproducethissynthesisreport.

Thisreportfocusesonhow change is happeningacrosstheBRACEDprogramme

ratherthanontheprojectorprogrammeresultsperse.Thesynthesisdoesnot

aimtoevaluateBRACEDproject-levelinterventionsorpassjudgementonIPs’

progressorperformance.

Figure 2: BRACED Areas of Change

Changes in decision-makingprocesses through

inclusive participation, as one key aspect of a resilient system.

BRACED Theory of Change hypothesises that socialparticipation and inclusion of the most vulnerable indecision making is the foundation for effectiveimplementation of resilience-building policies and strategies.

Changes in the quality of partnerships to deliver interventions.

BRACED Theory of Change hypothesises that building effective partnerships is a central means through which to effectively achieve BRACED outputs and outcomes.

Changes in the capacities and skills of national and

local government, civil society and private sector to manage the risksof climate extremes and disasters.

BRACED Theory of Change hypothesises that changes in knowledge and awareness can leadto shifts in practice if people havethe capacity to take action.

AREASOF CHANGE

?

Changes in knowledge and attitudes in relation to

resilience-building, in order to further strengthen policies and practices.

BRACED Theory of Change hypothesises that awareness, knowledge and attitudes underpin individuals’ capacities and hence capacity-building processes.

OUTCOMEPoor people in developing countries

have improved their levels of resilience to climate-related shocks and stresses. This is measured using the three dimensions of resilience:

Anticipatory, Absorptive and Adaptive capacity.




Thisreportisaimedatthefollowingaudiences:

• BRACED Project Implementing Partners:aqualitativeassessmentofyear1

results,evidenceandlearningacrossprojects.Thiswillenablefurthershared

learningbetweentheKMandIPs,aswellaspeer-to-peerlearningonhow

changeishappeninginBRACED.Thismay,inturn,supportIPs’ownrevision

oftheirprojecttheoriesofchange.5

• BRACED Knowledge Manager:afoundationalpieceofevidencethat

informsthewiderKMevidencegenerationprocess.Itisanticipatedthat

thereportcontentwillbedrawnuponintheKM’sforthcomingmid-term

evidenceandlearningreport.

• BRACED donor DFID:aqualitativeassessmentofyear1results,evidenceand

learningacrossprojects.ItisanticipatedthatDFIDwillbemostinterestedin

howtheBRACEDprogrammeisbuildingresiliencesofar.

• Others designing, implementing and funding resilience-building

programmes: acontributiontobroadersectoralknowledgeaboutdesigning

andimplementingresilience-buildingprogrammes.Thefindings,lessonsand

recommendationsfromthisreportbuildontheworkofBRACEDprojectIPs

firmlygroundedinpractice.

5 bracEDprojectimplementingPartnerswillreviewtheirprojecttheoriesofchangebasedontheresultsoftheiryear1annualreportingandprojectmid-termreview.

20ROUTES TO RESILIENCE: INSIGHTS FROM BRACED YEAR 1 mEthoDoLogy

2.1 Making sense of the project dataProjectIPshaveprovidedsystematicqualitativeandexplanatoryreportingfor

thefirsttimeonthechangesthatarehappeningasaresultoftheirprojects,and

howthecontextisaffectingthesechanges.ThesetofIPyear1annualreports

detailtheprogressandlearningof14BRACEDprojectsagainsttheBRACEDM&E

framework.6Thisincludesreportingon:

• theresiliencepathwaysthatenableprojectstomovefromoutputstooutcomes

• projectresilienceoutcomesintermsofresiliencecapacities

• howthecontexthasaffectedtheproject’sresilience-buildingefforts.

Thisreportcombinesaframeworkandthematicsynthesisapproachtoidentify

themesacrosstheBRACEDprojectsandenableaprogramme-levelanalysis.

Frameworkandthematicsynthesisareanapproachtosystematicqualitative

synthesisthatisoftenusedtoidentify,analyseandreportpatterns(orrecurring

themes)withinprimaryqualitativedata,toexplainandanswerparticular

questions.Thefollowingtablesummarisestheframeworkusedanditsquestions

6 iPssubmittedtheirfirstannualreportson31may2016fortheperiodto31march2016.

image:olliviergirard,(ciFor)

2.METHODOLOGY


thatformedthebasisoftheproject-toprogramme-levelsynthesis(basedon

theM&Eframework):

2.2 Moving from project data to a broader viewTheproject-toprogramme-levelsynthesiswasundertakenasfollows:

1. Project-level analysis and synthesis (July 2016)

a. First,wedevelopeda project screening grid(seeannex5)witha

setof20questions.Thepurposeofthiswastocloselyexamineeach

componentoftheBRACEDM&Eframework.

b. Wethen assessed and systematically reviewed the set of project

annual reports,summarisingeachonebycapturingtheanswerstothe

samesetof20questionsinanExcelspreadsheet.Duringthisprocess,

recurring key wordsforeachquestionwereidentified.

c. Onceprojectreportsweresummarisedagainsttheprojectscreening

grid,weorganised recurring key words into project-specific

descriptive themes.ThisrequiredtheexpertjudgementoftheMRR

teamtoensurethestandardisationofdefinitionsacrossprojects.This

resultedinaclearunderstandingabouteachproject’seffortsand

challengestodate.

d. Atthisstage,wesynthesised each annual report at the project level

against the analytical frameworkoutlinedabove.Thisproducedanew

interpretationthatwentbeyondtheresultscoveredintheIP’sreport

andenabledstandardisationacrossprojects.

Table 1: Programme synthesis analytical framework

overarching question theme sub-questions

HowareBRACEDcomponentsA&Bbuildingresiliencetoclimateextremesanddisasters?

Pathwaystoresilience howarebracEDprojectsimprovingknowledgeandinfluencingattitudes?

howarebracEDprojectsstrengtheningcapacitiesandskillsofdifferentstakeholders?

towhatextentisworkinginpartnershipsimprovingbracEDprojectinterventions?

howarebracEDprojectsinfluencingdecision-makingprocesses?

understandingresilienceoutcomes

towhatextentcanweseechangehappeningintermsofcapacitytoanticipate,adapttoandabsorbclimateshocksandstresses?

resilienceincontext towhatextentisthecontextenablingorconstrainingchange?


2. Project- to programme-level synthesis and analysis

(August–November 2016)

a. Onceproject-leveldatahadbeenexaminedandsynthesisedagainst

acommonsetofquestionsandframework,weproceededwith

aprogramme-levelthematicsynthesis.Thiswascompletedagainstthecore

questionofthisreport,usingacomparative analysis of the project-level

themes.Contentanalysisledtotheidentificationandmappingofrecurring

themesatprogrammelevel(seeannex6).Thiswasguidedbytheexpert

knowledgeandinterpretationoftheMRRteam,basedonourintimate

knowledgeoftheprogramme.Thisanalysisidentifiedcommonpractices,

aswellasthemaindifficultiesandfactorsofsuccess,representativegood

practicesandchallenges,andgeneratedlearningonspecificissues.

b. Onceprogramme-levelthemeswereidentified,weconducted

consultations with the ongoing KM research streamstodeepenthe

analysisandunderstandingoffindings.Thisincludes:Climateinformation

andservices,7Gender,8RealityofResilience,9Climateresilienceand

financialservices,10Theroleofcontingencymechanismsinresilience

programmes,11Trackingresilience(3As)12andMeasuringresilience.13

(ReferencestotheKM’songoingresearchworkareprovidedinannex8.)

3. Finally,awebinar with representatives from 10 IPs washeld,inOctober

2016,topresentpreliminaryfindingsandprovideaspaceforsharingfurther

inputsandlessonsbasedontheirownreportingexperiences.Colleagues

fromtheFMwerealsoconsultedfortheirfeedbackandreflectionsonthe

BRACEDM&Eframework,basedontheirongoinginteractionswithIPsas

partofdonormonitoring.

7 Wilkinson,E.,budimir,m.,ahmed,a.k.andouma,g.(2015)‘climateinformationandservicesinbracEDcountries’.bracEDknowledgemanagerresilienceintel.London:oDi;Jones,L.,harvey,b.andgodfrey-Woods,r.(2016)‘thechangingroleofngosinsupportingclimateservices’.bracEDknowledgemanagerresilienceintel.London:oDi.

8 Lemasson,v.,norton,a.andWilkinson,E.(2015)‘genderandresilience’.bracEDknowledgemanagerWorkingPaper.London:oDi;Lemasson,v.(2015)‘genderandresilience:fromtheorytopractice’.bracEDknowledgemanagerWorkingPaper.London:oDi.

9 http://www.braced.org/reality-of-resilience/case-studies

10 hawortha.,Frandon-martinezc.,Fayolle,v.andsimonet,c.(2016)‘climateresilienceandfinancialservices:LessonsfromEthiopia,maliandmyanmar’.bracEDknowledgemanagerWorkingPaper.London:oDi.

11 Peters,k.,venton,P,Pichon,F.,Jones,L.(2016)‘Evaluativelearningforresilience:ProvidinghumanitarianassistanceforsahelEmergencies(PhasE)’.bracEDknowledgemanagerEvaluationPaper.London:oDi.

12 bahadur,a.v.,Peters,k.,Wilkinson,E.,Pichon,F.,gray,k.andtanner,t.(2015)‘the3as:trackingresilienceacrossbracED’.bracEDknowledgemanagerWorkingPaper.London:oDi.

13 Wilson,D.andyaron,g.(2016)‘Layingthefoundationsformeasuringresilience’.bracEDknowledgemanagerWorkingPaper.London:oDi.

http://www.braced.org/resources/i/?id=70e1b775-668a-4817-8878-77585419edc8


http://www.braced.org/resources/i/?id=838e97e9-2ffb-40e6-867b-2318a9112a17

http://www.braced.org/resources/i/?id=845c98a2-f1d3-4c3e-b0cb-e4d307310def

http://www.braced.org/resources/i/?id=97f92d47-4a8f-419d-a555-ef4a20d09c03

http://www.braced.org/reality-of-resilience/case-studies/index.html

http://www.braced.org/resources/i/?id=e28686be-1d87-483e-93df-390b49ceabff


http://www.braced.org/resources/i/?id=fa9423c3-327e-442a-aca6-0775d2dc9464


http://www.braced.org/resources/i/?id=cd95acf8-68dd-4f48-9b41-24543f69f9f1

http://www.braced.org/resources/i/?id=f57ceb4f-062a-494d-b3a9-7ebe09bfcd2a


Figure 3: Synthesis methodology

2.3 LimitationsTheIPs’annualreportsarethemainsourceofdataprovidingtheevidencebase

fortheprogramme-levelanalysisand,subsequently,thisreport.Theyareself-

reported.14Thesynthesishasattemptedtoovercomeanybiasthismaycreate

byreferringtoMRRteamknowledgeoftheprojectsaswellasotherproject

andKMdatasources.

TheBRACEDM&Eframeworktracksprogressagainstcomplexchangeprocesses.

InBRACED,monitoringandresultsreportingaimstogobeyondasking‘Istheset

ofBRACEDprojectstakingtheactionstheysaidtheywouldtake?’toask‘How

isBRACEDprogressingtowardstheexpectedchange?’Thedifferencebetween

thesetwoapproachesisextremelyimportant.Inthemorelimitedapproach,

monitoringandreportingmayfocusona)trackingprojectactivitiesandoutputs

andb)theuseofresources.Inthebroaderapproach,italsoinvolves:

• trackingstakeholders’changesinpolicyandpractice

• testingprojectassumptions

• recordingstrategiesandactionsbeingtakenbypartnersandnon-partners

• understandingtheextenttowhichtheoperationalenvironmentenables

orconstrainschange.

Theyear1projectannualreportsrevealthatitistoo early in the programme for

this kind of analysis – most reports still focus on deliverables and outputs,

14 themrrteamworkedwiththeFmtodesignthefirstannualreportandtraintheiPsinitscompletion.thecompanionreport’routestoresilience:lessonsfrommonitoringbracED’offersmoreinformationonthereportingtemplates.

Project-level analysis and

synthesis

Step 1: Systematic review

and screening against project-level

grid

Step 2: Characterising project-level

(organising data – key word search)

Step 3: Project-level

synthesis against analytical

framework

Step 5: Thematic analysis

Step 4: Comparative analysis and identification

of themes

Project-to-programme

Programme-level

synthesis

Framework synthesis

Thematic synthesis

Consultation with ongoing research

streams to deepen analysis

of findings




with few illustrative examples of change.Wherechangehasbeenreported

andanalysed,thedataisanecdotalatthisstage.

WhileIPsreportedagainstallaspectsoftheBRACEDM&Eframework,and

oftenverycomprehensively,thereareanumberoffactorsthathavelimitedthe

analysis.Manyoftheoriginalrisksidentifiedwhenplanningthesynthesiswere

avoided,whilemostoftheonesthatdidarisewereanticipated:

• BRACEDprojectscoverawiderangeofissuesandoperateinverydifferent

contexts,fromsecuring,servicingandpromotingtrans-borderlivestockmobility

acrosstheSahel,tosupportingsmallholderfarmersinNepaltotakeadvantage

ofeconomicopportunitiesandinvestmentsinclimate-smarttechnologies.This

project and context specificity has proven a challenge for the programme-

level synthesis and aggregation of diverse data.Thisreporthassought

toovercomethisbyfollowingathematicsynthesisanalysis,enablingthe

identificationofcommonpatternsandthemesacrossthesetofprojects.

• TheBRACEDKMM&Eframeworkwasdesignedandsetuponcethe

BRACEDprojectshadalreadybeendesignedandapproved,meaningthe

project-leveltheoriesofchangeandM&Eframeworkshadalreadybeen

established.Project-level M&E systems were therefore not originally

developed to capture all the dimensions of the programme-level M&E

framework.Asaresult,IPshavestruggledtoadheretotheoverarching

programme-widedefinitionsoftheM&Eframework.15Whileitispositive

thatIPshavetakenownershipoftheseandinterpretedthemfortheir

projectcontext,thosetimeswheretheoverarchingdefinitionshavenot

beenfollowedhavemadecomparableanalysismoredifficult.Thisreport

hassoughttoovercomethisbysynthesisingproject-leveldataagainstthe

programme-leveldefinitionsassetintheoriginalBRACEDM&EGuidance

NotesandusingMRRteamexpertjudgementwheredifferencesarise.

• Onthewhole, IPs have not reported against outcome-level results for

year 1 (onlyfourofthe14IPshaveprovidedthisdata).Thisispartlydueto

a)theset-upandimplementationdelaysseenacrosstheprogrammeand

b)project-levelM&Esystemsnotbeingestablishedtomeasureandreporton

outcome-levelresultsonanannualbasis.IPsoriginallyplannedforbaseline,

mid-lineandend-linedatacollection.Eventhosereportingattheoutcome

levelthistimehaveindicatedthatitistooearlyintheprogrammetosee

outcome-levelchange.However,allIPshavebeenabletooutlinetheir

theoryofhowtheyexpecttheprojecttobuildresiliencethroughthe‘3As’

overitslifetime.

• Whilealotofdatawasreceivedonthecontextofeachproject,there has

been limited analysis of how the context is enabling or constraining

change.Thepresentreporthassoughttoovercomethisbyconsultingwith

BRACEDKMresearchcolleaguesinordertodeepentheanalysisbasedon

theirresearchwork.

15 thisisparticularlyapparentwhenoutliningthedifferentlevelsofchange(expect,likeandlovetosee),bothanticipatedandrealised,acrossthefourareasofchange.




Thecompanionreport,’Routestoresilience:lessonsfrommonitoringBRACED’,

furtherexploressomeofthesechallengesandissuesintermsoftheevidenceand

learningtheyofferonhowtomonitorandmeasureresilience-building.

2.4 Structure of the reportAsthisreportintendstocontributetoBRACEDknowledgeandevidence

generationefforts,beyondpresentingkeyfindingsandlessonsagainstspecific

programme-levelthemes,itcontainsanumberofproject-levelillustrative

examples.WhatmakesBRACEDrichisthediversityofprojects,contextsand

approaches.Eventhoughprogramme-levelthemeshaveemerged,thesehave

beenimplementeddifferentlyindifferentcontextsinpractice–andthepresent

reportaimstoillustratesuchdiversityanddifferencesinapproaches.Thecontent

ofthereportissubstantialinordertosufficientlyrepresentandanalysethedata

of14differentprojects,fromaprogrammeperspective,usingthethreedifferent

lensesoftheBRACEDM&Eframework.Thefollowinginformationisintended

tohelpthereadertonavigatethroughthereport:

• Sections 3, 4 and 5presentfindingsagainsteachelementoftheBRACED

M&Eframeworkinturn:pathways to resilience; resilience outcomes; and

resilience in context.

• Key findings and lessons are highlighted at the start of each

section.Despitethewiderangeanddiversityofcontexts,projectsand

approaches,BRACEDprojectsshareanumberofcommonthemes.These

areidentifiedandanalysedundereachpartoftheM&Eframework.

(Annex6providesacompletemappingofprojects’activitiesand

emergingthemes.)

• Illustrative examples provide a short narrative about a specific

project to clarify a particular theme or finding.Asmanyprojectsas

possiblehavebeenincludedasillustrativeexamplestodemonstratethe

numberandbreadthofprojects.Theseexamplesshouldnotbetaken

toprovideastatisticallysignificantrepresentation.(Asmallnumber

oftheseillustrativeexamplesareprovidedinthemainreport,with

supplementaryillustrativeexamplesavailableinannex7.)

• Inordertofosterreflectionandlearning,aseriesoftextboxeswith

pointsforreflectionandspecificexamplesofcontextualfactorsaffecting

projectsarealsohighlighted.

• Section 6drawsthepreviousthreepartstogether,providingconclusions

and recommendations for BRACED stakeholders andsuggestingareasfor

furtherdebateandreflection.

BRACEDprojects,alongwiththeevidencegeneratedbyIPsarereferredtoas

projectnamesandhighlightedinbold,whilealistoftheprojectnamesand

acronymscanbefoundinannex4.


26ROUTES TO RESILIENCE: INSIGHTS FROM BRACED YEAR 1 PathWaystorEsiLiEncE

Thissectiondescribesandanalysestheprocessesandpathwaysthroughwhich

BRACEDprojectsarecontributingtoresilience-buildingattheendofyear1.

TheBRACEDprogrammetheoryofchangeidentifiesfourinterrelated‘Areas of

Change’inwhichchangeneedstohappentoachievetheBRACEDprogramme’s

long-termobjective.ThesefourareasformanintegralpartoftheBRACED

programme-levelM&Eframework.Theyenableustobetterunderstandtheset

ofprocessesthatlinkprojectoutputstoresilienceoutcomesandultimatelyto

impactsonhumanwell-being.Theyalsoprovidetheframeworkforassessment

oftheBRACEDtrajectorytowardsimpact.

The four Areas of Change are defined as:

1. Changes in knowledge and attitudesinrelationtoresilience-

building,inordertofurtherstrengthenpoliciesandpractices.

2. Changes in the capacities and skillsofnationalandlocal

government,civilsocietyandprivatesectortomanagetherisks

ofclimateextremesanddisasters.

3. Changes in the quality of partnershipstodeliverinterventions.

4. Changes in decision-making processes throughinclusive

participation,asonekeyaspectofaresilientsystem.

image:neilPalmer(ciat)

3.PATHWAYS TO RESILIENCE


TheBRACEDprogrammetheoryofchangedoesnotpresupposethatallfour

areasarenecessaryforimpacttooccur.Rather,differentcombinationsare

requiredaccordingtothecontextthatprojectsoperatewithinandalsoproject

visionsofchange.TherearecontextsinwhichitisnotnecessaryforIPstoactin

allfourareasformeaningfulimpacttooccur,particularlywhenotheractorsare

advancingworkinotherareas.

InBRACED,trackingprogressagainsteachAreaofChangeisinfluencedby

OutcomeMapping16thinking,whichencouragesprogressmonitoringincomplex

andnon-lineardevelopmentprocesses.Thedesiredchangesinherentinproject

designsaredefinedbyIPsintermsof‘expecttosee’,‘liketosee’,and‘love

tosee’.These‘ProgressMarkers’indicatethelevelsofprogressthatcanbe

expectedinrelationtoeachstakeholderastheBRACEDprojectsevolveover

thethree-yearperiod.‘Boundarypartners’inthecontextofBRACEDarethose

individualsandgroupsthatIPsworkandinteractwithundertheproject,inorder

tobringaboutchangeunderoneormoreAreasofChange,beyondjustdirect

projectbeneficiaries.(FormoreinformationontheAreasofChange,seeNote3

oftheBRACEDM&EGuidanceNotes.)

3.1 Changes in resilience knowledge and attitudesAbout this Area of Change: Inordertostrengthenpolicyandpractice,this

AreaofChangecoverschangesinknowledgeandattitudestowardsclimate

anddisasterresilience.TheBRACEDprogrammetheoryofchangehypothesises

thatawareness,knowledgeandattitudesunderpinindividuals’capacitiesand

hencecapacity-buildingprocesses.Atthislevel,activitiesaregearedtowards

influencingattitudesandbehaviourandgeneratingincentivestoadoptand

applynewpractises.MainkeystakeholdersinBRACEDprojectsincludelocal

communitiesandlocalauthorities.

Summary of key findings

Level of change: ThemajorityofIPs’activitiescanbeseenas

addressingthe‘expecttosee’progressmarkers,astheyare

contributingtoknowledgearoundresiliencetoclimatechangeand

creatinganenablingenvironmentforincreasingcapacityandskillsto

improveresilience,inparticularatthehouseholdandcommunitylevel.

Projects’progresstodatesuggeststhatcommunitydialoguesand

participatoryplanningprocessesaretheentrypointandcontribute

toincreasingawarenessandknowledgeaboutclimateanddisaster

16 outcomemapping:putspeopleatthecentre,definesoutcomesaschangesinbehaviourandhelpsmeasurecontributiontocomplexchangeprocesses.(source:outcomemappingwebsite:www.outcomemapping.ca).


http://www.outcomemapping.ca


resilienceprocessesandapproaches.Culturalbeliefs,genderdynamics

andsocialnormsarekeyfactorsthatinfluencechangesinawarenessand

knowledge,particularlyinrelationtoclimateandweatherinformation.

Inrelationtotheuseofclimateandweatherinformation,efforts

todatehavepredominantlyfocusedonsettingupprocessesand

partnershipsfordelivering climateinformationtostakeholders.Due

totheearlystagesofactivitiescentredonimproving‘access’to

climateinformation,theactualuseofweatherforecastshasbeen

limitedtotheplanningofprojectactivities.However,thewidespread

useofinformationrelatedtoamajorevent(ElNiño)confirmsthat

IPsareprovingeffectiveinactingasintermediariesbetweenmore

formalclimateservices,suchasnationalmeteorologicaloffices

andcommunities.

The next reporting period (year 2) should be one of great

importance in terms of assessing the level of uptake and impact

achieved. Oneareaofprogressthatshouldbemonitoredisworkto

addresstheconstrainingfactorsaroundaccesstoanduseofclimate

information.ManyofthechallengesthathavebeenidentifiedbyIPs

arewellknown,buttherearealsoopportunitiestoaddressquestions

ofinformationliteracy,timingofinformationavailability,lackoftraining

andlackofcoordination.

Figure 4: Key findings from the first Area of Change – Knowledge and attitudes

Changes in the decision-makingprocesses

Changes in the quality of partnerships

Changes in the capacities and skills

AREA OF CHANGE 1:

?

Changes in knowledge and attitudes in relation to resilience-building, in order to further strengthen policies and practices.

• BRACED Theory of Change hypothesisesthat awareness, knowledge and attitudes underpin individuals’ capacities and hence capacity-building processes.

• Main stakeholders: Communities and local authorities.

• Lesson: The cultural and political dimension of learning and changing attitudes and behaviour should notbe underestimated.

• Lesson: The challenge remains: from easy use of near-term informationand the more challenging use of longer-term information.

AREAS OF CHANGE

OUTCOMEPoor people in developing countries have improved

their levels of resilience to climate-related shocks and stresses. This is measured

using the three dimensions of resilience: Anticipatory,

Absorptive and Adaptive capacity.


Emerging lessons

• The cultural and political dimension of learning and changing

attitudes and behaviour should not be underestimated.

Raisingawarenessandknowledgeaboutclimateanddisaster

resilienceunderpinstheneedtodrivechangesinindividualsand

communities’behaviourandpractice.Participatoryandcommunity-

basedassessmentsandplanningprocessesmightbethestarting

pointtowardschange;however,BRACEDcouldbemissingan

importantpartofthechangestoryifIPsdonotbetterdefine

andreporthowprojectsaddressthecultural,socialandpolitical

dimensionsthatunderpinstakeholders’practices.

• The challenge remains: from easy use of near-term information

and the more challenging use of longer-term information.

Near-termclimateinformationseemsreadilyavailableandeasily

applicableforIPsinthemajorityofcontexts.Theuseoflonger-term

historicaldataorprojectionsismuchmorelimited,whichaffects

theadaptation-specificdimensionsofBRACEDtosomeextent.

MoresupportshouldbeofferedtoIPsandcommunitiesinbuilding

bridgesbetweentheseeminglyeasyuseofnear-terminformation

andthemorechallenginguseoflonger-terminformation.

How is progress tracked?InBRACED,knowledgetransfermechanismsare

trackedthroughaseriesofprogressmarkers.Thesehelpusunderstandthe

extenttowhichtheacquisitionofnewknowledgeleadstochangesinattitude

and,ultimately,totheadoptionofnewpractices.IPsreportprogressagainst

threeoverarchingprogressmarkersthatreflecttheprogressiontowardsthe

desiredlevelofchange.Table2illustratestheprogressmarkerswithinthis

AreaofChange.Thisprogramme-levelsynthesisandanalysishasconsidered

thechangesreportedbyIPsandidentifiedemergingthemesaroundthese

overarchingprogressmarkers.

Table 2: Knowledge and attitudes progress markers

expect to see like to see love to see

knowledgeistransferred knowledgeistakenupandapplied

knowledgeinformswiderpolicyandpractice(beyondbeneficiaries)

Aspartoffinalisingtheirproject-levelM&EandinresponsetoKMfeedback,

eachIPidentifiedwhatchangestheyexpected,wouldlikeandwouldlovetosee


ineachrelevantprojectstakeholderduringthelifetimeoftheproject.17Atthe

endofyear1,theythenreportedchangeagainsttheseasa‘baseline’.

• Atthe‘expecttosee’level,IPs’specificprogressmarkersincludedthe

transferofbasicknowledgeandunderstandingofkeyconceptsand

processesthoughttargetedtrainingactivitiesandtheparticipationoflocal

communitiesandlocalgovernmentinplanningprocesses.

• Atthe‘liketosee’level,progressmarkersincludedownershipofproject

activities,theintegrationofcommunityplansintolocalgovernmentplans

andparticipationofgovernmentsandcommunitiesinthedevelopmentof

actionplans.

• Atthe‘lovetosee’level,progressmarkersincludedtheapplicationofnew

knowledgeintonon-targetedcommunityplansandactions.

Addressing knowledge and attitudes: emerging themes

MuchoftheworkconductedbyIPsduringyear1hasbeenintheareaof

awarenessraisingandknowledgegeneration.Projectshaveincludedspecific

awareness-raisingactivitiesaswellasinformalandformalstakeholdermeetings

tosparkdiscussions,interestandincentives.Intrinsicfactors,suchascultural

beliefs,perceptionsandsocialnorms,maydeterminetheextenttowhich

knowledgeinfluencesattitudesandpractice.Duringyear1,mostIPsreported

changesemergingintwothemes.(Annex6containsacompletemappingof

projects’activitiesandemergingthemes.)

EMERGING THEME 1: COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY PLANNING

FormostBRACEDprojects,mobilisationandawarenessraisingarethestarting

pointforaddressingimmediateconcernsandknowledgegaps,aswellas

inorganisingstakeholdersaroundwiderissues(10projects).Tothisend,

community-basedplanningprocessesplayacentralroleforenhancingknowledge

andinfluencingattitudesoflocalcommunitiesandotherstakeholders.Forthe

mostpart,theseplanningprocessesareusedtoidentifylocalprioritiesandneeds

whilestrengtheningtheknowledgebaseaboutclimaticriskandvulnerabilities.

“AcrossBRACEDprojects,planningprocessesarehighlycontext-specificandtheytake

differentnamesandprocesses”

Fosteringlocalplanningprocessesisviewedasthekeyentrypointforbuilding

knowledgeandunderstandingaboutclimaticanddisasterrisk.AcrossBRACED

17 asmallnumberofiPsdidnotidentifystakeholdersandprogressmarkersforeachareaofchangeaspartoftheirprojectm&Eplan.tofillthisgap,theseiPsdevelopedasetof‘baseline’progressmarkersaspartoftheiryear1reporting.


projects,planningprocessesarehighlycontext-specificandtheytakedifferent

namesandprocesses.ThisincludesLocalAdaptationPlansforAction(LAPAs)

(ANUKULAN),VillageRiskManagementplansthroughBRAPAanalysis(CIARE,

Zaman Lebidi),Community-basedDisasterRiskManagementplans(CBDRM)

(SUR1M),CommunityAdaptationActionPlans(CAADP)(PRESENCES)and

communityparticipatoryresilienceassessments(DCF).Commontoallthese

processesisthesharedobjectiveoffosteringparticipatorylearningandlocal

planningthatisfocusedonlocalneedsandpriorities.

Ensuringandpromotingtheequalparticipationofmenandwomeninthe

planninganddecision-makingprocessisalsoakeyfeatureacrossthese

approaches.Whereprojectswereabletoreportstatisticsdisaggregatedby

gender(9projects),therewasoftenrelativelyhighparticipationofwomen.

However,IPsdidnotclearlyreporttheextenttowhich,beyondparticipation,

women’sprioritiesareincludedintheplanningprocess.Thisisexploredfurther

inrelationtoinclusiveresilience-building(seesection3.4).

Throughtheplanningprocess,considerableeffortsandprogresshavebeen

madeinrelationtoestablishinggroupsandstructuresthatfacilitateknowledge

transfer(11outof14).Leadership,ownershipandparticipationarestrengthened

throughtheestablishmentofcommunitygroupswhoareresponsibleforthe

implementationoftheplannedactivities.Itisexpectedthattheleadersand

championsofsuchgroupswouldactasthekeychangeagentstoshiftsin

attitudestohelpeliminateanybarrierstoenablingcapacity.Examplesofthese

communitygroupsinclude:EarlyWarningCommitteesinBurkinaFaso(Zaman

Lebidi)VillageSavingsandLoansAssociations(VSLAs)inMyanmar(Myanmar

Alliance),Kenya/Uganda(PROGRESS)andChad(BRICS);Farmergroupsin

Niger/Mali(SUR1M);ResilienceandAdaptationCommitteesinKenyaand

Uganda(PROGRESS)andAdaptationcommitteesinMaliandSenegal(DCF).

Throughthesegroups,beyond‘traditional’knowledgetransferandawareness-

raisingactivities,BRACEDprojectsfosterexperientiallearningprocesses,linking

trainingwithpracticeandtranslatingexperienceintoknowledge.IPreports

presentearlyindicationsofownershipandleadershippotentiallypavingthe

wayforinclusiveimplementationprocesses(seesection3.4,AreaofChange4:

Inclusivedecision-makingprocesses).

AcommonfeatureacrossBRACEDprojectsistheneedtostrengthen

theplanningprocessthroughtrainingandcapacitybuilding,inparticularin

relationtolocalgovernmentstakeholdersandtechnicalservices(9outof14

projects).Thisisexploredfurtherinrelationtocapacitybuildinginsection3.2.

Yet,BRACEDprojectstendtoassumearelativelystraightforward,linearprocess

ofknowledgetransferandchangesinpracticesandcapacities.Discussions

aboutpowerrelations,incentivesandculturalnormsarehardlymentioned

inyear1reports.Documentingtheindividualandcollectiveprocessesof

attitudinalchangeissomethingthatshouldbeaddressedinnextyear’s

projectreporting.

DifferencescanbefoundintheprocessesbywhichIPsengagelocal

governmentsintheplanningprocesses.InBRACEDprojectsthatfocusondisaster

riskmanagementplanning,thereisatendencytousethesecommunity-level


planningprocessestolinktogovernment.InMali,theRIC4RECprojectsupports

communityworkinggroupstosupportvillageriskassessmentsanddevelop

community-basedplans.Theprojectfacilitatedmeetingsbetweencommunities

andlocalcouncils,wherethecommunity-baseddisasterriskmanagementplans

andprioritieswerepresented.Similarly,theANUKULAN projectisworkingwith

theVillageDevelopmentCommitteesandlocalpopulationtodeveloplocal

adaptationplansofaction(LAPAs).TheseLAPAsintendtointegratedisasterrisk

reduction(DRR)andclimatechangeadaptationplanning,whichpreviouslyhad

beentreatedasadministrativelyseparatebythegovernment.

Duringyear1,IPsreportedthatthroughparticipatoryassessmentandplanning

processesandtheestablishmentoflocalcommittees,communitiesandthe

localgovernmentdemonstratedincreasedlevelsofunderstandingofkey

conceptsandprocesses,suchasclimatechange,DRR,andvulnerability

andcapacityassessments(10outof14projects).AreviewofIPs’reports

highlightsthatitistooearlyintheprogrammetodemonstratetheextentto

whichimprovementsinawarenessandknowledgeareinfluencingchanges

inplanningprocesses.Todate,projectshaveengagedcommunitiesand

localgovernmentsinthedevelopmentofdisasterriskmanagement/climate

changeadaptationcommunity-basedplans.Someexamplesprovidedby

IPsindicateanengagementwithlocalgovernmenttointegratetheseinto

governmentdevelopmentplans.However,thelimitedreferencetointegration

ormainstreamingprocessesraisesquestionsabouttheextenttowhichBRACED

projectswillachievelong-lasting,sustainablechange.Projectmid-term

reviews,dueinNovember2016,mayprovidesupplementarydataonthis.

Whenlinkingcommunity-basedplanningtohigherlevelsofgovernance,

simpleprocessindicators(i.e.thedevelopmentofanewpolicymainstreaming

adaptationorDRRmeasures,ortheestablishmentofaforumforcollaborating

onresilience)arenotsufficienttounderstandthechangeprocess.Theseshould

beaccompaniedwithamoredetailednarrativeabouttheenforcementofthese

policiesoranexaminationofhowmakingtheselinkshasresultedinpositive

changesonprojectbeneficiaries.Asprojectsmovepasttheearlystagesof

implementation,documentingsuchprocessesandhowtheyleadtooutcome-

levelchangesisasimportantasnotingtheprocessesthemselves.

Therearealsocleardifferencesbetweentheseapproaches,mainlyinrelationto

theuseofclimateinformation.Thisisanotheremergingthemeofthissynthesis.

EMERGING THEME 2: ACCESSING AND USING CLIMATE AND WEATHER INFORMATION

Climateservicesarekeytosupportingtheresilienceofpeopleandcommunities.

AkeyareaofknowledgegenerationandapplicationintheBRACEDprogramme

relatestoclimateandweatherinformation(14projects).BRACEDattempts

tocreateanenablingenvironmentforbetteraccess,useandapplicationof

weatherandclimateinformationincountrieswherethereareseverechallenges

inconnectingclimateinformationproducersandendusers.Thisisanareaof

ongoingresearchfortheBRACEDKMincollaborationwithIPs(seeannex8

forreferences).


ThechallengeforIPsasclimateinformationintermediaries18istoaccessand

useallthetypesofclimateinformationneededtobuildanticipatory,adaptive

andabsorptivecapacitiestoenablebeneficiariestocopewithandprepare

betterforclimateextremesintheshortterm,betterplanforincreasingseasonal

variabilityandmakedecisionstoadapttolonger-termshiftsinaveragesand

climateextremes.19

Withinthiscontext,IPsarewidelyaccessingandusingweatherandclimate

information–withastrongbiastowardsnear-termtoseasonaltimescales.

Rainfalldataappearstobethemostaccessedinformation,withseasonal

informationononsetandsecessiondatesbeingwidelycommunicated.Inthe

caseofprojectscoveringpastoralcommunities,informationcoveringhome

andtranshumanceareasisprovided.Inaddition,informationontemperature,

hydrology(SUR1M),vegetationcoverage(NDVI)(MAR, BRICS)areused.

Unsurprisingly,giventhedifferenceinclimaticcontext,thedatasoughtbythe

Myanmar Allianceisconsiderablydifferent,focusingonfloods,cyclonesand

stormsurge.UseofclimateinformationrelatedtotherecentElNiñoeventswas

widelyreported,andthereisconsiderableevidenceoftheuseofadvisoriesby

IPscontributingtoavertedlosses.

Climateandweatherinformationaremostlybeingusedtoengagewith

communitiesandsub-nationalpolicyprocesses,informingdecision-making

relatedtoagricultural,pastoralanddisasterpreparednessactivities.Theuseof

climateinformationincommunityplanningprocesseshasbeenfairlylimitedso

far.Severalprojects(includingBRICS, IRISS, PRESENCES, DCF and Myanmar

Alliance)areintheearlystagesofimplementingthis,orofbuildingonpastwork

todoso.Theextenttowhichclimateandweatherinformationisalreadybeing

usedtoinformlocalleveldecision-makingdiffersbetweenprojects.

TherearesomeexamplesofBRACEDIPsusingclimateinformationtoengage

withlonger-termplanningactivities(ANUKULAN, DCF, RIC4REC),butthese

processestendtobeinpreparatoryorveryearlystagesatthispoint.Thisis

heavilyinfluencedbytheoverallstateofprogressoftheIPsintermsofsettingup

therelevantpartnershipsandrelatedprojectactivities,aswellastheavailability

ofdata.Forinstance,theIRISSprojectreportedthat:‘Localised weather data

is virtually unavailable in South Sudan. Reliable downscaled meteorological

predictions are therefore not available, and information accessed in country is

largely limited to seasonal regional projections such as those provided by ICPAC

and FEWSNET.’ However,thelimitedreferencetohistoricaldata(withMAR

andANUKULANastwoexceptions)orlonger-term(decadaltomulti-decadal)

18 Jones,L.,harvey,b.andgodfrey-Wood,r.(2016)’thechangingroleofngosinsupportingclimateservices’.bracEDknowledgemanagerresilienceintel.London:oDi.

19 ForareviewofweatherandclimateinformationforbracEDprogrammecountries,seeWilkinson,E.,budimir,m.,ahmed,a.k.andouma,g.(2015)’climateinformationandservicesinbracEDcountries’.bracEDknowledgemanagerresilienceintel.London:oDi.





projectionsraisesquestionsabouttheextenttowhichBRACEDIPsarebringing

arobustadaptationdimensiontotheirwork.Thiscouldbeinvestigatedfurther.

SomeIPsarestillintheearlystagesofmakinguseofevenbasicnear-term

climateandweatherinformation.Onthewhole,however,thereisacleartrend

towardsthemusingclimateinformationforresilience-buildingactivities,atleast

withregardtonear-term(dailytoseasonal)planninganddecision-making.There

areafewexamplesofIPsusingtheinformationformorestrategicdecision-

making,eitherintermsoftheirownworkorinassociationwithlocal/national

authorities.Forinstance,theMARprojectreportedusingclimatedatatodesign

theAfardroughtresponseproject.TheMyanmar Allianceprojecthasusedthe

datatoprepareforhostingamonsoonforum.InUganda,ElNiñoforecastsled

tothedevelopmentofastrategyinKaramojaaimedattakingadvantageofthe

rainfallperiod(PROGRESS).

Atthecommunitylevel,thereiswidespreaduseofradio,television,

communitylearninggroups,theatreandothertailoredformatsforbuilding

awarenessandcommunicatingclimateinformation.Thereareexamplesof

theseintable3below:

Inthemajorityofcases,IPshaveeitherembeddedcommunicationspartnersin

theirteamsorformedexternalpartnershipswiththem.Asignificantnumberof

thesecollaborationsarealreadyoperational,whileothersanticipatethembeing

operationalforthenextcroppingseason.

Table 3: Illustrative examples – communication tools and approaches for climate information

project (country) communication tools and approache

DCF (Mali + Senegal) Partnershipswithradioforbroadcastinlocallanguages;partnershipwithtechnicalservicestotranslateclimateinformationforfarmers

Myanmar Alliance (Myanmar)

monsoonforumtoshareforecastsatstate/regionallevel;climateprofilesforlocalplanners;discussionswithnationaltelevisionstation

PROGRESS (Uganda + Kenya)

radioweatherannouncements;sharedlearningdialogues;dramaandsongsperformedbyyouthandwomen’sgroups

WHH (Burkina Faso) broadcaststhroughcommunityradiostations;localmonitoringbyfarmers

Zaman Lebidi (Burkina Faso)

radiobroadcastscoordinatedbypartner‘internews’


Context matters: cultural values and beliefs

Successfuluseofclimateinformationatcommunitylevelhingeson

understandinghowpeoplemakesenseofchangesintheirlocalclimate

andhowtheyinterpretassociatedrisksandopportunities.Whensharing

knowledgeandbuildingawarenessaboutclimateinformation,culturalvalues

mayimpacttheapplicabilityanduseofinformationreceivedbycommunities.

Forexample,fieldsupervisorsandpartnerorganisationsinthePRESENCES

projectinNigerreportedthattheconceptofprobabilitybehindclimate

information isachallengeandaffectspeople’strustbecausecommunity

membersareusedtoabsolutetruths.

Similarly,theBRICSreportinChadandSudanquestionstheproject’sbasic

assumptionthatiftherightearlywarninginformationisavailable,then people

wanttohaveitanduseit.Thisisnotnecessarilythecase,particularlyfor

pastoralistswhoarewaryofanyoutsideinfluenceorinformation,dueto

historicmarginalisation.Projecttheoriesofchange,monitoringandreporting

systemsneedtoclearlyreflectuponandarticulatethehypothesisand

assumptionsunderpinningknowledgetransferprocesses.

Thelistofdecisionsthatwereinformedthroughthedistributionofclimate

informationinyear1isextensive,particularlyatthehouseholdtocommunity

scales.Thesetendtofocusonimmediateandnear-termdecisionsonissuessuch

ascropping,transhumanceandresponsestoextremeweather.Onecaseinpoint

isprovidedbythePROGRESSproject.TheKenyaMeteorologicalDepartment

issuedanElNiñowarninginJuly2015.Theynamed23countieslikelytobe

affected,includingWajir.TheElNiñorainsdidnothappenatthepredicted

magnitude;however,anaverageamountofrainscausedflashfloodsinsomeof

theBRACEDprojectvillages.TheinformationonthepredictionoftheElNiño

rainswaswidelydisseminatedthroughradiobroadcasts,sharedlearningdialogue

andgeneralawarenesscreationbytheResilienceAdaptationCommittees.This

enabledmanyhouseholdstomovetoraisedgrounds,whichcontributedto

reducingtheeffectsoftheflashfloods.AcaseinpointwasAbakore,where

50householdsmovedfromtheirhomestohighergrounds.Whentherains

eventuallycametothisarea,therewasnocasualties.

Perhapsbecauseitisearlyintheprogramme,therearealimitednumberof

impactsnotedbeyondthecommunitylevel.Thiscouldbeanareaoffurther

analysisfortheKMatlaterstagesoftheprogramme,ascouldtheintroductionof

furthermonitoringofthelevelsofcontributionofIPactivitiestodecision-making

(e.g.throughcontributionanalysis).


Point for reflection: Information tends to be readily available, but are

IPs making the most of this?

Overwhelmingly,climateinformationisbeingsourcedfromfreelyavailable

publicsourcessuchasmetofficebulletinsandadvisories,AGHRYMET

advisories,UNwebsitesandonlineportals.Assuch,IPsareprimarilyplaying

atranslationandbrokeringrole.Thisisinlinewithwhatwewouldhave

expected.20However,theextenttowhichmanyIPsareactuallyundertaking

furthertranslation(intoanotherlanguageorotherformats)inorderto‘add

value’,asopposedtopassingalongtheexistinganalysisisnotclear.Itappears

that,inmanyinstances,itissimplyamatterofpassingonthisinformation

andhavingitcommunicatedthroughappropriatelocalchannels.IPsgenerally

notethattheinformationiseasilyaccessibleforthem,thoughtheystatethat

thisdoesnotmeanitisasaccessibletocommunitieswithoutthenecessary

connectivityandlevelsofliteracy.Inasmallnumberofcases(PRESENCES,

ANUKULAN),communitiesarebeingidentifiedassourcesoflocalclimate

information,whichisbeingdrawnuponinco-productionprocessessuchas

participatoryscenarioplanning.

Acrosstheprojects,butinWestAfricainparticular,thereappearstobea

consistentinvolvementwiththeregionalorthematiccentresofexcellence

likeAGRHYMET,ICPACandFEWSNETintheacquisitionandinterpretation

ofclimateinformation.Theinvolvementofnationalmetservicesisnotedin

mostcases,thoughitisnotalwaysclearwhatthenatureofthatinvolvement

is.Insomeinstances,therearemultiplepotentialprovidersofinformation,

withsomereportsofalackofclarityonhowresponsibilitieshavebeen

divided.Forinstance,intheZaman Lebidiproject,boththeBurkinaFaso

andUKmetofficesareidentifiedasprovidersbutitappearsthattherehave

beenchallengesingettingclimateinformationintegratedintoimplementation

activities.Theynote,forexample,that‘it is not clear what decisions, if any,

have been made on the basis of the information provided by the DGM [national

met office] to date, especially as it is not thought that the BAD [10-day forecast]

is being routinely provided to partners’.

ExamplesofIPsundertakingnewandadditionaldataprocessingandanalysis

fortheirareasofinterventionarelimited(MAR, IRISS).Thistendedtobe

limitedtoIPswherethereisatechnicalleadwhoisalreadyhighlycompetent

inusingthetoolsinquestion,orwhoactuallydevelopedthesetools.There

arehowever,anumberofexamplesofprojectscollectinglocalleveldata

throughthepurchaseofraingauges(IRISS),establishinglocalmonitoring

stations(WHH),orthroughparticipatoryprocessesforcollectingqualitative

data(PRESENCES, ANUKULAN).Thesetrendsmaybelinkedtothenatureof

theclimateinformationbeingsought:neartermweatherforecasting(which

tendstobewidelyavailable).Itisunclear,however,whetherthefocusonthis

20 Jones,L.,harvey,b.andgodfrey-Woods,r.(2016)thechangingroleofngosinsupportingclimateservices.bracEDknowledgemanagerresilienceintel.London:oDi.




formofinformationisdrivenbysupply(i.e.alackofadditionaldatathatmay

requirenewanalysisormodelling)orbydemand(e.g.stakeholdersnotasking

forlongertermprojections).Furtherresearchwouldhelpclarifytheseissues.

3.2 Strengthening capacities and skills to manage climate and disaster risksAbout this Area of Change: Buildingresilienceiscomplexprocessthatinvolves

morethanknowledgeandawarenessbuilding.TheBRACEDtheoryofchange

hypothesisesthatchangesinknowledgeandawarenesscanleadtoshiftsin

practiceifpeoplehavethecapacitytotakeaction.Thelackofcapacityandskills

tomanagetheriskofclimateextremesanddisastersisseenacrossBRACED

projectsasakeybottleneckinimprovingclimateanddisasterresilience.

Strengtheningthecapacitiesandskillsofnationalandlocalgovernment,civil

societyandtheprivatesectortomanagetherisksofclimateextremesand

disastersisvitaltoBRACEDachievingitsoutcomesandlong-termgoals.Progress

markerswithintheAreaofChangeofstrengtheningcapacitiesandskillslook

atthesetofprocessesthattranslateincreasedcapacityandskillstochanging

practiceandpolicy.

Figure 5: Key findings from the second Area of Change – Capacities and skills

AREAS OF CHANGE


Changes in the quality of partnerships

Changes in knowledge and attitudes

?

Changes in the capacities and skills of national and local government, civil society and private sector to manage the risks of climate extremes and disasters.

• BRACED Theory of Change hypothesises that changes in knowledge and awareness can leadto shifts in practice if people have the capacityto take action.

• Main stakeholders: National and local government, civil society and the private sector.

• Lesson: Building capacity to manage the riskof climate extremes and disasters goes beyond technical skills.

• Lesson: It is not about one type of capacity but a combination of capacities.

• Lesson: Joined-up programming and complementary activities are essential if they are to support women’s empowermentand sustained change.

AREA OF CHANGE 2:







Level of change: Todate,mostIPshaveachievedtheir‘expecttosee’

progressmarkersasalargenumbercapacity-buildingactivitieshave

beenimplementedforawiderangeofstakeholders.Annualreports

indicatethatIPsareconfidentthatBRACEDprojectshavehadan

impactandmanyareabletodescribespecificexampleswherethishas

happened.However,asyetthisisnotmorethananecdotalevidence.

Evidencetodatehighlightsthatcapacity-buildingprocessesin

BRACEDaddressawiderangeofactorsandsectors.Asillustrated

below,thereareafewexamplesofcapacity-buildingactivitiesshaping

attitudes,behavioursandpractice.Furtherstepsarestillnecessaryto

consolidatethisandensurethesustainabilityofemergingchanges.

Findingssuggestthatthefocusandapproachofcapacitydevelopment

onindividualsand–toalesserextent–institutions,islimited.The

systemunderwhichthetargetedinterventionsaretakingplace,the

processesinvolvedandthemechanismsrequiredallneedtobefurther

exploredandunderstood.Thiscouldbeanareaoffurtherinvestigation

innextyear’sannualreports,aswellasinprojectfinalevaluations.

Theprocessofpromotingwomen’sempowermentisslow

andBRACEDprojectsaredemonstratingpositiveactionforthe

firstyearofimplementation(e.g.collectinggender-disaggregated

dataandtargetingwomenandgirlstoensuretheybenefitfrom

equalopportunities).Theassumptionthatwomen’seconomic

empowermentleadstowidersocialempowermentandresilience

isnotyetdocumentedwithevidenceandisanareathatwould

thereforebenefitfromfurtherresearch.

Emerging lessons

• Building capacity to manage the risk of climate extremes and

disasters goes beyond technical skills.Institutionalchange,

leadership,empowermentandpublicparticipationarecriticalso

thatstakeholderscaneffectivelyusenewlyacquiredknowledge

andskillsanddosoinasustainableway.Understandingcapacity-

buildingprocessesinisolationfromtheunderlyingstructuralissues

shapingvulnerabilitymaylimitthepotentialfortransformation.So

toocanfailingtoadequatelyanalysethepoliticalrelationshipsthat

mediatethewaysinwhichparticularcapacity-buildingprocesses

resultindifferentiatedoutcomesfordifferentgroups.


• It is not about one type of capacity but a combination of

capacities.Thevalueofcapacity-buildingactivitiesliesinblending

awiderangeofthem.Forexample,financialliteracytrainingwith

formallinksbetweenVSLAsandMicroFinanceInstitutions(MFIs)

couldbecombinedwiththesensitisationofgovernmentactors,

alongwithproducerandmarketinggroups.Integrating,sequencing,

andlayeringactivitiesiscriticalifthoseactionsaretosupportthe

sustainabilityofprojects’coreobjectives.

• Joined-up programming and complementary activities are

essential if they are to support women’s empowermentand

sustained change,ratherthanshort-term,localisedandmore

instrumentalgains.

How is progress tracked: InBRACED,capacitybuildingistrackedthrough

aseriesofprogressmarkersattheoutputlevel.Thishelpsusunderstandthe

extenttowhichcapacity-buildingprocessesactuallyleadtochangesinthe

capabilitiesofkeyprojectstakeholderstomanagetherisksofclimateextremes

anddisastersmoreeffectivelyinrelationtoprojectobjectives.IPsreportprogress

againstthreeoverarchingprogressmarkers.Thesereflecttheprogressiontowards

thedesiredoverallchangetheprojectsaimtoachieve.Table4illustratesthe

overarchingprogressmarkerswithinthisAreaofChange.Thissynthesisand

analysishasconsideredthechangesreportedbyIPsandidentifiedemerging

themesaroundtheseoverarchingprogressmarkers.

Table 4: Capacity and skills progress markers


buildingofkeyskills shapingattitudesandbehaviours

supportingnewpracticesandpolicies

AswiththeknowledgeandattitudesAreaofChange,eachIPidentifiedwhat

changestheyexpected,wouldlikeandwouldlovetoseeineachrelevantproject

stakeholderduringthelifetimeoftheproject,aspartoffinalisingtheirproject-

levelM&E,andinresponsetoKMfeedback(ortheyincludedthisaspartoftheir

year1reporting).Attheendofyear1,theythenreportedchangeagainstthese

asa‘baseline’.

• Atthe‘expecttosee’level,project-specificprogressmarkersincludedareas

suchasprovisionoftraining,deliveryofkeycapacity-buildingactivitiesand

theparticipationoftargetedstakeholders.

• Atthe‘liketosee’level,progressmarkersincludedtheleadershipand

participation,adoptionofnewpractices,increasesindemandfortrainingsby

non-projectbeneficiariesandreplicationofnewpracticesinnon-projectareas.

• Atthe‘lovetosee’level,progressmarkersincludedchangesinproductive

systems,planningprocesses.


ItisimportanttohighlightthatBRACEDIPspromotecapacitybuildingbeyond

‘traditional’trainingprogrammesthroughexperientiallearning,linkingtrainings

withpracticeandtranslatingtheexperienceintonewknowledge.Assuch,ithas

provendifficultforIPstodistinctivelyreportprogressandchangesinknowledge

andawareness(section3.1)andcapacitybuilding.Whererelevant,thissection

makesacleardistinctionbetweenthetwo.

Strengthening capacities and skills: emerging themes

Aswithknowledgegenerationactivities,muchofthesupportprovidedto

stakeholdersbyBRACEDprojectstodatehasbeenintheareaofcapacity

building(14projects).Projectsincludespecificcapacity-buildingcomponents

acrossawidevarietyofissues,rangingfromvaluechaindevelopmenttohygiene

andnutritionalpractices.Capacitybuildingisalong-termendeavourthatoften

followsunpredictabletrajectories.Tangibleresultsaredifficulttodemonstrate

intheshortterm.Itiswellknownthatthereareseveralfactorsthatinfluence

whetherskillsdevelopmentwillleadtochangesinpracticeandperformance.

Issuessuchasthequalityofthelearningprocess,personalincentivesandthe

widercontextwithinwhichlearningtakesplacemaydeterminetheextentto

whichcapacity-buildingprocessesultimatelyleadtoexpectedchanges.Having

saidthis,mostIPsreportedemergingchangesduringyear1.

Table5providesasummaryofcapacity-buildingactivitiesconductedtodateandthe

emergingchangesreportedbyIPs.Asmallnumberofadditionalillustrativeexamples

areprovidedthroughoutthissection,withfurtherexamplesavailableinannex7.

Table 5: Synthesis of individual capacity-building activities and emerging changes

building capacity fields

activities (illustrative) changes (illustrative)

Planning trainingonresilienceassessmentsandprioritisation,useofclimatedata

improvingaccesstorelevantdata

Establishmentofrelevantgovernanceprocesses(linkingcommunitiesandlocalgovernments)

Localgovernmentsdesignactionplanstogetherandpriorityinterventionsareplanned/funded

(PROGRESS, SUR1M, MAR, Myanmar Alliance, PRESENCES, RIC4REC, Zaman Lebidi, IRISS)

Agricultural practices trainingonclimate-smartagriculturalpractices

Establishmentofstructurestoprovideadvisoryservices(e.g.veterinaryorphytosanitaryservices)

accesstoprivatesector

Farmersadoptnew(climate-smart)agriculturalpractices,includingnewincome-generatingactivities

(DCF, IRISS-expected, ANUKULAN, BRICS, PROGRESS, SUR1M, Myanmar Alliance-expected, WHH, PRESENCES, Zaman Lebidi, CIARE, RIC4REC)

Domestic practices trainingonhygieneandonnutritionpractices

Establishmentofstructurestoprovideadvisoryservices(e.g.healthcentres)

supporttobuildinfrastructure(e.g.latrinesandwells)

householdsadoptnewdomesticpracticesenhancingtheirresilience(e.g.dietarydiversity,hygieneandwatermanagement)

(ANUKULAN, BRICS, Zaman Lebidi)


building capacity fields

activities (illustrative) changes (illustrative)

Infrastructure trainingonclimate-smartbuildingpractices

training/establishmentofearlywarningsystems

communitiesadoptnewpracticesinasustainableway,includingnewincome-generatingactivities

(Myanmar Alliance-expected)

communitiesbenefitfromimprovedearlywarningprocessandinfrastructure(Myanmar Alliance, WHH-expected, SUR1M, ANUKULAN, Zaman Lebidi-expected, BRICS-expected)

Natural resources management

trainingonnaturalresourcesmanagement,potentiallyincombinationwithtrainingonagriculture(conservationagriculture)

supportingdiscussionsandnegotiationsbetweenusersandserviceproviders

Establishment/reinforcementoflegalservices/disputemanagementservices

communitiesadoptnewclimate-smart,naturalresourcesmanagementpractices,includingnewincome-generatingactivities

(BRICS, PROGRESS, SUR1M, MAR-expected, PRESENCES, RIC4REC)

Land-useconflictsaredecreasing(especiallybetweenpastoralistsandfarmers)

Financial and managerial skills, entrepreneurship

trainingsonfinance,savings,entrepreneurship,management

trainingsonnewincome-generatingactivities(e.g.cookstoves,treenurseriesandmarketserviceproviders)

improvedaccessmarkets(e.g.seeds)

improvedaccesstosavings,financeandinsurancemechanisms(e.g.vsLasandinsuranceschemes)

householdsdevelopnewbusinessesthroughlivelihooddiversificationandnewincome-generatingactivities(ANUKULAN, BRICS, PROGRESS, SUR1M, MAR-expected, WHH, RIC4REC)

Womenareempoweredaseconomicagents

Farmersareempoweredasprivateagents

(ANUKULAN, PROGRESS, SUR1M, WHH, RIC4REC)

householdshaveaccesstofinanceandsavings

(PROGRESS, SUR1M, MAR-expected, Myanmar Alliance-expected, PRESENCES, CIARE)

Advocacy trainingsonadvocacy(e.g.landtenurerightsandgenderissues)

Establishment/reinforcementofstructuresoflegalservices/disputemanagementservices

vulnerablegroupsparticipateindecision-makingprocesses

(Livestock Mobility, ANUKULAN); gender focus (PROGRESS, SUR1M, WHH)

Early warning and DRR trainingonuseofclimatedata

trainingonearlywarningsystems–tocollect,monitoranddisseminatedatalocally

Disseminationofrelevantdataandinformationthroughmediabroadcasts

installationofearlywarninginfrastructure(e.g.gauges)

infrastructureworkstopreventandlimitimpacts(e.g.renovationofwaterponds)

householdsandcommunitiesarealertedandprepared.incaseofthreats(PROGRESS, SUR1M, Zaman Lebidi-expected, ANUKULAN, BRICS-expected, Myanmar Alliance)

Localknowledgeanddataaretakenintoaccountinearlywarningsystems(SUR1M, IRISS-expected, WHH-expected, Zaman Lebidi-expected, RIC4REC)


InBRACEDprojects,capacityencompassesboththe‘hard’skills(i.e.specific

technicalorspecialisedknowledgeandknow-how,suchasfinanceand

infrastructure)andthe‘soft’orsocialones(forexample,communicationand

leadership)thatenableindividualsandinstitutionstocarryoutactivitiesand

achievetheirobjectives.Areviewofcapacity-buildingactivitiesacrossthe

BRACEDprogrammehighlightsthecontextspecificityandwiderangeofcross-

sectoralactivitiesimplementedbyBRACEDprojects.Yet,IPs’reportsrevealtwo

interrelatedthemeswhenitcomestocapacitybuilding:a)whosecapacityand

b)capacitytodowhat?BRACEDprojectsareworkingattwodifferentlevels:

individualsandgovernmentofficials(withinandacrossdepartments).

“Areviewofcapacity-buildingactivitiesacrosstheBRACEDprogrammehighlightsthecontext

specificityandwiderangeofcross-sectoralactivitiesimplementedbyBRACEDprojects”

EMERGING THEME 1: BUILDING FARMERS’ AND PASTORALISTS’ CAPACITY

Notsurprisinglyforaprogrammethataimstostrengthenresilience,BRACED

capacity-buildingeffortsfocuslargelyonthetechnicalcapacityofindividuals.

IPshaveusedawidevarietymethodstosupportcapacitybuildingsofar.Some

ofthemostfrequentlymentionedincluded:technicalworkshops,trainingof

trainers,informationsharing,trainingofserviceproviderstodeliverhands-on

trainingatthefieldlevelwithtargetedbeneficiaries,jointplanningandjoint

implementationanddemonstrationsessions.

Itisnotthepurposeofthissynthesistoprovideadetailedreviewofthe

widerangeofcapacity-buildingactivitiesbeingimplementedacrossBRACED

projects.However,acrosstheprojects,threekeyactivitiesstandoutascentral

toBRACEDwork:

• DRRplanning(seeAreaofChange1:KnowledgeandAttitudes)

• thepromotionofclimate-smartagriculturalpracticesandtechnologies,

throughmarket-basedapproaches

• accesstofinanceandsavingsforassetbuildingandlivelihooddiversification.

Acrosstheseactivities,capacitybuildingisoftencoupledwiththeprovision

ofinfrastructure,communitygrants,equipmentand/ortechnologies.

Specificstakeholdersincludefarmersandpastoralists,withastrongfocusonwomen

acrosstheprogramme.Market-basedagriculturalapproachesareakeyfeature

ofmostBRACEDprojects (RIC4REC, IRISS, Myanmar Alliance, WHH, SUR1M,

ANUKULAN, Zaman Lebidi, CIARE, BRICS). Mostcapacity-buildingactivities

organisefarmersintogroups,providingtrainingintheuseofnewplantingmethods,

aswellasclimate-smarttechnologies.Acriticalelementofthecapacity-building

activitiesistobetterconnectpastoralistfarmerswithtradersandbuyers.


Forexample,theSUR1Mprojectpromotesthetransferofclimate-smartagro-

forestryandlivestocktechnologiestoleadfarmers,enablingproducersto

choosecost-effectiveagronomicmodelsadaptedtotheirecology.Theproject

hasreportedthatthischangeisespeciallyvisibleinthesuccessfulintroduction

ofacertifiedseedsystemintotheprojectzone,leadingproducerstousenew

varietiesofmillet,sorghumandcowpea.Despitebelow-averageearlyrains

inNigerandtheattackofpestsonmilletandcowpeaduringtheagricultural

campaignin2015/2016,producerswhousedshort-cycleseedsandadoptedbest

agriculturalpracticeshadsignificantlyhigheryieldsthanthosewhousedoldseed

varieties.Inthelightoftheresultsobtainedontheuseofthenewvariations,

producersinprojectcommuneshaveestablishedapartnershipwithseed

companiesandagro-dealerstofacilitateasupplychainofimproved/certified

seedsforthenextcampaign.

Context matters: Capacity-building activities and efforts to improve

agricultural production and income generation are hampered when

beneficiaries do not have access to land

InBurkinaFaso,thedualismbetweenthetraditionalandmodernlandtenure

systemaffectsaccesstolandandconstitutesasourceofconflictbetween

farmers.AsreportedbyoneIP,‘Land tenure issues could also reduce women’s

beneficiaries access to land as most of the land owners are men’.Duringyear1,

theWHHprojecthasworkedwithlocalcommunitiestosecureuserrightsto

landthroughtransparentagreementsbetweenlandusersandowners.Farmer

groupsandwomen’sgroupsweresupportedthroughcommunityagentsto

leadnegotiationswithlandownersandlocalauthorities.

Insiteswherethereisaprivatelandowner,informallandtenureagreements

havebeenestablished.Thisfacilitatesthesecurityofinvestmentsintherice

paddiesandmarketgardens.Beneficiariescultivatethesitesseasonallyand

vacatethemduringtherainyseason.Generally,theinvestmentininfrastructure

insuchsitesissecured,butthelawdoesnotcurrentlyguaranteethattheland

ownerortheirrelativeswillnotclaimthesiteback.

Theinformallandtenureagreementishoweveratoolcommonlyusedto

manageriskstotheextentpossibleunderthelaw.Outof40sitesinthree

differentprovinces,wherebeneficiariesareengagedingroupproduction,24

arepermanentlyownedbythegroupwhocultivatestheland.In16sites,the

accesstolandissecureduringthedryseason,whilethelandownerusesthe

landforcropcultivationduringtherainyseason.In14outofthese30sites,

thenegotiationsonaccesstolandwithlandownersisongoing,evenwhenthe

producergroupsareusingthelandduringthedryseason.Duringyear1,the

informallandtenureagreementsinthe16seasonalsitesenabledcloseto1000

femaleproducersinthecommunitiesinthevicinityofthesewetlandstohave

accesstolandformarketgardeningandriceproduction.


CapacitytoaccessfinancialservicesisanotherareaofconcernofBRACEDprojects21

(10projects)andisalsoanongoingareaofresearchfortheKM(seeannex8for

references).BRACEDprojectspayparticularattentiontoaddressingthelimited

experienceandaccesstofinancialservicesamongvulnerablegroupsbybuilding

capacityandsettingupstrategicpartnershipswiththeprivatesector(seeArea

ofChange3:Partnerships).Keyactivitiesincludecapacitybuildingforthe

establishment,managementandparticipationofVSLAs(PRESENCES, PROGRESS,

MAR, Myanmar Alliance),SILCs(SUR1M)andself-helpgroups(CIARE, Myanmar

Alliance).Ultimately,beyondcapacity,themainobjectiveofsuchactivitiesisto

facilitatetheaccessanduseoffinance.Forexample,intheMyanmar Alliance

project,theloanfacility/financialservicesenablebeneficiariestoaccessfinance

toadoptnewincome-generatingactivities.Loansarereportedasbeingusedto

diversifylivelihoodactivities,aswellasforhealthandeducationpurposes.(Use

offinancialservicesisfurtherexploredintermsofoutcomesinsection4.1.)

“Capacitybuildinginrelationtoaccesstomarketsandfinancialservicesgoesbeyond

trainingonfinancialliteracyandmanagement”

Althoughakeychallengefortheseactivitiesrelatestolowliteracylevelsinthe

areaswhereBRACEDprojectsoperate,capacitybuildinginrelationtoaccess

tomarketsandfinancialservicesgoesbeyondtrainingonfinancialliteracy

andmanagement.Projecttheoriesofchangeemphasisetheimportanceof

encouragingcollectiveaction,collaborationandself-organisation,andpromoting

self-sufficiency,enhancingdecision-makingandincreasingassetbases.Itmight

betooearlyintheprogrammetoreportchangesatthislevel,asIPshavebeen

settinguptherequiredstructuresandcapacity-buildingprocesses.Also,most

oftheseactivitieshavejustbegun.

Point for reflection: Addressing and capturing the intangible in gender and

capacity building

WhereIPswereabletoreportstatisticsdisaggregatedbygender,therewas

oftenrelativelyhighparticipationofwomeninprojectcapacity-building

activities(11projects).Exercisesensuredwomenwereactivemembersfor

DRRplanning,agriculturetrainings,andfinancialandbusinessplanning

(ANUKULAN, CIARE, PROGRESS, SUR1M, WHH, Zaman Lebidi).Capturing

intangibleprocessesofparticipationandempowermentcanbedifficult,but

systematisingtheinclusionofwomenintheseforumsrepresentspotentialfor

21 ForanoverviewofthecontextandstructureofthefinancialservicessectorinthreebracEDcountries–namely,Ethiopia,maliandmyanmar–seehawortha.,Frandon-martinez,c.,Fayolle,v.andsimonet,c.(2016)‘climateresilienceandfinancialservices:LessonsfromEthiopia,maliandmyanmar’.bracEDknowledgemanagerWorkingPaper.London:oDi.




greaterchangeifthesevoicesareincludedmeaningfully.IPsreportedsome

progressinthisregard,butwomencontinuetoberelegatedfromdecisions

aboutlanduseorhouseholdspending,whichhighlightsthatmoreactivities

areneededtoraiseawarenessonwomen’srightsandaccesstolandinorder

tofosterwomen’sempowermentandresilience(SUR1M).

Attemptingtochangesocialnormswillrequireconsistentlyrevisitingbarriers

towomen’sparticipationastheymanifestoverthecourseofBRACED(see

Areaofchange4:Inclusivedecision-making).TheZaman Lebidi project,

whichshowedhighparticipationofwomenintheirtrainings,stillnotedthat

somewereunabletoattendduetotheirhighworkload,lackoftimeandthe

attitudesoftheirhusbands.Inresponse,Zaman Lebidi staffwereplanningon

reinforcingawarenessraisingwithlocalchiefs.Tocombatsimilarattitudes,the

PROGRESS projectselectedinfluentialcommunitymembers,suchasbusiness

people,localleadersandsub-countyofficials,tobe‘genderchampions’.These

genderchampionshelpedfacilitatedialoguesongender,gender-basedviolence

andtheimportanceofinvestinginwomenandgirls.

EMERGING THEME 2: BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND TECHNICAL SERVICES, WITHIN AND ACROSS SECTORS

Manyprojectsfocusonprovidingtargetedcapacitybuildingsupporttolocal

governments(9projects).Theseincludecapacitybuildingongenderresponsive

budgeting(PROGRESS),planning,mobilisationandmanagementoffinancial

resources(SUR1M, DCF),andearlywarningsystems(SUR1M, BRICS).The

ultimateobjectiveoftheseactivitiesistodesignsolutionswithlocalgovernments

inacollaborativemannerandtointegrateclimateanddisasterconsiderations

intolocalplanning.

IPs’reportsrevealthattraininglocalgovernmentofficialsbeyondtechnical

capacitynecessitatesclosecollaboration,timing,trustandleadershipasessential

ingredientsforthetrainingstobesuccessfulandyieldresults(SUR1M, DCF,

PROGRESS, ANUKULAN).

Forexample,intheDCFproject,theadaptationcommitteesestablishedatthe

departmentallevelinSenegalandatthecommune,cercle,andregionallevelinMali

serveasalocalcoordinatingmechanismforkeyactors,includingrelevantclimate

servicesandradio.Adaptationcommitteemembers(civilsociety,constituent

representative,localgovernmentandtechnicalservices)havebeentrainedonhow

tomanageclimatefundsanduseclimateinformationintheplanningprocess,as

wellasintheirM&Eefforts.Withintheseprocesses,resilienceassessmentshave

beendevelopedjointlywithlocalauthorityrepresentatives.TheIPreportedthatthis

hasledtonewattitudesaboutclimaticrisk,asparticipatoryresilienceassessments

havehelpedlocalactorstodevelopanuancedunderstandingofthevulnerabilities

andcapacitiesofdifferentgroups.Communitieshavebeensupportedtodevelop

resilientprojectproposalsalignedwiththeDCFobjectives.Asaresult,arange

ofinvestmentshavebeenproposedbyavarietyofstakeholders.Afirstsetof69

projectshavebeenselectedbytheadaptationcommittees.


Despitetheprocessandemergingresults,itisnotalwayseasytoseechanges

withingovernmentintheshortterm.Suchchangeismuchmoreofalong-

termgoalandthereforenotsomethingthatcouldeasilybereachedwithinthe

projects’relativelyshortthree-yeartimeframe.

“Inadditiontobuildingthecapacityofkeygovernmentofficialsanddepartments,fewIPsstronglyencourageanintegratedmulti-stakeholderengagementonissues,

ratherthanseeingsolutionsinonestakeholder/departmentalone”

Inadditiontobuildingthecapacityofkeygovernmentofficialsanddepartments,

fewIPsstronglyencourageanintegratedmulti-stakeholderengagementon

issues,ratherthanseeingsolutionsinonestakeholder/departmentalone

(9projects).Effortsinthisareacannotbelabelledaspurecapacitydevelopment

activities;theseinputsmaycontributetocapacitydevelopmentinoneform

oranother,buttheyareultimatelymorelikelytobemeasuredintermsofthe

resultingoutcomes.

IPs’reportsindicatethatapproachestoengagingwithawidergroupof

multi-sectoralstakeholdersimprovesrelationshipswiththemandmayeven

contributetoinstitutionalcapacity(PRESENCES, RIC4REC, DCF, Myanmar

Alliance, SUR1M, ANUKULAN, PROGRESS, Livestock Mobility).Emerging

changescanbeseeninimprovedrelationshipsandinstitutionallinkagesbetween

organisations.Forexample,emergingevidencefromtheMyanmar Alliance

projectsuggeststhatongoingresiliencetrainingforgovernmentofficialsand

regularcoordinationmeetingsareleadingtoincreasedcollaborationbetween

community-basedorganisationsandtownshipsofficials,asmoreregularmeetings

occuratthetownshiplevelfacilitatedbytheproject.Inthefuture,thesecould

leadtostrongercollaborationsandanimproved organisational capacity to

link up and down departments/organisations.

3.3 Building partnerships to deliver interventions for resilienceAbout this Area of Change: Inordertoeffectivelydeliverinterventions, this

areacoverschangesinthequalityofpartnershipsestablishedtodeliverbetter

projectandprogrammeresults.Workingthroughadiversesetofpartnerships

wasacriteriaforapplyingforBRACEDinthefirstplace,andisthereforea

featureoftheprogramme’sdesignand,inturn,drivenbyit.TheBRACED

programmetheoryofchangehypothesisesthatbuildingeffectivepartnerships

isacentralmeansthroughwhichtoeffectivelyachieveBRACEDoutputsand

outcomes.Workinginpartnershipsacrosslevelsandsectorsenablesprojects


toaccessarangeofexpertiseandcapacitiesinordertoaddresscomplexmulti-

facetedproblemsrequiringtheparticipationofvariousactors,organisations

andinstitutions.


Level of change:PartnershipsarevitaliftheBRACEDprogramme

istoyieldmaximumimpact.Withfewexceptions,projectshave

achievedtheir‘liketosee’progressmarkersastheyarealreadyjointly

implementingprojectactivities.Thetype,scopeandpurposeof

partnershipsestablishedtodatevarysignificantlyfromprojecttoproject.

Evidencetodatesuggeststhatthereisvalueininvestingtimeandeffort

inbuildingpartnerships.Amongstothers,itisthroughpartnerships

thatprojectshavebeenabletoimproveaccessanddisseminationof

climateinformationthroughmetofficesandthemedia,improveaccess

tofinanceandinsurancethroughtheprivatesectorandimprovethe

qualityofevidencegenerationthroughresearchinstitutions.Yet,despite

progressandachievementstodate,buildingeffectivepartnershipshas

proventobeacriticalyetchallengingtaskacrossprojectsand,insome

instances,hascauseddelaysinimplementation.

Figure 6: Key findings from the third Area of Change – Building partnerships

AREAS OF CHANGE



?


Changes in the quality of partnerships to deliver interventions.

• BRACED Theory of Change hypothesises that building effective partnerships is a central means through which to effectively achieve BRACED outputs and outcomes.

• Main stakeholders: Government, NGOs, CSOs, research, media, Met offices and the private sector.

• Lesson: Building resilience to climate and disasters starts with finding the right partners.

• Lesson: Understanding partner’s capacityis critical.

• Lesson: Evaluating partnerships that are greater than the sum of their parts take time.

AREA OF CHANGE 3:






Emerging lessons

• Building resilience to climate and disasters starts with finding

the right partners. Thebreadthofpartnershipshighlightsthat

buildingresiliencetoclimateanddisasterextremesrequirestailored

partnershipsthatmeettheneedsofaspecificcommunity,country

orregion.Mainchallengesfacedtodaterelatetoweakproject

assumptionsaboutthenatureandscopeofthepartnershipas

wellwithregardtotheoperationalenvironmentwithinwhich

partnersoperate. Contextanalysisiscriticalinunderstandingwho

thebestpartnersare.Partnershipscansometimesbechallenging

butnecessary;therefore,sufficienttimeandflexibleplanning

timeshouldbeallocated.

• Understanding partner’s capacity is critical.Partnerships

haveprovidedanopportunityforIPstocreateinnovativewaysof

workingtogether,addressingcomplexproblemsthroughameans

significantlydifferentfromunilateralimplementationandproviding

anopportunitytoincreasethedepthandbreadthofprogramming.

However,effectivepartnershipstakeconsiderableeffortandwork,

particularlyintheearlymonthsofinitialpartnershipnegotiation.

Forexample,therearemanyexamplesofIPshavingtodevote

moretimethanexpectedtobuildingpartners’capacity.Allowing

enoughtimeduringtheinceptionphaseiscriticalforstaffand

partnerstodeveloptheirskillsonkeyconceptsandapproaches

(e.g.resilienceorgenderequality)andtoensurethatprojectteams

shareacommonunderstandingofgoals,alongwiththeapproaches

neededtoachievethem,forthecontexttheyoperatewithin.

• Evaluating partnerships that are greater than the sum of their

parts take time. Despitethewidespreadassumptionandlimited

evidencethatpartnershipsareeffective,thereislimitedsystematic

evidenceofalinkbetweenpartnershipandimprovedBRACED

outcomes.Inlightofthis,BRACEDpresentsauniqueopportunity

toexploretheroleofpartnershipsinresilience-building,aswell

ashowbesttoensurethatpartnershipsaregreaterthanthesum

oftheirparts.Thereisaneedtobetterunderstandhowinter-

organisationallearningacrosspartnerstranslatesintolonger-term,

positiveimpactstoincreasecommunityresilience.

How do we track progress? BRACEDunderstandspartnershiptobetheformal

arrangementbetweenaminimumoftwoorganisationstoworkcollaborativelyto

achievemutuallybeneficialobjectives.Itisconsideredmorethansimplysharing


financesandnormallyinvolvessomeformofjointoperationsandskillssharing

atamoreformallevelthanjustcollaboration.Mostprogresstodatehasbeen

reportedunderthisAreaofChange.ProgressmarkerswithinthisAreaofChange

lookatthecoordinationandjointimplementationbetweenpartnersandtheir

abilitytodeliverimprovedresults.Table6illustratestheoverarchingprogress

markerswithinthisAreaofChange.Thissynthesisandanalysishasconsidered

thechangesreportedbyIPsandidentifiedemergingthemesaroundthese

overarchingprogressmarkers.

Table 6: Building effective partnerships progress markers


Partnershipsareestablishedandagreeonasetofprinciplesandobjectivesforworkingtogether

Partnersengageandareinvolvedinjointplanningandimplementationofactivities

Partnershipsdeliverimprovedresults

Aswiththea)knowledgeandattitudesandb)capacitiesandskillsAreasof

Change,eachIP–aspartoffinalisingtheirproject-levelM&Eandinresponse

toKMfeedback–identifiedwhatchangestheyexpected,wouldlikeandwould

lovetoseeineachrelevantprojectstakeholderduringthelifetimeoftheproject

(ortheyincludedthisaspartoftheiryear1reporting).Attheendofyear1,the

IPsthenreportedchangeagainsttheseasa‘baseline’.

• Atthe‘expecttosee’level,project-specificprogressmarkersincludedareas

suchassettingupcollaborationprotocolsandcoordinationactions,signing

ofagreements,jointplanningandimplementationofinitialassessment

activitiesandestablishmentofpartnershipsbeyondtheIPconsortia.

• Atthe‘liketosee’level,progressmarkersincludedjointimplementation

ofprojectactivities,signingofnewagreementswithemerging

newpartnerships.

• Atthe‘lovetosee’level,progressmarkersincludedreplicationofthe

partnershipmodel,strongerlinksbetweenpartners,partnersreplicating

toolsandapproachesinnon-BRACEDprojects.

Effective partnerships: emerging themes

ItisimportanttohighlightthatsynthesisingBRACEDprogressagainstthe

partnershipsAreaofChangehasbeenchallenging.Areviewofthereports

revealsthattherearedifferentwaysofunderstandingandreportingaboutthe

type,purposeanddeliveryofpartnerships.Forexample,someIPshavereported

ongoingcollaborationsandnetworkingasaformofpartnership.Asaresult,

progresstodateshouldbetakenwithcaution.Inaddition,itisnotalwaysclear

whenreportsarereferringtopartnershipswithinIPconsortiaand/orbetween

consortiaandexternalorganisations.EightIPstrackthisnumberasanoutput

indicator,withfiguresvaryingfromafewpartners(lessthan10:IRISS, Myanmar

Alliance, DCF, MAR, CIARE)toaverylargenumber(25:SUR1M,38:Zaman


Lebidi,58:ANUKULAN).Projectswithalargenumberofpartnersarelargely

basedonpartnershipswithlocalgovernments.Whererelevant,thissynthesis

makesacleardistinctionbetweenpartnershipsandotherformsofcollaboration.

Duringyear1,mostIPsreportedchangesemergingintwothemes.(Acomplete

mappingofprojectsactivitiesandemergingthemescanbefoundinannex6.

Asmallnumberofadditionalillustrativeexamplesareprovidedthroughoutthis

section,withfurtherexamplesavailableinannex7.)

EMERGING THEME 1: WORKING TOGETHER – LEVERAGING RESOURCES AND CAPACITIES

Projectannualreportsrevealthatbuildingresiliencerequiresnewkindsof

collaborativestrategiesinwhichawiderangeofstakeholdersplayacriticalrole.

MuchofBRACEDprojectworktakesplacethroughpartnershipsthatleverage

effectiveresponsesandstrategicalliancesthatprovideameansforwider

outreach,impact,influenceandlearning.Inthesepartnerships,BRACEDprojects

areworkingwithprivatecompanies,climateserviceproviders,local,sub-national

andnationalgovernmentdepartments,researchinstitutionsandotherNGOs

(bothinternationalandlocal)todrawtogethertherespectivestrengthofthese

differentorganisations.Thetype,natureandscaleofsuchpartnershipsvary

acrosstheBRACEDprogramme.

“MuchofBRACEDprojectworktakesplacethroughpartnershipsthatleverageeffectiveresponsesandstrategicalliancesthatprovideameansforwideroutreach,

impact,influenceandlearning”

Table 7: Illustrative examples – BRACED main partnerships

partner purpose of partnership example

Climate Information providers and the media

Production,translationandtransferofclimateinformation

Disseminationofinformationtousers

theZaman Lebidiprojectworksinpartnershipwithboththemeteorologicalagency(Dgm)–agreementsignedandsupportfromtheukmetofficeprocured–andthecommunicationsector,tohelpdeliverrelevantdatatousers.internewsisleadingtheinterventionstoensurethatrelevantinformationreachesradiostationsforonwardsdissemination.

Research institutions

technicalresearchsupport

advancingthebodyofknowledgeandevidence

supportingevidence-basedadvocacyefforts

inanefforttounderstandwhatclimatemeansinthesudanandchadcontexts,theBRICSprojecthasworkedwithgovernmentresearchinstitutions,suchasthegeneinaagricultureresearchstation.thecollaborationhashelpedtodeepentheunderstandingofthebestproductionsystemsthatmayhelpbothcommunitiesandhouseholdstoincreasetheirresiliencetoclimatechange.thishasinvolvedthetestingofapilotactivityonlocalseedmultiplication,whichshowedpositiveresultsofearlycropmaturing,increasedyieldsandimprovedresistancetodiseases,providingevidenceoftherelevanceofsuchapartnershipintheproject.


partner purpose of partnership example

Private sector Facilitatingcommunities’accesstomarketsandfinancialresources;privatesectordevelopment

Effectiveservicedelivery

theANUKULANprojectbuildsonextensivecollaborationwithserviceproviderstohelppromotethedisseminationofclimate-smarttechnologiesatdifferentscales.atthelocalscale,theprojectfacilitatedlinkagesbetweeninputsuppliers,outputtradersandproductiongroups–throughmeetings,coordinationworkshopsanddemonstrationevents.atthenationalscale,theprojectidentifiedpotentialprivatepartnerstoenablethedeliveryofservicesinlinewiththenewtechnologiespromotedbytheproject.

WithintheLivestock Mobility project,public-privatepartnershipshavebeenestablishedforthedeliveryofkeyservicestopastoralandagro-pastoralwomenandmenalongthecorridors,whichhasledtotheprovisionoffoddersupplementsinfodderbanks(whereconstructionandrenovationoffodderfacilitieshavebeenbuiltorrenovated)andofanimalhealthproductsinveterinarydepots.

Local, sub-national and national government departments

Enablingandfacilitatingtheimplementationofinterventions

Promotingpotentialscalingupincountry

inthePROGRESSproject,thecountygovernmentistheproject’smostcriticalpartner.throughthispartnership,agenderdeskinthetargetareahasbeenestablished,enablingvictimstoreportandtoaccesssupportincaseofproblems.

Local NGOs/civil society

moreeffectiveimplementationatthelocallevel

supportlocallydrivensolutions

WithintheMyanmar Alliance project,theimplementationofactivitieslocallyreliesonlocalngos–partnershipshavebeenestablishedwithover50like-mindedngos.

INGOs /international institutions

thematicexpertise,largescale-programmingandfunding

strongerpolicyadvocacyandlobbyefforts

theBRICSprojecthaspartneredwithWorldbankgroupandsudan’sForestsnationalcorporation.inthispartnership,concernhasagreedtosupportthestate-levelfocalpoint,whichcoordinatesforestryinitiativesatthecommunitylevel.thispartnershiphasthepotentialtostrengthenstate-levelsupporttoensurethatthenationalprojectremainsontrackandislinkedintotheworkonforestryatcommunityandstatelevel,aswellascoordinatingit.

Table7providesasnapshotofone-to-onepartnerships.However,IPsare

engaginginmultiplepartnershipsfortheimplementationofBRACEDprojects

(seeannex6).UnderstandingBRACEDpathwaysofchangethrougheffective

partnerdeliveryneedstotakeintoaccountthecomplexnetworkofactors

engagedinthedeliveryofeachproject.BRACEDIPs’varietyofpartnerships

reflectsthewiderangeofactivitiesandissuesthatBRACEDprojectsare

attemptingtoaddress.Whileitistooearlyintheprogrammetoassesstheextent

towhichBRACEDpartnershipsarecontributingtobetterdevelopmentresults,

therearekeyissuesthatrequirefurtherattentionandinvestigation.

First,understandingifBRACEDprojectspresentandbuildthe‘right’

combinationofpartnershipstoachieveprojectresultsiscriticaltoBRACED

programmesuccess.Second,areviewofprojectreportsalsohighlightsthatthe

timingandsequencingofimplementationactivitiesarecrucial.Forexample,

inNiger,thePRESENCESprojecthasestablishedpartnershipswiththeState

TechnicalServicesandinstitutionssuchasAGRHYMET,alongwiththeweather

services,fortheimplementationandmonitoringofactivities,whileensuringthe

qualityofthework.Theprojectusesthemeteorologicalinformationprovided

byAGRHYMETtodecidethetypeofseedstobeusedandtimeforplanting

withlocalcommunities.Thispartnershiphasenabledtheprojecttoensurethat


activitiesareinformedbyclimateinformationandthatcommunitieshaveaccess

toclimateinformation.

“Workinginpartnershiprequirestime,capacityandflexibilityinprojectdesign

andimplementation.SomeIPshavefaceddifficultiesinobtainingpartnership

agreementswithnationalbodies”

Someofthesepartnershipshaveprovedchallengingtoestablish.Working

inpartnershiprequirestime,capacityandflexibilityinprojectdesignand

implementation.SomeIPshavefaceddifficultiesinobtainingpartnership

agreementswithnationalbodies.Forexample,inEthiopia,thedifficult

operatingenvironmentwithregardtothenationalgovernmentmeantthat

boththeMARandCIAREprojectswerestalledforseveralmonthsinobtaining

permissionsandagreementsfromnationalauthoritiestoimplementsome

oftheiractivities.Thiswasespeciallythecaseinrelationtomicrofinance

provisionandworkingwithlocalandnationalmedia.Itisthereforeimportant

toclearlyarticulatetheassumptionsandhypothesisunderpinningthispathway

ofchange.TherearealsoexamplesofIPshavingtospendmoretimethan

expectedonbuilding.Forexample,theBRICSandPROGRESSprojectsrequired

trainingongenderforpartnersthatwasnotinitiallyintended,asthiswasfelt

tobenecessaryinordertoimprovetheirunderstandingandgenderequality

approachesinthepromotionandimplementationofprojectactivities.

Context matters: understanding partners’ capacity

Inadditiontoworkingwithkeystakeholdersincommunitiesthrough

partnerships,BRACEDIPsneedtolookinwardsandconsiderhowgender

equalitymessages,whichareoftenculturallysensitive,areconveyedby

implementingstaff.TheBRICSprojectundertookaGenderEquitableAttitude

surveywithitsownstafftounderstandthedynamicsatplay,which(more

widely)canhaveenormousimplicationsforsuccessesontheground.The

projectfoundhighlyinequitablegenderattitudesinbothChadandSudan,

withoverhalfofstaffstatingthatwomenshouldtolerateviolenceathome

tokeepfamiliestogether.Moststaffagreedthatawoman’smostimportant

roleisasacaregivertoherhusbandandfamily.Theprojectincreasedtraining

forstafftocreateaworkingenvironmentthatwasmoreconducivetogender-

sensitiveprogramming.

‘Encouragingly, there is a strong appetite amongst staff for capacity building

and training on equality and gender issues and most teams appeared

enthusiastic at the idea of strengthening efforts to integrate gender

considerations within their programme activities. BRICS will build on this

potential in future equality work’.


Buildingpartnershipswiththeprivatesectortofosteraccesstomarketsand

financialservicesiscriticalyetchallenging(6projects).Thisisanareaofongoing

researchfortheKM(seeannex8forreferences).Smallholderfarmersfaceserious

obstaclesintransitioningfromsubsistencefarmingtocommercialfarming.

Majorbarriersincludeaccesstofinancing,inputsandimprovedtechnologiesto

generatemarketablesurplus,aswellashighcosttoreachmarkets,duetopoor

infrastructure.EngagingtheprivatesectorasapartnerisessentialforBRACED

projects(SUR1M, MAR, PROGRESS, ANUKULAN, Livestock Mobility, WHH,

RIC4REC),astheseattempttopromoteinclusivepartnershipsbetweenlocal

governments,businessesandcommunities.Mostofthesepartnershipshave

anobjectivetoenhanceaccesstoagriculturalinputs,technology,markets

andfinanceofprojectbeneficiaries.Thereisalsoacommonaimtocomplement

interventionsinordertobuildcapacitieslocally(e.g.entrepreneurialor

marketingskills).Thisisparticularlyseenineffortstosupportincomegeneration

andlivelihoodsdiversification,aswellasbuildingtheassetbaseamongthe

mostvulnerable.

Forexample,theANUKULANprojectbuildsonextensivecollaborationwith

serviceproviderstopromotethedisseminationofclimate-smarttechnologiesat

differentscales.Atthelocalscale,theprojecthasfacilitatedlinkagesbetween

inputsuppliers,outputtradersandproductiongroupsthroughmeetings,

coordinationworkshopsanddemonstrationevents.Atthenationalscale,the

projecthasidentifiedpotentialprivatepartnerstoenablethedeliveryofservices

inlinewiththenewtechnologiespromotedbytheproject,suchasmicro-

irrigationtechnologies,includingdripirrigation,solarpoweredliftirrigation

throughsunflowerpumpandmultipleusewatersystems(MUS).Todate,

memorandumsofunderstandinghavebeensignedwithvariousprivateactors.

Emergingchangesincludetheactiveandregulardiscussionbetweenproducers

andbuyersonmarketpricesandmarketingchannels,aswellastheuptakeof

newtechnologiesbyfarmersandprivateinputproviders.

PartneringwiththeprivatesectorisalsoenablingIPstoimprovebeneficiaries’

accesstofinancialandinsuranceservicesinagriculturalandpastoralareas

(4projects).Theestablishmentofsuchpartnershipscomplementeffortstobuild

individualfinancialandentrepreneurshipskills.Mostprojectspromotethe

developmentofVSLAsorSILCsstructures(PRESENCES, Myanmar Alliance,

SUR1M, MAR, CIARE, PROGRESS).Partnershipshavebeenmadewithformal

andinformalinstitutionssuchascommercialbanks(e.g.PROGRESS),insurance

funds(e.g.MAR)andmicrofinanceinstitutions(e.g.MAR, PRESENCES).

Forexample,theMARprojectinitiateddifferentprocessestoimprove

communities’accesstofinancialresources.Microfinanceinstitutions(MFIs)

provideloansandtechnicalsupporttosavingsandcreditcooperative

organisations(SACCOs/VSLAs)establishedlocally–with120VSLAsworking

with2,600beneficiaries.LocalMFIofficeshaveadiscretionaryauthorityup

toathresholdloanamount(agreedwiththeheadoffice).Conditionsfor

improvingthedeliveryoffinancialserviceshavebeendefined:agreementshave

beensignedwithMFIstoexpanddeliverycentresandtoprovideserviceswith

flexiblemodalitiesconvenientforvulnerableclients.TheMARprojectisalso


developingmicro-insuranceproducts.Amemorandumofunderstanding,toset

uptheguaranteefund,hasbeensignedwiththeNyalaInsuranceCompanyand

thepreparationworkhasbeencompleted.Finally,preparationstoimplement

amobilebankingservicewiththehelpofproviders,suchasM-Birr,arenow

underway.Sofar,collaborationwiththefinancialsectorhasresultedinthe

settingupofafinancialinfrastructurethatisrelevanttolocalneeds;effective

accesstofinanceisstillpending,astheVSLAshavestartedfunctioningbut

theMFIshaveyettostartdisbursingfundstothem.

Acriticalfactorforsuccesswhenengagingtheprivatesectorrelatesto

interestandincentivesfortheprivatesectortoengage,aswellastheenabling

policyenvironmentandregulatoryframeworks.Despitechangesalready

emergingasaresultofsuchpartnerships,IPsarefacingkeychallengesthatmay

inhibitoutcome-levelresultsatalaterstage.Challengesincludealackofinterest

fromprivatesectorcompaniesinengagingwithrurallow-incomeareasanda

limitednumberofskilledretailersandpaymentprocesses.Forexample,the

WHHprojectreportedthatthecertificationofproductionsiteswaschallenging

forsomeseedsuppliersandconstrainedbystipulationsoftheregulatory

frameworkpertainingtothecultivablearea.Weakmarketandfinancial

sectorinfrastructurechallengetheextenttowhichprojectswillcontributeto

improvefinancialinclusioninthelongterm(PROGRESS, WHH, ANUKULAN,

Livestock Mobility).

EMERGING THEME 2: STRENGTHENING NET WORKING AND COLLABORATION

AreviewofIPs’reportsrevealsthatnetworkingandclosecollaborationwith

keystakeholdersareascriticalasbuildingeffectivepartnerships.Duringyear1,

BRACEDprojects(DCF, Myanmar Alliance, WHH, ANUKULAN, Livestock

Mobility)havebeencloselyinteractingandcollaboratingwithlocal,sub-

nationalandnationaldebatestosupportthescalingupofinterventions.

Whenwindowsofopportunitiesappear,suchcollaborationsarealready

yieldingimportantresults.

Forexample,intheWHHprojectinBurkinaFaso,theDirectorateofVegetable

Production–DepartmentofPlantProtection–oftheMinistryofAgriculturehas

taken‘fullownership’oftheplantclinicapproachpromotedbytheprojectasits

owninitiative.TheMinistryorganisedamissiontoacceleratetheimplementation

ofplantclinicsessionsintheprojectarea.TheMinistrycurrentlyrollsoutthe

sameapproachtosevenotherregionsinthecountry;extensionofficersfromthe

projectarea,assuccessorsofplantdoctorswhosedutystationschangedafter

theelections,havebeeninvitedtoatrainingsessionforplantdoctorsofother

regionsofthecountry.

InMyanmar,theMyanmar Allianceprojectinteractsandprovidestechnical

inputsintoalargenumberofinstitutionalinitiativesinrelationtoresilience-

buildinginthecountry.ThisincludestheMyanmarActionPlanforDRR,

theMyanmarClimateChangeStrategyledbytheMinistryofEnvironmental

ConservationandForestry,andthedevelopmentofaNationalFramework

forCommunityDisasterResilience.Inaddition,theprojectrepresentatives

aremembersoftheMyanmarDRRworkinggroup(DRR-WG)–withtwo


membersontheSteeringCommittee–andoftheDRR-WGTechnicalTask

forces;meanwhile,theprojectmembers,ActionAidandBBCMediaActionare

membersofthePublicAwarenesstaskforce.TheMyanmarAlliancehasbeen

selectedtorepresentMyanmarintheAADMERPartnershipGroup.Asaresultof

thisactiveinvolvement,theprojectbenefitsfromastronginstitutionalsupport

andtheproject’sconceptsareusedinthedefinitionofnationalframeworkssuch

asthenew‘MyanmarNationalFrameworkforCommunityDisasterResilience’

thatpromotestheBRACEDapproachasoneofthebestpractices.National

departments(DisasterRiskReductionsecretaryandDepartmentofSocial

Welfaresecretaries)havehighlightedtheirinterestinexpandingtheBRACED

resilience-buildingapproachtonewcommunitiesandinternationalactors.

TheAsianDevelopmentBankhasincludedtheMyanmarAlliancedefinitionof

communityresilienceandcommunityresilienceassessmentandactionplanning

cycle,highlightingitasoneofthebestpracticesonresilience-building.

3.4 Improving decision-making through inclusive resilience-buildingThisAreaofChangereferstoensuringthatresilience-buildingmeasuresare

inclusive:HowdoesBRACEDensurethatpeoplewhoareeconomicallypoor,

sociallyandpoliticallymarginalisedorotherwisevulnerablearetakeninto

accountinplanning,budgetingandimplementation?Socialparticipationand

inclusionofthemostvulnerableindecision-makingisthefoundationoffairand

effectiveimplementationofresilience-buildingpoliciesandstrategies.Theleast

informationandprogresshasbeenreportedbyIPsagainstthisAreaofChange.

Figure 7: Key findings from the fourth Area of Change – Decision-making





AREAS OF CHANGE

Changes in the quality ofpartnerships



Changes in the decision-makingprocesses through inclusive

participation, as one key aspect of a resilient system.

• BRACED Theory of Change hypothesises that social participation and inclusion of the most vulnerable in decision making is the foundation for effective implementation of resilience-building policies and strategies.

• Main stakeholders: Everyone, especially themost vulnerable.

• Lesson: Social exclusion and genderinequalities cannot be addressed withquick fixes in a one-off project.

• Lesson: The goal of fostering social equality and inclusion begins with changing attitudes and building the capacities of project staff.

• Lesson: Monitoring and documenting cases where inclusive decision-making takes place is critical.

AREA OF CHANGE 4:

?



Level of change:allIPshave,thisyear,generallysoughttoensure

thatactivitiesare‘responsive’(the‘expecttosee’progressmarker)

byensuringthatvulnerable/atriskgroupsareengagedandinvolved

indefiningthechallengesandproblemstheyface.Mosteffortshave

beenresponsivetowomen’sneedsandareleadingtotheirincreased

participationinprojectactivities.Whileprojectsintegratestrong

attentiontogenderconsiderations,therehasbeenlimitedmentionof

othervulnerablegroupsonthebasisofage,ethnicityordisabilityin

reporting.Inaddition,althoughimprovementsintheaccessofthese

groupstoresourcesandparticipationarefundamentalstepstotake,

theydonotinthemselveschangepowerrelations,andthereforemay

nottranslateintolegitimatedecision-making.

Emerging lessons

• Social exclusion and gender inequalities cannot be addressed

with quick fixes in a one-off project.Thestartingpointfor

enhancingindividuals’resilienceliesinrecognisingandaddressing

socialexclusionandinequality.Nottakingthisactionmayfurther

marginalisethosewholackaccesstodecision-making.However,

ensuringtrulyinclusivedecision-makingprocessesandplans

thatbuildresilienceforallisnot(andshouldnotbe)seenas

anachievableoutcomeforathree-yearproject.

• The goal of fostering social equality and inclusion begins with

changing attitudes and building the capacities of project staff,

whowillthencontributetoimplementinginclusiveactivities.

BRACEDprojectshelptoincreaseopportunitiesforwomento

learnnewskills,participateinactivitiesandaccessnewspacesof

decision-makingatthehouseholdandcommunitylevels.However,

progresstodaterefersmostlytosupportintendedtoaddress

women’sneeds.Verylittlehasbeendocumentedintermsofhow

BRACEDaddresseswomen’sinterestsintermsoftheircontrolover

keyresourcessuchaslandrights.

• Monitoring and documenting cases where inclusive decision-

making takes place is critical.Theissueofpowerandvoiceis

akeyaspectacrosstheportfolio,butithasnotbeenproperly

capturedinIPs’reports.Gender,socialinclusionandconflict

analysisiscritical,asislookingforunintendedconsequences


(goodandbad),trackingtheprocessandcontinuallyadjusting

approaches.Thelinksbetweenparticipation/voiceandmore

inclusivedecision-makingprocessesneedtobeexplicitly

capturedinprojectandprogramme-levelM&Eframeworks.

How is progress tracked? IntheBRACEDprogramme,progresstowards

fosteringinclusivedecision-makingistrackedthroughaseriesofprogress

markerstounderstandtheextenttowhichprojectactivitiesensuretheinclusion

ofthemostvulnerableandatriskgroups.ProgressmarkerswithinthisAreaof

Changelookatthegraduatedsetofprocessesfromensuringandincreasingthe

mostvulnerableparticipateindecision-makingtolegitimateprocesseswhere

vulnerablegroupsinfluenceandshapeultimatedecisions. Attheendofyear1,

IPsreportedchangeagainsttheseasa‘baseline’.

Table 8: Inclusive decision-making progress markers

expect to see – responsiveness:

like to see – participation:

love to see – legitimacy:

vulnerable/atriskgroupsareengagedandinvolvedindefiningthechallengesandproblemstheyface

vulnerable/atriskgroupsareengagedandinvolvedindefiningthechallengesandproblemstheyfaceanDengagedandinvolvedinshapingthedecision-makingprocessforaddressingandsolvingthem

vulnerable/atriskgroupsareengagedandinvolvedindefiningthechallengesandproblemstheyface,andareengagedandinvolvedinthedecision-makingprocessforaddressingandsolvingtheseanDengagedandinvolvedinreviewingandrefiningtheoutcomes(bothpositiveandnegative)ofthedecision-makingprocesstheyhaveshaped

AswiththeotherthreeAreasofChange,eachIPaspartoffinalisingtheir

project-levelM&EandinresponsetoKMfeedback,identifiedwhatchanges

theyexpected,wouldlikeandwouldlovetoseeineachrelevantproject

stakeholderduringthelifetimeoftheproject(orincludedthisaspartoftheir

year1reporting).

• Atthe‘expecttosee’level,project-specificprogressmarkersincluded

areassuchasactiveinvolvementandparticipationofvulnerablegroups,

withastrongfocusonwomenandchildren.

• Atthe‘liketosee’level,progressmarkersincludedleadershipand

accountability,andparticipationindecision-makingprocesses.

• Atthe‘lovetosee’level,progressmarkersincludedsustainability

andongoinginteraction,anddialoguebetweencommunitiesand

localauthorities.


Inclusive decision-making: emerging themes

Achievementscontributingtomoreinclusivedecision-makinghavebeen

reportedagainstdifferentAreasofChange,highlightingthatIPsseethese

processesaspartandparceloftheimplementationofprojectactivities.However,

whenaskedspecificallyaboutprogressandemergingchangesasaresultofsuch

inclusionefforts,thereislimiteddataavailable.Lookingacrosstheprojectannual

reportsforyear1,thereisoneemergingtheme.(Acompletemappingofprojects

activitiesandemergingthemescanbefoundinannex6.)

EMERGING THEME 1: FOSTERING REPRESENTATION, PARTICIPATION AND LEADERSHIP OF THE MOST VULNERABLE

InclusionandgenderempowermentinBRACEDisanareaofongoingresearch

fortheBRACEDKMincollaborationwithIPs(seeannex8forreferences).

BRACEDprojectsaimtofacilitateactive,legitimateparticipatorydecision-making

processesforstakeholders.Todate,mosteffortshaveconcentratedonthe

creationofspacesfortheactiveengagementofvulnerablegroups–particularly

womenandchildren–intheassessment,planningandimplementationofproject

activities.Someprojects(IRISS, Myanmar Alliance, SUR1M, ANUKULAN,

PROGRESS, MAR)ensuresignificantrepresentationofwomeninthestructures

establishedwithintheproject(e.g.inVSLAs,farmers’groupsandcommunities’

committees).Lessdiscussionandreflectionhasbeenreceivedinrelationto

decision-makingprocesses.Forexample,PROGRESSprovidedaseriesoftraining

tolocalgovernmentofficialsongenderresponsivebudgeting.Thetrainingwas

conductedjustbeforethebudgetingcycleandanecdotalevidencesuggeststhat

trainedgovernmentofficialsareplacingspecialemphasisonresilience-building

priorities.Thereareearlyindicationsofownershipandleadershipemergingfrom

suchtrainings.Thecountygovernmentdemonstratedhighqualityleadership

duringthelaunchoftheprojectgenderdesk.Indeed,PROGRESSreportedthat

therewasevidenceofsharedvisionafterthelaunchoftheprojectwiththekey

governmentdepartmentsandotherresilienceactorsparticipating.However,

effectivechanges werenot ‘tracked to ascertain the level and impact of gender

responsive planning and implementation’.

EnsuringsocialinclusionisanintegralpartofIPs’approachtoproject

implementation.Throughbottom-upapproaches,BRACEDIPshavealsobeen

responsivetolocalneeds,engaginglocalcommunitiesandauthoritiesinthe

identificationoflocalprioritiesandneedsaswellasintheimplementationof

projectactivities.Monitoringfieldvisitsandmeetingswithbeneficiaries–suchas

inthecaseoftheZaman Lebidiproject–havehelpedtheprojectteamtolearn

frombeneficiaries’feedbackandconcerns.

Projectactivitieshavealsotargetedgenderedintereststhroughfosteringwomen

leadership(10projects).TheANUKULANprojectshowsprogressinthisregard

thankstotheincreasedparticipationofwomeninmanagingstructuresof

marketingandplanningcommittees(wherewomenrepresentbetween50%and

60%ofmembers).However,theprojecthasalsousefullyreportedchallengesto

fosterwomen’sparticipationandreacha50%–oreven40%–targetwhenthe

percentageofwomenasGovernmentofNepalstaffisalreadylow.


Ensuringtheparticipationofvulnerablegroupsisapositivesign,butthisisonly

thefirststeptowardsinclusivedecision-making.Despiteeffortsinensuring

participationindecision-makingprocesses,todate,evidenceforassessing

whetherdecision-makingprocesseshavebecomemoreinclusiveisstillweak.

Thereislimitedevidenceonwhetherthemostmarginalisedgroupsareableto

articulatetheirvoicesinthesearenas.Tobeinclusive,vulnerablegroupsshould

beabletoparticipateinthesespacesandbringavaluablecontributiontothe

deliberations.Thisinvolvesissuessuchaslanguage,participants’selectionprocess

andtheremovalofbarriers,includingthosethatarefinancial,socialandcultural.

Itnecessitatesthinkingaboutwhoisandwhoisnotincludedinthesespaces.

Forexample,whentheZaman Lebidiprojectdescribesthecreationofcomplaint

committees,itwouldbeusefultoreportwhothemembersofthesecommitteesare

(disaggregatedbysex/age)andhowpeopleformulatecomplaints,inordertobetter

understandifallmembersofthecommunitycaneasilyraisetheirvoicesandwhat

barrierstheypossiblyface.

“Ensuringtheparticipationofvulnerablegroupsisapositivesign,butthisisonlythefirststep

towardsinclusivedecision-making”

Todate,thereislimitedevidencetohelpusunderstandhowBRACEDprojectsare

addressingsuchissuesanddiscerncleardifferencesintheapproachesfollowedby

IPstofosterinclusivedecision-makingprocesses.Itremainsunclearhowchange

willoccur.Itiscriticaltounderstandifthisgapisduetolimiteddataavailableor

thelackofmonitoringandreportingeffortsinthisarea.Thisissueshouldbefurther

exploredduringyear2reporting.

3.5 Summary: BRACED pathways to resilienceDuringyear1,theBRACEDprojectshavemadeprogressatthe‘expecttosee’level

inthefollowingareas:

• improvingknowledgeandinfluencingattitudestowardsresilienceplanning

andaction

• establishingnewpartnershipstodeliverintegratedsetofactivities

• accessingandgeneratingclimateinformationaccessibletogovernment

andcitizens

• fosteringinclusivedecision-making.

AreviewofIPs’reportsagainsttheAreasofChangeframeworkrevealsthat,despite

thedifferingcontextstheprojectsareoperatingin,thereareclearthemesand

processesthatarecommonacrossthesetofprojects:


resilience pathways – emerging themes

changesinresilienceknowledgeandattitudes

• Theme 1:community-basedparticipatoryplanning

• Theme 2:accessingandusingclimateandweatherinformation

strengtheningcapacitiesandskillstomanageclimateanddisasterrisks

• Theme 3:buildingfarmers’andpastoralists’capacity

• Theme 4:buildingcapacityofgovernmentofficialsandtechnicalservices,withinandacrosssectors

buildingpartnershipstodeliverinterventionsforresilience

• Theme 5:Workingtogether–leveragingresourcesandcapacities

• Theme 6:strengtheningcollaborationandnetworking

improvingdecision-makingthroughinclusiveresilience-building

• Theme 7: Fosteringrepresentation,participationandleadershipofthemostvulnerable

Inordertoseechangebothwithinandacrossthesefouroverarchingprocesses,

awiderangeofactivitiesarebeingimplemented.Forexample,eachproject

isaddressingtheknowledgeandcapacitygapsofmultiplestakeholdersfor

multiplepurposes.Progresstodatedemonstratesthattheprocessesareongoing,

interrelatedandreinforcingofoneanother.Thefactthereareanumberand

rangeofprojectactivitiesrequireseachIPtoestablishworkingrelationships

andpartnershipswithawidesetofactorsacrosssectorsandlevels.Thedata

showsthatestablishingpartnershipsisanimportantprecursorforcapacity

development,asarechangesintheawarenessandcommitmentofstakeholders.

Atthisstageofthechangeprocess,thechallengeliesinunderstandingthelevel

ofintegrationandsequencingofdifferentactivitiesandprocesses.IPreports

sofardonotofferclaritywithregardtothis,butitwillbeexploredbyeach

project’smid-termreviewandanalysedbytheKMattheprogrammelevel.22

“Designing,implementingandreportingpathwaystoresiliencecannottake

placeinisolationfromtheoperationalenvironmentwithinwhichaprojectoperates”

Designing,implementingandreportingpathwaystoresiliencecannottake

placeinisolationfromtheoperationalenvironmentwithinwhichaproject

operates.BRACEDactivitieshavebeeninformedbyparticipatoryvulnerability,risk

andresilienceassessments.However,IPs’reportshaverevealedanoveremphasis

onprocessestargetingindividualsandcommunitiesthroughcommunity-based

22 aspartofitsevaluationactivities,thekmwillsynthesisethesetofprojectmid-termreviewsandidentifyhowandwhydifferentcombinationsofactivitieshavestrengthenedresilienceinparticularcontexts.


planningprocesses.Althoughsuchapproachesarecriticaltoensurecommunity

ownershipandresponsiveness,datatodatedemonstratesthatsuchapproaches

andactivitiestendtoprioritiseaddressinglocalised,short-terminstrumentalgains.

ItremainsunknownhowBRACEDprojectstakeintoaccountthedependencies

betweenhouseholds,communitiesandgovernmentdecision-makingprocesses.

WhileBRACEDprojectsmaybewell-suitedtostrengtheningknowledgeand

addressingcapacitygapsthroughawidesetofpartnershipsandimproving

inclusivedecision-makingatthelocallevel,theymightalsobewell-placedto

impactonnationalgovernmentpolicies,processesandsystemswherechanges

arealsorequired.Althoughitistooearlyintheprogrammetoexploreoutcome-

levelresultssofar,itisunclearhowfarprojectinterventionswillleadtothese

and,moreimportantly,theextenttowhichtheoutcomeswouldbesustainable.

ProgrammesascomplexasBRACEDareinherentlydifficulttocoordinate,

implement,monitorandevaluate.Thetaskisevenmorechallenging,giventhe

rangeofconsortiummembersandinstitutionalpartnersinvolvedineachIP,as

wellasthedifficultyinpromotingeffectiveengagementandtheempowerment

ofchronicallypoorbeneficiariestoaccesstechnologiesandprivatemarkets,

beinvolvedindecision-makingprocessesanduseclimateinformation.Most

projects’firstyeareffortswentintoconductingrobustbaselines,building

thecapacityofIPconsortiumpartners,establishingsystemsforproject

implementationandreachingformalagreementswithinstitutionalpartners.

Suchchallengesprovetobeaseriousconstraintforthree-yearprojects.Asa

result,BRACEDprojectshaveprogressedwellalongtheir‘expecttosee’progress

markersacrossthefourAreasofChangeoftheBRACEDtheoryofchange.During

year1,therehavebeensomeexamplesofprojectsprogressingfurtheralongto

their‘liketosee’markers.However,evidenceremainsanecdotaltodate.

Year1projectreportsagainsttheAreasofChangeindicatethatitisdifficult

todiscernhowresilienceprogrammingandactivitiesdifferfromdevelopment

work.Inordertocapturecomplexityandunderstandresilience-buildingasmore

thananadhocsetofactivitiesandprocesses,itwillbeimportantforyear2and

3reportingtoenablethiskindofanalysis.(Thecompanionreportoffersmore

reflectionswithregardtohowreportingcouldbeimprovedforsubsequent

years.)Similarly,theprogressmarkerapproachmayleadtoa‘false’ideaof

linearprocessesofchange.BRACEDexperienceinyear1demonstratesthatthe

pathwaystowardsbuildingresiliencearenotdefinedandcharacterisedbylinear

processes.Changehassometimesbeenrealisedatthe‘lovetosee’levelwithout

changeintermsofwhatIPswould‘expect’or‘liketosee’.Itisnotclearwhy

thisis.Forexample,itisnotknownwhetheritisbecauseofbiasinthedataand

someIPsbeingmoreself-criticalthanothers.Thereisalsoambiguitywithregard

towhythelevelofoverallchangediffersfromprojecttoproject.Capturingthe

essenceofresilience-buildingprogrammesrequiresreflectiveM&Eprocessesthat

capturethemulti-dimensionalandmulti-levelprocessesofchange.Notdoing

soquestionstheaddedvalueofresilienceprogrammingand,moreimportantly,

howitdiffersfrombusiness-as-usualdevelopmentwork.

62ROUTES TO RESILIENCE: INSIGHTS FROM BRACED YEAR 1 unDErstanDingrEsiLiEncEoutcomEs

About outcomes in BRACED:Section3haspresentedprogresstodate

alongBRACEDpathwaystoresilience,enablingustounderstandtheprocess

throughwhichprojectactivitiesmaycontributetomoremeaningfuloutcomes.

ThissectionreviewshowtheBRACEDprojectshave,together,progressedin

improvinganticipatory,absorptiveandadaptivecapacities,andinachieving

transformativechangeattheendofyear1.


Level of progress to date: BRACEDprojectsappeartobeontrackto

achievesomepositiveoutcome-levelchanges.However,year1project

reportsdonottellustheextenttowhichtheywillachievechanges

inoutcome-levelindicators.Foradaptivecapacityindicatorsaround

naturalresourcemanagement,itmaytakemuchlongerthanthree

yearstoseesubstantialchangesina)environmentalregenerationand

b)thewayspeopleinteractwiththenaturalworld.Similarly,levelsof

savings(usedasaproxyforabsorptivecapacity)mayincreasewiththe

establishmentofvoluntarysavingsandloansgroups,butweshouldnot

expectbeneficiarieslivingunderthepovertylinetoaccruesubstantial

savingsinafewyears.Itmaybepossibletomeetanticipatorycapacity


4.UNDERSTANDING RESILIENCE OUTCOMES


targetsthrough,forexample,theestablishmentofearlywarning

systemsandelaboratingdisasterriskmanagementplans.However,

thiswillnottellushoweffectiveearlywarningsystemsanddisaster

managementplanshavebeeninpracticewhenpeopledealtwith

disasterevents.

Atboththeprogrammeandtheprojectlevel,weneedtobecautious

whendescribingthesechanges.Thiswillensurethatwearebeingtrue

tothenatureoftheseoutcomesontheground.AlthoughBRACED

projectsarerighttobeambitious,thetimeframeoftheprogramme

meansthat,insomeareas,onlymarginalchangeswillbeachieved.

Theextenttowhichwewillobserveprogresswillbeclearinyear3,

andtheseresultsmaychallengesomeoftheprogramme’sassumptions

abouthowtobuildresilienceeffectively.

Emerging lessons

• When communities define resilience priorities, activities are

oriented around enhancing anticipatory and absorptive capacity.

The3Asframeworkhypothesisesthatallthreecapacitiesareneeded

toenhanceresilienceandadapttolonger-termclimaticchanges.

Yet,insomecases,communitiesthemselvespreferredfocusing

onbuildingresiliencecapacitiestodealwithimmediatethreats.

BRACEDprojectsoperateincontextswheretheclimateisalready

changing,however,andprioritisingimmediatethreatstopeople’s

livesisanimportantsteptoadaptingtothecurrentclimate.As

BRACEDprojectscontinueinyears2and3,itisimportanttothink

abouthowanticipatoryandabsorptivecapacitiescanbebuiltin

waysthatprovideasolidfoundationforbuildingadaptivecapacity

inthelonger-term.

• For some outcomes, project-level reporting differs from the

conceptual understanding of the resilience capacities described

in the 3As framework.Thelargestdiscrepanciesbetweenproject

reportingandthe3Asframeworkinvolvethe:useofclimate

information;roleofsavingsandincome;importanceoflearning

fromdisasterevents;androleofsocialcapital.Thesediscrepancies

showhow,insomecases,oneinterventioncancontributeto

multipleresiliencecapacities.Theyalsohighlightopportunities

whereproject-levelreportingcancollectmoredetailedinformation

thatisnotcapturedintheexistingchoiceofindicators,by

supplementingquantitativemetricswithqualitativeinformation


usingthetemplatesprovided.Exploringthesepointsofdivergence

canimprovetheevidencebasearoundtheinterventionsthat

supportresilience.Theycanalsovalidateorchallengetheories

onhowtobuildcommunityresilience,atscale.

• The BRACED programme may generate more achievements in

building anticipatory and absorptive capacity than adaptive

capacity (or transformation).Absorptiveandanticipatory

capacitiesmightbemorerelevanttothethree-yeartimeframeof

theBRACEDprogramme,evenifBRACEDprojectsshouldalso

supportadaptivecapacityinthelonger-term.Additionally,inplaces

wheretheclimatehasnoticeablychanged,dealingwithpresent

shocksandstressesis astrategyforbuildingadaptivecapacity.At

present,thereisnotenoughevidencetopredictthatBRACEDasa

programmewillachievemoregainsinanticipatoryandabsorptive

capacities,buttheseearlyinsightsshouldbefolloweduponand

elaboratedfurtherinyear2and3reporting.

How do we track progress? BRACEDprojectsreportagainsttwoInternational

ClimateFundkeyperformanceindicators(KPIs)attheoutcomelevel:KPI4

andKPI15.Thefirst,KPI4,isdefinedas‘the number of people whose resilience

has been improved as a result of BRACED support’.Thisnumberisderivedfrom

collatingproject-levelreportingattheoutcomelevel,whereprojectshave

identifiedtheproject-specificoutcomeindicatorsthatwilldemonstratechanges

inresilience.Inordertounderstandhowresiliencehaschanged,IPshavetagged

theseindicatorstoresiliencecapacities.BRACEDdefinesresiliencecapacitiesas

anticipatory,absorptiveandadaptive,alsoknownasthe‘3As’.Insomecases,

projectshaveidentifiedadditionalindicatorsfortransformativechange.Here,IPs

decidehowtoweighttheindicatorsaccordingtotheirprojecttheoriesofchange

andhowtheyexpecttoseeprogressinbuildingresilience.

Thesecondindicatorallprojectsreportagainstistheself-assessedoutcome-level

qualitativeKPI15,whichisdefinedas‘the extent to which interventions are likely

to have a transformational impact’.Duringyear1,IPswereencouragedtoreport

againstchangestheyinterpretedasrepresentingthe‘pillars’and‘characteristics’

oftransformationasdefinedbyBRACED.Moredetailsonthe3Asframeworkare

availableinNote4oftheBRACEDM&EGuidanceNotesandthepaper‘The3As:

TrackingresilienceacrossBRACED‘.


http://www.braced.org/news/i/?id=cd95acf8-68dd-4f48-9b41-24543f69f9f1

http://www.braced.org/news/i/?id=cd95acf8-68dd-4f48-9b41-24543f69f9f1


Complementing KPI 4

TheInternationalClimateFund’sKPI4isamandatoryoutcome-levelindicator

forallBRACEDprojectsintheirlogframes.Theindicatorreferstothe‘number

of people whose resilience has been improved as a result of BRACED support’

andisthebenchmarkofBRACEDprogramme-levelachievementsin

resilience-building.

Inyear1,projectsreportedthattheresilienceof129,987peoplehadbeen

improved.ThisfigureisbasedonIPs’logicalframeworkreportingwhichis

thencompiled,qualityassuredandaggregatedbytheBRACEDFundManager.

Althoughmostprojectsdidnotreportattheoutcomelevelinyear1,this

synthesisintendstoexplainthisfigureonanannualbasis,identifyingwhat

kindofprogresshasbeenachievedandthenatureofexpectedoutcomes,

usingthe3AsandAreasofChangeframeworks.BecausemostIPsdidnot

reportoutcomesthisyear,thereisnotsufficientdatatoexplainthefigure

reportedindetail.However,byreviewingallprojectreports,itispossibleto

identifywaysthatprojectsareworkingtowardsthegoalsoutlinedintheir

theoriesofchangethatwillcontributetoKPI4.

Thissectionpresentsemergingfindingsfromyear1attheoutcomelevel.The

challengesandemerginglessonsinusingthe3Asandtransformationframework

forunderstandingprojectandprogrammeresilienceoutcomesarediscussedin

thecompanionreport,’Routestoresilience:lessonsfrommonitoringBRACED’.

4.1 The resilience capacities being builtTheultimateintendedoutcomeofBRACEDprojectsistostrengthenclimateand

disasterresilienceoftargetedpopulations.Asalreadymentioned,year1project-

levelreportingdemonstratedanincreaseintheresilienceof129,987individuals

forthefourprojectsthatconductedadditionalsurveyingbeyondtheirbaselines

(KPI4).Thisfigureisanearlysignofprogress,butittellsuslessaboutthenature

oftheoutcome-levelchangesthatIPsexpecttoseeorthechallengestheyhave

encounteredalongtheway.Resilienceisamulti-facetedconcept,andprojects

intendtosupportpeople’sresiliencecapacitiesindiverseways.Tocomplement

thequantitativeKPI4measureofresilience,thissynthesisexaminesresilience

outcomesthroughthe3Asframeworkbyreviewingtheoutcomeindicators

thatfeedintoKPI4.The3Asframeworkwasdevelopedtohelpdeconstruct

resilience-buildingintoasetofresilience‘functions’.Theframeworkdraws

onresiliencetheorytobreakresiliencedownintothreemajorcomponents:

• thecapacitytoanticipateashockorstress

• thecapacitytoabsorbandrecoverfromitsimpacts

• thecapacitytoadapttolonger-termclimate-relatedchanges.



Itdescribestransformationasanapproachthatattemptstoengineer

substantialchangethroughpolicy,leadership,empowerment,technology

andinnovation.Thisfocusencouragesresilience-buildingprogrammestomove

beyondincrementalchangesinpeople’sabilitytomanageshocksandstresses.

Italsotransformspatternsofvulnerability.

“Applyingthe3AsframeworktoprojectM&Edataisunderpinnedbyanintentiontohelpusunderstandthe extent to whichprojectshave

progressedinbuildingresilience”

Applyingthe3AsframeworktoprojectM&Edataisunderpinnedbyan

intentiontohelpusunderstandthe extent to whichprojectshaveprogressed

inbuildingresilience.Itispossiblethatacommunityiscapableofanticipating

andpreparingforadisaster,butisnotabletorecoverfromitsimpacts.

Alternatively,ahouseholdcouldbewell-placedtowithstandaone-offstress,

butlacktheresourcesandcapacitytoadaptinthelonger-termtoincreasedand

sustainedclimatevariability.Thissectionofthereportaddssomedepthtothe

initialBRACEDoutcomefigurebyconsideringa)howprojectsareprogressing

againstaholisticsetofresiliencecapacitiesandb)whethertheyareenabling

transformativechange,toprovideamoregroundedpictureofwhatthe

BRACEDprogrammecanexpecttoachieve.

Finally,conceptualisingresilienceintermsofcapacitiesputshumanagencyat

thecentreofresilience-building.Unlikeafocusonassetsorincome,afocuson

capacitiesputsemphasisonpeople’schoicesandactions.Whenattempting

toquantifyresiliencecapacities,suchasthroughKPI4,itisimportanttonote

thatthemereexistenceofacapacitydoesnotmeanitwillbeapplied.BRACED

beneficiariesmayhaveaccesstoclimateinformationandthenecessarytraining

tounderstandit,butcouldchoosenottouseittoinformtheirlivelihood

decisions(adaptivecapacity).Similarly,peoplecouldaccumulatesavingsthrough

participationinavillagesavingsandloansassociation,butchoosetoallocate

householdsavingsforotherpurposesandlacknecessaryresourcesduringa

shockorstress(absorptivecapacity).Acapacity-focusedframeworklikethe3As

enablesustounderstandprogressinbuildingresiliencecapacitieswithrespect

tointerventions,butitdoesnottellushowpeoplebehaveandwhatchoices

theymakewhenconfrontedwithashockorstress.Effortstoquantifyresilience

shouldtakecarewhendescribingchangesinresiliencecapacities,asthesewill

ultimatelybecontingentonpeople’sattitudesandchoices.

MostIPswerenotabletoprovideoutcome-leveldataorevidenceintheir

earlystagesofprojectdeliveryatthetimeofyear1reporting.Instead,reports

describedwhichindicatorswouldbetrackedtounderstandchangesinresilience

capacitiesbytheendofBRACEDprojectimplementation.Thefourprojects

thatwereabletoprovidedataonprogressagainstindicatorsshowedvery


smallchangesormixedresultsintermsofresilience-relatedindicators.These

resultscanbeattributedtoarangeoffactors,includingtheprematurityof

trackingoutcomeindicatorsinyear1,highseasonalvariabilitythatlimited

thecomparabilityofsurveyresultsanddelaysinprojectimplementationthat

preventedprojectsfromachievingtheirdesiredyear1goalsintime.Accordingly,

thisanalysisfocusesonthepotentialforenhancingresilience,examiningthe

choiceofoutcomeindicatorstrackedinyear1projectreportsandrelyingonthe

narrativeprovidedbyIPsontheirprogressinbuildingresiliencecapacities.

Resilience capacities: emerging themes

Threethemesemergefromananalysisofprojectreportingagainstthe3As.

EMERGING THEME 1: BUILDING ANTICIPATORY CAPACITY THROUGH EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS, RESILIENCE PLANNING, AND USE OF CLIMATE INFORMATION

Anticipatory capacity is the ability of social systems to anticipate and reduce the

impact of climate variability and extremes through preparedness and planning.

Anticipatory capacity is seen in proactive action before a foreseen event to avoid

upheaval, either by avoiding or reducing exposure or by minimising vulnerability

to specific hazards.23

Improvementsinanticipatorycapacityweremostevidentinprojectsthat

establishedearlywarningsystemsanddisastermanagementcommitteesin

year1ofprojectimplementation.Theseachievementsdidnotrequireextensive

surveyingtoreportconcreteprogress,whichincludedthecompletionof

resiliencetrainingsandthedevelopmentofdisastermanagementorresilience

plans.Encouragingly,thesedisasterriskmanagement/resilienceplanswerea

methodoflinkingtoandinfluencinglocalornationalgovernmentplanningin

fourprojects(ANUKULAN, RIC4REC, PRESENCES, Myanmar Alliance).

Inadditiontoearlywarningsystemsandresilienceplanning,fiveIPsciteduse

ofclimateinformationasakeycomponentofenhancinganticipatorycapacity

(IRISS, DCF, PRESENCES, PROGRESS, WHH),inadditiontothreeIPswho

reportedthisasacomponentofadaptivecapacity(CIARE, Myanmar Alliance,

PROGRESS).Theseprojectsreportedvaryinglevelsofprogressintheuptakeof

climateinformation,butthemajoritywereatleastatastagewheretheywere

abletodisseminateclimateinformationtocommunitymembers(seesection

3.1formoredetail).Uptakeofclimateinformationprovedachallengeinsome

contexts;intheBRICSprojectinSudan,theprojectreportstatedthatpastoral

communitieswerelessreceptiveandsometimesdistrustedmodernweather

informationservices.Supportinguseofclimateinformationforlivelihood

decisionsrequireddifferentstrategiesfordifferenttargetgroups.

23 bahadur,a.v.,Peters,k.,Wilkinson,E.,Pichon,F.,gray,k.andtanner,t.(2015)the3as:trackingresilienceacrossbracED.bracEDknowledgemanagerWorkingPaper.London:oDi.



Figure 8: Anticipatory capacity outcome indicators

Note.RelatedindicatorshavebeengroupedtoprovideanindicationofwhatoutcomesBRACEDIPsexpecttoseeinthetimeframeoftheirprojectinterventions.

Theestablishmentofcommunity-basedearlywarningsystemswasanother

pathwaytowardsenhancinganticipatorycapacity,withsevenprojectstracking

indicatorsrelatedtoearlywarningsystems(Zaman Lebidi, SUR1M, RIC4REC,

Myanmar Alliance, MAR, CIARE, ANUKULAN, BRICS).TheMARprojectin

Ethiopiawasabletoreportquantitativeimprovementinthereporteduseof

community-basedearlywarningsystems.Surveyresultsfoundthat35%ofthe

populationusedcommunity-basedearlywarningsystems,upfrom20%ofthe

populationatthebaseline.Withoutashockorastresstotesttheearlywarning

system,itisdifficulttodrawconclusionsastowhetherincreasedaccesstoearly

warningtranslatestobetterpreparedness.

Onemethodofgaugingpreparednessisbylookingatthecommunities’responsesto

localisedclimateshocksthatoccurredinthefirstyearoftheBRACEDprogramme.

InMyanmar,preparednessmeasureswereputtothetestwhenafire24brokeout

andcommunitymemberswereabletoextinguishitbeforeofficialfireservices

arrivedatthescene,savinganestimated60homes(Myanmar Alliance).The

MyanmarAllianceprojectdocumentscreditthistotheearlyactionbycommunity

membersandequipmentprovidedbyBRACEDatthebehestofcommunity

memberswhohadprioritisedfireasthemostpressingclimacticthreattotheir

communities.Inanothercase,theSUR1MprojectinNigerfoundthatpocketsof

extremefoodinsecurityrelatedtopestinfestations,aswellasirregulardistribution

ofrain,werecommon.However,thereportstatesthatmanybeneficiariesinNiger

wereabletousecertifiedseedsandclimate-smartagriculturepracticestohavehigh

enoughyields,evenaftertheimpactofdroughtandpests,toprovideanetbenefit

ofsurplusproductionthatcouldbestoredforconsumptionorsalelater.

24 Firesthoughttobearesultofclimatechangearenotnecessarilysubstantiatedinthereport.

Early warning system

Numbers of projects tracking related indicator

Access to and useof climate information

Disaster risk managementplanning

Out

com

e in

dica

tor

Improved agriculturaltechniques

Rights and ownershipof livestock

Use of pastoralist corridors

7 86543210


EMERGING THEME 2: IMPROVED NUTRITION AND ACCESS TO FINANCIAL RESOURCES AS KEY COMPONENTS OF ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY

The ability of social systems to absorb and cope with the impacts of climate

variability and extremes is known as ‘absorptive capacity’. It refers to the ability

of social systems, using available skills and resources, to face and manage adverse

conditions, emergencies or disasters.25

Gainsinabsorptivecapacityweretrackedinanumberofwaysthroughoutthe

projects,thoughthemostcommonwasthroughtheuseofindicatorsrelated

touseofsavingsandcredit.26Reportsusedindicatorsrelatedtoaccessto

savingsandcredit,socialcapitalandfoodreservesorimproveddietarydiversity.

Indicatorsrelatedtoaccesstoinfrastructuremarketsweretaggedagainst

absorptivecapacityintwoprojects(DCF, Livestock Mobility),thoughthe

remaining12projectsconvergedontheimportanceoffinanceandfoodtoabsorb

theimpactsofcrises.Asmentionedinsection3,accesstosavingsandcreditwas

commonlysupportedthroughsavingsgroups,whichhadanadditionalobjective

ofenhancingsocialcapitalandformalisingtraditionalsocialprotectionschemes.

Womenformedatleasthalf–ifnotthemajority–ofmembershipinthese

groups,withprojectsindicatingthatthiscouldlaythefoundationforgreater

decision-makingpowerinthehouseholdandcommunity.

Figure 9: Absorptive capacity outcome indicators

Note. RelatedindicatorshavebeengroupedtoprovideanindicationofwhatoutcomesBRACEDIPsexpecttoseeinthetimeframeoftheirprojectinterventions.

25 bahadur,a.v.,Peters,k.,Wilkinson,E.,Pichon,F.,gray,k.andtanner,t.(2015)the3as:trackingresilienceacrossbracED.bracEDknowledgemanagerWorkingPaper.London:oDi.

26 theroleofsocialprotectioninbuildingabsortivecapacityisexploredinulrichs,m.(2016)‘increasingpeople’sresiliencetoshocksthroughsocialprotection’.bracEDknowledgemanagerresilienceintel.London:oDi.

Out

com

e in

dica

tor

Savings and credit

Nutrition/food reserves

Improved coping strategies

Access to markets/infrastructure

Social capital

DRM trainings and plansAdoption of agricultural

techniques

Diversified income

Adoption of insurance

76543210

Numbers of projects tracking related indicator


http://www.braced.org/resources/i/?id=6ced93f1-78a8-4325-8962-6401d5e9e980


Despitetheseactionstoimproveabsorptivecapacity,afewoftheIPsoperating

inmorechallengingcontexts,particularlythoseprojectareasaffectedbydrought,

observedbeneficiariesadoptsomenegativecopingstrategies.Thiswasmeasured

usingtheCopingStrategiesIndex,whichindicateshowmanynegativecoping

strategiesahouseholdisadopting.Thisfindingmustbetreatedwithcaution;

theproject-levelreportingdidnotspecifywhichstrategieswerebeingusedand

thesamplingmethodswerenotabletoaccountforseasonality.Withoutmore

information,thiscannotbeusedasanindicationthattheprojectdidnotmake

anygainsinsupportingabsorptivecapacity.Itdoes,nonetheless,raiseattention

totheabsenceofdiscussionaboutwhethereffortstobuildresiliencecapacities

helpedreducetheimpactsofshocksorstressesthatoccurredintheproject

area.Adeeperengagementwiththerealityofbeneficiaries’experienceswould

goalongwayinhelpingprogramme-levelreportingmakesenseofwhetherthe

BRACEDmodelisabletosupportresiliencecapacitiesindifficultcontextsand,

ifso,howitdoesthis.

EMERGING THEME 3: WORKING ACROSS LONGER TIME SCALES TO BUILD ADAPTIVE CAPACITY

Adaptive capacity is the ability of social systems to adapt to multiple, long-term

and future climate change risks, and also to learn and adjust after a disaster. It is

the capacity to take deliberate and planned decisions to achieve a desired state even

when conditions have changed or are about to change.

TheBRACEDprogrammeintendstobuildadaptivecapacityinawealthofways,

andthediversityofapproachesisreflectedinthechoiceofoutcomeindicators

theIPsaretracking.Duringyear1,adaptivecapacitywascross-taggedwiththe

highestnumberofindicators,rangingfromaccesstowater,adoptionofbusiness

practices,improvedincome,changesinherdsize,andapplicationofclimate-

smartagriculturalpractices.Trackingadoptionoftechnologiesandimproved

productionorincomewerethemostcommonapproaches.Forclimate-smart

agricultureprojects,‘adoptionofclimate-smarttechnologyortechniques’-related

indicatorsareimportantproxiesforunderstandingtheadaptationbehaviours

thatfarmersundertakewiththematerialsandknowledgegainedthroughthe

BRACEDprogramme.Muchoftheprogresstowardsthesekeyindicatorshas

beenthroughprovisionoftrainingsonspecifictechniques,suchasinoff-season

vegetablefarming(ANUKULAN)oronsmartbusinessskillsforagricultural

activities(SUR1M).Theresultsofthesetrainingsareintendedtotranslateinto

outcome-levelindicators,butinyear1theseactivitiesdidnotyieldoutcome-

levelresults.


Figure 10: Adaptive capacity outcome indicators

Note. RelatedindicatorshavebeengroupedtoprovideanindicationofwhatoutcomesBRACEDIPsexpecttoseeinthetimeframeoftheirprojectinterventions.

Afewprojectstrackedindicatorsofadaptivecapacitythatarelinkedtoother

capacitiesinthe‘3As’conceptualframework.Accesstoanduseofcredit

andsavingsisdescribedasanimportantcomponentofabsorptivecapacity

intheconceptualframework,butprojectsalsoreportedthisasacomponent

ofadaptivecapacity.Threeprojectscategorised‘useofcreditandsavings’as

adaptive,explainingthatsavingsandcreditsupportedhouseholdstomake

investmentsinclimate-resilientproduction(PRESENCES, PROGRESS, SUR1M).

Otherindicatorswereusedacrossallthreeresiliencecapacities,suchasinthe

Livestock Mobilityproject.Theirindicator‘changes in pastoral women, men

and children counted on corridors’,whichintendstotrackfluidityoflivestock

movements,wasconsideredindicativeofanticipatory,adaptiveandanticipatory

capacity.Theprojectreportexplainedthatthisindicatorprovidesinformation

abouttimingofdepartureandthatofdestockingbeforetranshumance,along

withthenumberofpeopleleavingahousehold.Thiscanshowhowpastoral

familiesareanticipatingclimaticevents,adaptingtolonger-termchangesand

absorbingclimateimpacts(bymovingelsewhere).

Out

com

e in

dica

tor

Improved production or income

Adoption of climate smartetechnology/techniques

Natural resource management

Credit and savings

Income diversification

Improved food security

Access to water

Use of pastoralist corridors

Adoption of business practices

Availability of energy products

Change in herd size or density

Women’s empowerment

Access to or use ofclimate information

Numbers of projects tracking related indicator7 86543210


Broadly,adaptivecapacitywasconsideredmorechallengingtobuildwithinthe

timescalesofBRACEDprojects.TheDCFprojectoptednottotrackchangesin

adaptivecapacityatall,explainingthatinthelongertermallactivitieswouldbe

consideredadaptive,butthat‘we have reported outcomes under absorptive and

anticipatory capacities, as our assessment shows that these will be most relevant in

the timeframe of the project’.Indeed,inprojectswherecommunitiesprioritised

resilienceactions,activitiesmeanttoenhanceanticipatoryandabsorptive

capacitieswerefavoured.Accordingtoprojectreports,incrementalclimatic

changesarelessvisibletocommunitymembersandthuslesslikelytoprompt

immediateaction.Furthermore,adaptivecapacityinterventionsoftenneedto

beaccompaniedwithsignificantbehaviouralandsocialchangesthattendto

bedifficulttomoveortrackintheshortterm.

The3Asframeworkemphasisesakeyelementofadaptivecapacitythatisnot

trackedintheBRACEDprojectindicators:theabilitytolearnfromdisturbances,

andthusrecoverinawaythatreducesvulnerabilitytothesameshockshould

ithappenagain.Afterasignificantdisasterevent,theremaybeawindowof

opportunityto‘buildbackbetter’,bringingtogetherstakeholdersaffectedand

determiningamoreresilientdevelopmenttrajectory.SomeBRACEDIPsdealt

withshocksandstressesinyear1(seesection4.3)andtheirdocumentationof

thechangestheseeventsmayhavebroughtaboutatthelocallevelpresents

anopportunitytotrackhowBRACEDhassupportedadaptivecapacityduring

arecoveryperiod.Becauseofthecontext-specificnatureofdisasterrecovery

experiences,thistypeofinformationisnotwell-suitedtoasingleindicator.

Elaboratinganarrativeonexperiencesoflearningfromdisturbancescould

beincludedinnextyear’sreporting,whichwillaskabouttheexperienceof

shocksandstressesintheprojectarea.

Point for reflection: There are instances where resilience theory

and practice diverge

Thedefinitions,descriptions,andproposedindicatorsthatIPsusetotrack

resiliencecapacitiesintheirannualreportsbroadlymirrorthosesuggested

inthe3Asframework.Yetafewkeyelementsdifferfromtheconceptual

understandingoftheresiliencecapacitiesitsetsout.Theseareexploredbelow.

IPsthatappliedaslightlydifferentunderstandingofhowresiliencecapacities

arebuilt,intheiryear1reporting,arenotwrong.Rather,thishighlights

interestingquestionstoexploreattheproject-leveltovalidateandchallenge

someoftheideasunderpinningthe3Astheoriesabouthowtobuildresilience

atthecommunity-level,atscale.

• The ability to learn from disturbances, as well as recover in a way that

reduces vulnerability to future shocks, is embedded in the definition

of adaptive capacity in the 3As framework, but was absent from

projects’ outcome reporting.Understandingwhetherhouseholdsor

communitieswereableto‘buildbackbetter’afteradisastereventisa

processthatisnoteasilyencapsulatedinasingleindicator,soprojects

haveunderstandablyfocusedtheiroutcome-levelM&Eeffortselsewhere.


Nonetheless,documentingthislearningprocess–ifandwhenithappens–

isespeciallyimportant,giventhatBRACEDbeneficiarieshavedealtwith

shocksandstressesinyear1.WithsupportfromBRACEDIPs,communities

thathaveexperienceddisastereventsmaybeabletoaddressunderlying

vulnerabilitiesinawaythatmakesthemmoreresilienttothateventin

thefuture,demonstratingahighlevelofadaptivecapacity.Theproject

annualreportasksaboutexperienceofdisastereventsinthisintheproject

area,andthisquestioncouldbeexpandedtorecordhowcommunity-level

decision-makingchangedinthewakeofdisturbances,duringyear1.

• Inthe3Asframework,theuseofclimateinformationisconsideredavital

componentofadaptivecapacity. With the exception of one project,

access to and use of climate information in BRACED was considered to

contribute to anticipatory or adaptive capacity, but not both.The3As

frameworkarguesthatlong-termclimateinformationisvitalforadaptive

capacityandthatshort-termweatherforecastsandwarningsonimpending

hazardsareimportantforanticipatorycapacity.Intheiroutcomeindicators,

mostprojectsdidnotdistinguishbetweenthesetwotypesofdataduring

BRACEDyear1,sodrawingconclusionsaboutwhethertheywerereferring

totheuseofclimateinformationforlong-termplanningorshort-term

preparednesswasnotpossible.Foragriculture-relatedprojects,however,

thelinebetweenusingclimateinformationforadaptiveoranticipatory

decisionsisparticularlythin–usingclimateinformationtodetermine

whentoplant,whentoharvestandwhatcropvarietiestoplantcan

enhancebothanticipatoryandadaptivecapacity.Climateandweather

informationenablesfarmerstoanticipatewhenshort-termclimateand

weatherchangesmayaffectcrops,whilealsoinformingtheirlonger-term

adaptivechoices.

• Access to credit and savings was considered important for both

adaptive and absorptive capacity during BRACED year 1. The3As

frameworkarguesthatsavingsandsafetynetsarecrucialinsupporting

absorptivecapacitybecausetheyallowpeopletoaccessresourcesto

smoothconsumptionandmaintainlevelsofwell-beingduringdifficult

periods.Sixprojectstagged‘accesstocreditandsavings’orparticipation

involuntarysavingsandloansgroupsasanindicatorofabsorptive

capacity,mirroringtheguidanceinthe3Asframework.However,three

projectsalsousedthesameindicatortotrackadaptivecapacity,stating

thatsavingscouldbeusedtoinvestintobusinessesandlivelihoods.The

limitedinformationavailablefromprojectssofarwouldsuggestthatsome

outcomes(i.e.enhancedsavingsandaccesstocredit)couldenhancemore

thanonecapacity,dependingonwhethertheresourceswerespenton

householdconsumptionorinvestmentpurposes.

• Agrowingbodyofresearchsuggeststhatsocial capital is an important

component of resilient communities, and that social relations,

networks and common values are vital to functioning after a shock or


stress(Adger,2003;27Woodsonetal.,2015)28.Onlyoneproject(Livestock

Mobility)trackssocialcapital,usingaproxyindicatorlookingatthe

‘distribution of rights of use within family herds’tounderstandtheextent

towhichpastoralistscanrelyonsocialnetworkswithintheircommunity

andwithexternalcommunitygroups.Theprojectarguesthat‘resilience

is increased by the ability to negotiate access to resources through strong

social networks’.WhileLivestockMobilitymaybetheonlyprojectusing

adirect(albeitproject-specific)proxyforsocialcapital,BRACEDprojects

haveastrongemphasisonsupportingcommunitygroupsforsavingsand

loansassociations,disasterriskreductionplanning,andenhancinguptake

ofclimate-smartfarmingpractices.Understandingwhetherthesegroups

strengthensocialnetworksandenhancereciprocityintheaftermathofa

shockorstresswouldprovideinsightastohowprojectshaveenhanced

absorptivecapacity.Asitstands,BRACEDM&Esystemsarenotdesigned

tomonitorthisattheoutcomelevel.

Therewasalsoevidenceofsomesuccessesinmanagingsmall,localisedclimate

shocksandstressesresultingfromBRACEDsupport.InMyanmar,asalready

mentioned,communitymemberstrainedindisasterriskmanagementwere

abletoextinguishafirethreatening60homesbeforeofficialsarrivedonscene.

Previously,thesetypesofsmallfireshaddestroyedupto50homes.Thesuccess

wasattributedtotheprovisionofequipment,planning,andtrainingsupported

throughBRACED.Thiscasealsopointstothevalueofallowingcommunitiesto

definetheirresiliencepriorities–focusingonfiresafetyhadbeenaparticipatory

choiceratherthanoneprescribedintheprojectdesign.

4.2 Achieving transformationTheBRACEDtheoryofchangehypothesisesthatpeople’scapacityto

anticipate,absorbandadapttoshockscanbebuilt,enhancedandreshaped

throughtransformationalchanges.Putdifferently,BRACEDintendstomove

beyondsupportingincrementalchangesinpeople’sresilienceandsupporta

moreradicalshiftinthedistributionofvulnerabilityinBRACEDprojectlocations.

WithinBRACED,transformationisdefinedasthelikelihoodofhumansystemsto

fundamentallyandsustainablyimprovetheresilienceofvulnerablecitizenstoclimate

impacts.TransformationisaforthcomingareaofresearchfortheBRACEDKM.

27 adger,W.n.(2003),socialcapital,collectiveaction,andadaptationtoclimatechange.Economicgeography,79:387–404.

28 Woodson,L.,Frankenberger,t.,smith,L.,Langworth,m.&Presnall,c.(2016).theEffectsofsocialcapitalonresiliencecapacity:EvidencefromEthiopia,kenya,uganda,nigerandburkinaFaso.reportpreparedbythetechnicalconsortium,aprojectofthecgiar.technicalreportseriesno2:strengtheningtheEvidencebaseforresilienceinthehornofafrica.nairobi,kenya:ajointinternationalLivestockresearchinstitute(iLri)andtangointernationalpublication.


“BRACEDintendstomovebeyondsupportingincrementalchangesinpeople’sresilienceandsupportamoreradicalshiftinthedistributionofvulnerabilityinBRACEDprojectlocations”

Duringyear1,potentialforcatalytictransformation,inwhichapproachescanbe

replicatedandfinancedbyothers,wasmostcommonininterventionswithclear

linkstolocalgovernmentministriesorthathadanexplicitaimtoinstitutionalise

resiliencepractices.Someprojectswereabletoachieveclearsuccessesinthis

regard,withtheWHHprojectinBurkinaFasoreportingreplicationoftheir‘plant

clinic’approachbytheMinistryofAgricultureinsevenadditionalregionsofthe

countryandtheLivestock Mobilityprojectreportinguptakeofitslivestock

moduleontradinginWestAfricabytheWorldBank’sPRAPSprogrammein

theSahel.TheDCFprojectcreatedapartnershipprotocolwiththeSenegalese

governmenttodecentraliseclimatefunds,andhasbeenworkingwiththe

Maliangovernmentonaccreditationforaccessingclimatefinance.Thoughthe

mechanismsarenotyetfunctional,theseexamplesindicatepotentialoverhauls

inthescopeandscaleofresilience-buildingefforts.Somesoftermethodsof

governmentbuy-inwerealsoapparentinBRACEDprojects,withgovernment

ministriesagreeingtosharecostsorprovideconveningspacesforcommunity

groupsworkingonresilienceissues.Governmentrecognitionthatresilience-

buildingisapublicgoodandsubsequentlydirectlyfacilitatingtheseactivities

isapromisingsteptowardsbuildingmomentumforhigherlevelpolicyshifts.

Achieving transformation: emerging themes

Lookingacrosstheprojectannualreportsforyear1,thereisoneemergingtheme.

EMERGING THEME 4: EMPOWERING WOMEN AND LINKING UP WITH GOVERNMENT

IPsalsoreportedontransformationinrelationtogenderrelations,withmany

citingthepotentiallytransformativeimpactsofinvolvingwomeninleadership

positionsincommunitysavingsgroups,disasterriskmanagementplanning

andclimate-smartagriculturecommittees.Capturingintangibleprocessesof

participationandempowermentisdifficult,butmovingfromadhoccitizen

engagementtomoreregularinputstothecommunityandthelocalgovernment

throughforumsfacilitatedbyBRACEDhaspotentialforgenuineempowerment.

Afewprojectsreportedthatwomen’ssocialstatuswaschangingasaresultof

beingtrainedasleaders,suchasintheSUR1Mproject.Inleadershippositions

infarmingassociations,womenwereabletoofferadviceonclimate-smart

agriculturepracticesandgarnerprestigewithinthecommunity.Itislikelythat

theseattitudinalandbehaviouralchangesthatIPsself-reportedwillneedto

continuebeyondthelifetimeoftheBRACEDprogramme.However,projectsare

demonstratingpromisingsignsofpavingthewayforempowermentofwomen

insocietieswithdeeplyentrenchedgendernorms.


Throughtheyear1reporting,itbecameapparentthatIPsmayhavefelt

compelledtooverreportpotentialfortransformation.Manyprojectscitedsmall

changesrelatedtoprojectoutputsaspotentiallytransformative.Thoughthis

evidenceofchangeisbestunderstoodwithinthecontext,thereisapossibility

thattheBRACEDprogramme’sstrongemphasisontransformationwithinthe

conceptualframeworkputspressureonIPstoframeallevidenceofchangeas

transformative.IfBRACEDstrivestocontributetotransformativechange,itis

importantnottodilutethisconcept.

Lastly,BRACEDambitionsaroundgenderempowermentweregenerally

trackedthroughnormalindicators,disaggregatingstatisticsbygender.SUR1M

andANUKULANwereexceptionstothisrule.ANUKULANtrackedchangesin

adaptivecapacitybymeasuringachangeinaverageWomen’sEmpowerment

inAgricultureIndexscore.Similarly,SUR1Mincludedanambitiousoutcome

indicatortrackingtheaverageproportionofwomenelectedatregular

municipalitysessions.Theprojectdesignedtrainingstoimprovewomen’s

representationinlocalpolitics,andfoundthattheoutcomeindicatorexceeded

itstargetinyear1(from15%to18%).Thesegender-specificindicatorsarean

interestingmethodoftestinghoweffectiveBRACEDprojectsareinsupporting

women’sempowerment,pushingprojectstofocusonthequalityofparticipation

orhowthatparticipationtranslatestoincreasedacceptanceofwomenin

decision-makingroles.29

4.3 Summary: understanding BRACED outcomesBRACEDprojectsreportonoutcome-levelchangesusingthe3Asframework:

trackinganticipatory,absorptive,andadaptivecapacity,aswellasthepotential

fortransformation.Generally,projectsintendedtobuildabsorptivecapacityby

enhancingaccesstofinanceandimprovingnutrition,andsupportanticipatory

capacitybyreinforcingDRRplanningandensuringaccesstoearlywarning

systems.Adaptivecapacityoutcomeindicatorswerevaried,andmanyofthese

trackedlonger-termlivelihoodandenvironmentalchanges.IPsalsoreportedon

transformation,withmanyprojectsidentifyinggenderempowermentandthe

linkingofinterventionstogovernmentstrategiesastwoimportantavenuesfor

unlockingtransformationalchange.AreviewofIPs’reportsagainstthe3Asand

transformationframeworkrevealsthat,despitethedifferingcontextstheprojects

areoperatingin,thereareclearthemesthatarecommonacrossthesetofprojects:

29 Forareviewofdifferentapproachestoincorporatinggenderandequalityobjectivesintoresilienceprojectsandmonitoringgenderequalityoutcomes,seeLemasson,v.,norton,a.andWilkinson,E.(2016)‘genderandresilience’.bracEDknowledgemanager.WorkingPaper.London:oDi.



understanding resilience outcomes: lessons learnt

Anticipatory, absorptive and adaptive capacities and transformative change

• Theme 1:buildinganticipatorycapacitythroughearlywarningsystems,resilienceplanninganduseofclimateinformation

• Theme 2:improvednutritionandaccesstofinancialresourcesaskeycomponentsofabsorptivecapacity

• Theme 3:Workingacrosslonger-timescalestobuildadaptivecapacity

• Theme 4:Empoweringwomenandlinkingupwithgovernment

Inprojectswherecommunitiesthemselvesdefinedresiliencepriorities,activities

wereorientedaroundenhancinganticipatoryandabsorptivecapacity,which

wereperceivedasmoretangiblethanadaptingtofuturerisks.Dealingwith

currentrisksandthreats,particularlyincontextswherecommunitiesare

alreadywitnessingunprecedentedclimaticextremes,isalogicalfirststepfor

communitiesthatarehighlyvulnerabletoclimatechange.Asprojectsprovide

outcome-leveldatainyears2and3,understandinghowresiliencecapacities

interrelate–andrevisitingwhetheradaptivecapacityismorechallengingtobuild

inthelifespanofaBRACEDintervention–willbekeyinsightstoinformtheories

forbuildingcommunity-levelresilienceontheground.

78ROUTES TO RESILIENCE: INSIGHTS FROM BRACED YEAR 1 rEsiLiEncEincontExt

“BRACEDmonitoringandresultsreportingeffortspayparticularattentiontounderstanding

notonlyhowtheclimaticcontextaffectsproject’sprogressbutalsohowthe

socioeconomic,politicalandsocialcontextsthatprojectsoperatewithinenableorlimitchange”

About context in BRACED:TheBRACEDprogrammetheoryofchange

acknowledgesthatBRACEDisnottheonlyinitiativeworkingonstrengthening

resiliencetoclimateanddisastershocksandstresses.BRACEDislocatedwithin

awidersetofinternationalandnationaldevelopmentactionsonavarietyof

issues,includingdisasterriskmanagement,climatechange,economicgrowth,

livelihoods,povertyreductionandgovernance.BRACEDprojectsareworking

inplaceswhereenvironmentalandclimate-relatedrisksalsointeractwithpre-

existingsocial,economicandpoliticalstresses,suchaspoorgovernance,chronic

foodinsecurity,entrenchedgrievancesandinstability.BRACEDmonitoringand

resultsreportingeffortspayparticularattentiontounderstandingnotonlyhow

theclimaticcontextaffectsproject’sprogressbutalsohowthesocioeconomic,

politicalandsocialcontextsthatprojectsoperatewithinenableorlimitchange.

5. RESILIENCE IN CONTEXT

image:scottWallace(Worldbank)


Specifically,thesearethegovernancestructures,decision-makingprocesses,

incentivesandrelationshipsbetweendifferentgroupsandindividuals.This

sectionexaminestheprevailingcontextsofBRACEDprojectsandassesses

theextenttowhichcontextualfactorshaveenabledorlimitedthechanges

describedintheprevioussections,duringyear1.(MoredetailsontheBRACED

EvaluativeMonitoringapproachareavailableinNote4oftheBRACEDM&E

GuidanceNotes.)


Thetechnicalrhetoricaroundcapacitybuildingandthedistribution

oftechnologiesandagriculturalinputs,alongwiththeformationof

communitygroups,sometimesovershadowsamorehonestnarrativeof

thedifficultiesfacedwhenbuildingresilienceontheground.Duringyear

1ofBRACED,severalIPsaccessedandmadeuseofcontingencyfunding

todealwiththeshocksandstressesaffectingtheirprojects.However,

annualreportsprovidedalimitednarrativeabouttheclimaticcontext

projectshavebeenoperatingin,aswellashowactivitiesandstrategies

implementedbyIPsdealwiththis,andtowhatextent.Togetherwith

IPs,theMRRteamneedtoenhancethiselementofthereportingsystem

inyears2and3.Also,thoughIPshavebeentrackingthepoliticaland

socialdynamics,itisimportanttoformalisethisprocessandcritiquethe

initialassumptionsmadeinproject-leveltheoriesofchange.

Thoughitisstilltooearlytoassesstheimpactofsuchcontextual

factorsonproject-leveloutcomes,itisalsoclearthatthecontexts

inwhichprojectsareoperatingposeparticularchallengesand

opportunities.DuringtheremainderofBRACED,itwillbeimportant

tobetterunderstandwhatthesechallengesandopportunitiesare

andwhattheymightmeanforthescalingupofBRACEDactivities.

Emerging lessons

• Anticipating and managing crisis is central to resilience-

building programmes. Yet, the challenge remains: monitoring

and contextualising results in the face of shocks and stresses.

BRACEDprojectsarebeingimplementedinareaswithrecurrent

crises.Yet,todate,itremainsunclearhowtheyarenotonly

contributingtostrengtheningcommunityresilience,butalso

howtheyareensuringflexibleandadaptableprogrammingto

dealwithshocksandcrisesinongoingareasofintervention.

Systematicmonitoringandevaluationofa)progressandresultsin

thefaceofshocksandstressesandb)theextenttowhichaccess




tocontingencyfundingoffersananswertothischallenge,and

howitcomplementsresilienceprogramming,remainsacritical

gapfortheBRACEDprogramme.

• Context matters and so do pragmatic project designs. The

contextsinwhichprojectsareoperatingposeparticularchallenges

andopportunities.Whileafocusonshocksandstressesis

akeyfeatureofresilience-buildingprogrammes,IPreportsreveal

thatawiderangeofcontextualfactors,includinggovernance,

conflict,genderrelations,culturalnormsandthesocio-economic

environmentimpactonprojectperformance.Anemphasison

climaticshocksandstressesmayovershadowthewidersetof

dynamicsoperatinginaparticularareaorcountry.Whenthinking

aboutthecontextprojectsoperatewithin,thereisatendencyto

considersuchfactorsaspotentialrisks to the implementationof

projectactivitiesandto‘writeaway’risksintotheassumptions

columnofalogframe.Withoutchallenge,suchrisksaredeemed

inevitableoruncontrollable.Thismissesimportantopportunities

forconsideringhowtheBRACEDprogrammecanmakeadvances

inavarietyofareas,suchas:solutionsofconflictresolutionor

peacebuilding;governancestrengthening;andconsideringhowlinks

toprogrammeswiththeseintentionsarenecessaryprerequisitesfor

climateresilienceprogrammes.Acknowledgingthecomplexitiesof

operatingindifficultenvironmentsrequirescomprehensivecontext

analysisthatfostersopenandpragmaticdialogueanddiscussion

aboutwhatcanbeachievedduringthelifetimeofresilience-

buildingprojects.

• Learning about processes and progress in building resilience

requires realistic expectations and moving beyond ‘linear

reporting’. BRACEDIPshaveidentified projectassumptionsin

theirprojectlogframesandtheoriesofchangetoacknowledge

thedynamicsocialandpoliticalenvironmentofBRACEDprojects.

This,inturn,introducesuncertaintyandrequiresiterativeplanning.

However,year1reportstendedtoreflectamechanisticrationale,

assuminga‘linear’progressionofeffectsthattakeplacequasi-

automatically(i.e.irrespectiveoftheactorsinvolvedorcontextual

conditions).Understandingresilienceincontextcallsformore

reflectivereportingandaniterativeprocessofquestioningproject

andprogrammeassumptions.


How do we monitor changes? BRACEDreportingincludesEvaluativeMonitoring

asacriticalpartofthereflectionprocess.Thisbringsanevaluationlensbysituating

thedatacollectedwithinanunderstandingoftheprevailingcontext.Theaimisto

shedsomelightonprojects’risksandassumptionsandtobeexplicitaboutthefact

thatchangeoccursasaresultofmanyactorsandfactors.

5.1 What effect have shocks and stresses had?TheBRACEDtheoryofchangesituatesclimateanddisasterresilienceasan

outcomewhich,inturn,willcontributetotheBRACEDprogramme’sultimate

goalofimprovinghumanwell-being.Thisunderstandingimpliesthatthe

mainobjectiveofBRACEDprojectsistobuildthecapacityofpoorpeopleto

anticipate,absorbandadapttoclimate-relatedshocksandstressesforthe

achievementofthemorefundamentalgoalofimprovinghumanwell-beingin

thecontext of shocks and stresses.30 UnderstandinghowBRACEDiscontributing

tostrengtheningresiliencecannottakeplaceinisolationfromtheclimatic

contextwithinwhichIPsoperate.

Context matters: Year 1 BRACED climatic context

DuringthefirstyearofBRACED,climateanddisasterrelatedshocksaffectednearly

halfofthecountriesinwhichtheprojectsoperate,impactingonprojectprogress.

climate shocks and stresses

timing region/country implementing Partner

Floodingandlandslides

July2015 myanmar myanmaralliance

Flooding July2015 niger PrEsEncEs,sur1m,Livestockmobility

Flooding august2015 burkinaFaso ZamanLebidi

Flooding august2015 Dakar,senegal LiveWithWater

Drought 2014–2016 myanmar myanmaralliance

Drought 2015–2016 Ethiopia mar,ciarE

Flood october2015 Ethiopia mar,ciarE

ThefirstyearofBRACEDwasclimaticallycharacterisedbyoneofthestrongest

ElNiñoeventsonrecord,beginninginMay2015andcontinuingintothenext

year.ElNiñoisstronglyconnectedtoseasonalclimateinEastAfrica,while

havingamoretenuousrelationshipwithclimateintheSahelandSouthAsia.

30 thekmisdocumentinginreal-timewhatworkstostrengthenresilienceduringextremeclimateeventsthroughits‘realityofresilience’initiative.


West Africa

AcrosstheSahel,therewasaweakanddelayedstarttotherainyseasonin

June,compoundingfearsthatElNiñowouldcausedroughtintheregion.

Instead,therainspickedupinJulyandremainedstrongandconsistent

throughoutSeptember,resultinginanaboveaveragerainyseasonforSenegal,

Mauritania,Mali,BurkinaFaso,Niger,partsofSudanandChad.Thiswas

beneficialforcropsandpasturesinmuchoftheregion,whilesomeareas

experiencedlocalisedflooding.

InJuly,floodingalongtheNigerRiveraffected50,000people,killed22and

displacedthousands,includinginthedepartmentswherethePRESENCESand

SUR1Mprojectswereoperating.Themagnitudeofthesefloodswascomparable

toaverageyearsandmuchlessthanthatoftheextremefloodsin2012.

BurkinaFasoalsoexperiencedheavyrainfallandastrongwindeventinAugust

thataffectedtheWHHprojectarea.Thiseventresultedindamagetohousing

andotherstructures,aswellascroplosses.

InDakar,Senegal,veryheavyrainfallresultedinurbanflashfloodingin

BenBarak,wheretheLive With Waterprojectpilotedurbanfloodcapture

infrastructure.FollowingtheAugustevent,avisittotheprojectsiterevealed

thattheinfrastructurewasabletodrainthewaterquickly,whileadjacent

streetsremainedfloodedseveraldayslater.

East Africa

TheFebruarytoApril(Belg)rainsfailedorwereseverelydepressedinparts

ofnorth-centralEthiopia.ThiswasfollowedbythelateanderraticKiremtrains

(June-September),whichwerelikelydrivenbytheongoingstrongElNiño

episode.TheresultingdroughtimpactedsomeBRACEDprojectregions.The

AfarZone,wheretheMARprojectoperates,wasparticularlyhardhit.Thiswas

followedbylocalisedfloodinginOctober,includingintheGamoGofozone,

wheretheMARprojectalsooperates.ThesearetypicalElNiñoimpactsfor

theregionandconsistentwithseasonalforecastpredictionsfortheOctober

toDecember2015season.

MuchofEastAfrica,includingKenyaandUgandawaspredictedtoexperience

aboveaveragerainfallduringtheOctobertoDecember2015season.Thisdid

occur,alongwithsomelocalisedflooding;however,theseverityofimpactswas

notashighasinpastElNiñoyears(e.g.1997to1998)andlargelydidnotaffect

thePROGRESSprojectareasinWajirandKaramoja.

South Asia

Myanmarexperiencedveryheavymonsoonrainfallthatwascompounded

bycycloneKomeninJuly,resultinginseverefloodinginlargeswathesofthe

countryalongitsmanyriversystems.TownshipswheretheMyanmar Alliance

projectwasoperatingintheAyeyarwady,Yangon,RakhineandKayinregions

werelikelyimpacted.

http://www.braced.org/fr/news/i/?id=c1929e6e-abe8-469c-8c07-5734edec3721

http://www.braced.org/news/i/?id=8c5c59c0-2abb-47fd-849f-3d11d532103e


Despitethisheavyrainfallevent,Myanmarreceivedlessrainfallovertheentire

yearthanaverage.Thiswascompoundedbyreducedrainfallintheprevious

yearandhightemperaturesassociatedwithElNiñoleadingtodryconditions,

particularlyinDryZoneinthecentreofthecountry.

Duringyear1ofBRACED,severalIPsaccessedandmadeuseofcontingency

funding(PHASE)31todealwithshocksandstressesaffectingtheirprojects.

However,year1annualreportshaveprovidedalimitednarrativeaboutthe

climaticcontextthatprojectsoperatewithin,alongwithhowandtheextent

towhichtheactivitiesandstrategiesimplementedbyIPsdealwiththis.

Duringthesecondhalfofyear1,thePHASEcontingencyfundwasmade

availabletoSahel-based(ComponentA)IPstosupplementongoingBRACED

workwiththeintentionofprotectingthedevelopmentgainsofBRACED

investmentsinthefaceofshocksandstresses.32Fourprojectsaccessedthis

contingencyfundingduringorsoonaftertheyear1reportingperiodtodealwith

emerginghumanitariancrises.Togainafullerpictureoftheeffectsofshocksand

stressesonprojectresults,weconsultedtheinformationIPsprovidedintheir

applicationstothecontingencyfunding.Thiswasappliedforandgrantedin

orderto:

• reduceBRACEDcommunities’immediatevulnerabilityto‘food insecurity

caused by failed harvests in 2015 and build their ability through the 2016

planting season to increase their resilience to future shocks’ (PRESENCES,

January2016)

• supporthouseholdsinareasaffectedbyparticularlypoorharvests(caused

bybothlackofrainfallandpestinfestation)andpersistentinsecurity

(SUR1M,April2016)

• providefurthersupporttoagro-pastoralisthouseholdsinBurkinaFaso

whowerefacingfoodinsecurityduetothemigrationofagro-pastoralists

andtheiranimalsfromconflictintheneighbouringIvoryCoast(Livestock

Mobility,April2016)

• ‘Protect and preserve the livelihoods and productive capacities of vulnerable

households during the current crisis [predictedfoodandnutritionalstress],

so that they stay engaged with the broader BRACED programme and its longer-

term objectives’(Zaman Lebidi,June2016).

31 throughtheDFiD–Echo‘ProvidinghumanitarianassistanceinsahelEmergencies’(PhasE)programme,bracEDiPsoperatinginthesahelareabletoapplyforcontingencyfundingaheadoforduringacrisisinordertoprotectbracEDresiliencegains.atotalsumof£1.5millionisavailabletosahel-basediPs;thisisdisbursedthroughtheFundmanager.

32 therewererequeststotheFmforcontingencyfundsfromnon-sahelcountries(nepal,whentheearthquakehitandalsoEthiopia,fromthedrought)thatwerenotsuccessful,asthisfundisforsahelcountriesonly.



Therationaleforalloftheseinterventionswasto

• ensurethesituationofbeneficiariesoftheongoingprojectwasnotworsened

asaresultoftheshock

• protecttheresiliencegainsmadesofar(e.g.byavoidingtheuseofnegative

copingstrategies)

• increasetheparticipationinandbenefitfromongoingBRACEDproject

activities(e.g.byreducingtheneedformigrationofbeneficiariesaway

fromtheprojectarea).

InthecaseoftheZaman Lebidiproject,theprojecthad‘factored in a

contingency fund sufficient to support approximately 1,000 people in each of the

intervention areas’;however,duetoabnormalclimatefluctuationsandclimate

unpredictabilityarising,cropproductionwasbeingimpacted‘beyond what

could normally be expected’.

Engagingcommunitiesinsituationsofrecurrentfoodcrisesisprovingdifficult

andposesamajorriskfortheachievementofprojectoutcomes.Furthermore,

engagingcommunitiesinresilience-buildingactivitieshasbeenchallenging

inprojectslikePRESENCESwhere,duetothecerealdeficitregisteredinthe

communities,workersleavetocarryoutincome-generatingactivities,affecting

thenumberofpeopleavailabletocarryoutlocalresilience-buildingactivities.

Inasimilarvein,thePROGRESSprojectreportedthatkeepingadolescentgirls

andboysmotivatedtoattendweeklysessionsremainsachallenge,assomemay

dropoutduringthedroughtperiodandmigratetotownsforworktocontribute

tohouseholdincome.InSudan,theBRICSprojectreportedexperiencingalack

ofcollectiveactionatcommunitylevel(duetoweakcivilsocietypresence),

withthisconstrainingthelevelofengagementofvillagedevelopmentandDRR

groups.Proactiveactionisallthemoreconstrainedinperiodsofbadharvests,

whenthecommunities’priorityistocopewithimmediateemergenciesrather

thanonlong-termchanges.

WithallBRACEDprojectsoperatinginthecontextofshocksandstresses,there

isaneedtoensureprojectmonitoringandresultsreportingprovidessufficient

spacefordetailing,reflectingonandunderstandingtheseissuesandhow

projectscandealwiththem.Attheprogrammelevel,BRACEDisinterestedin

understandinghowresilienceisbeingbuiltinthecontextofshocksandstresses,

theeffectoftheseonresilience-buildingprocessesandoutcomesandhow

resiliencegainsmadebyprojectscanbeprotected.33Theuseofcontingency

fundinginBRACEDisanareaofongoingevaluationfortheBRACEDKMin

collaborationwithIPs(seeannex8forreferences).

33 thekmisundertakingaspecificpieceofevaluativeworkontheuseofPhasEcontingencyfundinginbracEDtounderstandthelatter.


Drivers and barriers to change in BRACED projects

Inadditiontoananalysisoftheclimaticcontext,IPswereaskedto

reflectondriversandbarrierstochangethatrequiredthemtoadapttheir

changepathways.Thelistbelowprovidesanoverviewofmaincontextual

factorslistedbyIPs.Evenifreportsmostlyhighlightconstraining(risk)factors,

somefactorsarealsounderscoredaspotentialenablersfortheprojects’

implementationandforchangestohappen,insomeinstances.Suchfactors

aremarkedinitalicsinthetable(i.e.theymaybeconstrainingorenabling,

dependingontheirsituation).

Drivers and barriers to change

• Limitedaccesstomarkets(inputsandoutputs).

• Administrativereformsanddecentralisation.

• Co-existenceofgroups(pastoralists/farmers,religiousandethnicgroups)

andconflict/insecurity.

• Lackofavailabilityoffinancialservices.

• Existenceofcompetingrevenue-generatingactivities(mining).

• Landreformsaffectingthemanagementrulesofcommonproperty

resources.

• Exposuretonaturalhazardsandclimateevents.

• Foodinsecurityandmalnutrition.

• Illiteracylevels.

• Influenceofcustomaryauthoritiesandleaders.

• Interacting/overlapping development initiatives.

• IPs’experienceandknowledgeofthetargetareas.

• Islamicfinancerules.

• Landtenureissues.

• Languagebarriers(includingtechnicaljargon).

• Localavailabilityoffinancialservices.

• Lowlevelsof‘women’sempowerment’andevidenceofvaluesthatare

detrimentaltogenderequality.

• PerceptionofINGOsandexternalactors.

• Consideration of local knowledge.

• Physicalaccesstotargetareas.

• Politicalcontroloveractivitiesandinformation.

• Politicalinstabilityandforthcomingelections.

• Arelief-orientedmind-setandcultureofdependency

• Pre-existing skills and capacities.


• Thesocio-economicsituation.

• Weaknessesinthefollowingareas:

• civilsocietyorganisations

• governanceandpolicies

• capacityforclimatedatageneration

• institutions.

• Consistency with the national framework and strategy.

• The willingness of:

• community members to take part in the activities (differentiating paid

situations from those in a voluntary context)

• localauthoritiestosupporttheactivities(differentiatingsituations

wherestaffarebeingpaidfrominstitutionalengagements)

• (sub) national institutions to support the activities (differentiating

situations where staff are being paid from institutional engagements)

• Existence of local structures that can be relied on.

• Thewillingnessoftheprivatesectortocollaborate.

Sofar,thissectionhashighlightedtheemergingcontextualfactorshampering

projectimplementation.Itisclearthat,overthecourseoftheyear,BRACED

progresshasbeenplayingoutdifferentlyindifferentprojectsandcountries.

TheBRACEDprogrammeoperatesinsomeofthemostfragileandfoodinsecure

placesintheworld,soitshouldnotbesurprisingthatprogressisnotalways

linear.ThisaffectsboththerolethatBRACEDplaysindifferentcountriesand

whatIPsactuallyneedtodoinordertoachievetheirprojectgoals.Although

BRACEDprojectsoperatein13countrieswithdifferentissues,threekeythemes

emerge.(Asmallnumberofadditionalillustrativeexamplesareprovided

throughoutthissectionwithfurtherexamplesavailableinannex7.)

5.2 Resilience in context: emerging themes

EMERGING THEME 1: RESPONDING TO ONGOING CRISIS AND DIFFICULT SITUATIONS

BRACEDprojectsoperateindifficultandfragileenvironmentswhere

communitiesfacecomplexchallengessuchasconflictandrecurrentfoodcrisis,

andinstatesexperiencingweakgovernanceandlowlevelsofpoliticalwill.In

addition,arangeofsocio-economic,political,behaviouralandculturalfactors

affecttheviabilityandsustainabilityofBRACEDprojects.

Duringyear1ofBRACED,therewaslimitedmentionofconflictbetweengroups

asaresultofbuildingresilience,butthisobservationisnonethelesspertinent

forotherBRACEDprojectsworkinginareaswithpastoralists,agro-pastoralists

andfarmerpopulations.TheLivestock MobilityprojectintheSahelexplicitly

intendstoreducetheseconflictsbyhelpingfacilitateagreementsbetween


communitygroupsandherdersalongakeymigrationcorridor,toensuremobility

fortranshumants.Theprojectwasabletosecureagreementsalong1,642.25kmof

corridors,demonstratingthatthesestakeholdertensionsdonotnecessarilyhave

togenerateconflictorbeatodds.However,theprojectisexperiencingresource

competitionbetweenpastoralandagriculturalcommunities,andpassingherders

andsettledcommunities.

Inaddition,insecurityisacoreconstrainingfactorinmanyprojects.InNepal,for

example,insecuritydivergesprioritiesinlocalgovernanceandtheANUKULAN

projecthasreportedthatsuchasituationmayparticularlyleadtolittleemphasis

onresilienceplanningatcommunitylevel.InMali,fortheDCFproject,insecurity

isthemainissue(inMondoro,DirounganiandDialloube),limitingthepossibility

forafullunderstandingofthelocalcontext(i.e.traveltoconductethnographic

researchinruralareasisrestricted)andtheabilitytoprovidetrainingand

workshopsinthoseareas.Asaresult,someareasandcommuneshavehad

lessexposuretotheprojectthanplannedandwillbelessabletoapplyfor

andaccessfundsforpublicgoodinvestments.

Lastly,politicalinstabilityduetonewelectionsisalsoimpactingonlocal

governmentalstakeholders’incentivesonclimatechangeadaptationandDRR,

aswellashinderingcommunities’mobilisation,farmers’participationintrainings

orotheractivities,andincentivisationoftheprivatesectoractorstomakefurther

investmentsintotheremoteprojectareas.

Projectsareaddressingsuchcomplexchallengesbyimplementingactivities

shapedaroundthespecificneeds,challengesandexistingcapacitiesofthe

contextinquestion.Forexample,duetotheinsecuritysituationintheRIC4REC

projectinMali,partnerstherearenowoperatinginthreeregions(Mopti,

SegouandKouligoro)insteadoffour.ThefourthregionofTimbuktu(where17

villageswerepotentiallyselected)waseliminatedbecauseofveryhighsecurity

risksleadingtotheimpossibilityofproperlyimplementingtheprojectina

safemanner.

Point for reflection: the feasibility of resilience-building projects

in difficult environments

Designingandoperationalisingdisasterriskreductionandclimatechange

adaptationindifficultcontexts,specificallypost-conflictenvironmentsorthose

withfragileorweakgovernancestructures,bringssomenotableexceptions.

MostDRRandadaptationliteraturepresumesthatrelativelystableand

peacefulenvironmentsexist.Moreover,DRRspendinginfragileandconflict-

affectedstatesbyinternationaldonorsremainspiecemealandmarginal,at

best;thesamecanbesaidforclimatechangeadaptationfunding.Thislimits

operationalexperiencefromwhichwecanlearnandlimitsresearchbasisfrom

whichevidenceisdrawn.

BRACEDisoneofthefirstresilienceprogrammestodeliveradaptation

spendingatscale,topost-conflictandconflictcontexts.Assuch,aconcerted


effortisrequiredtobetterunderstandwhatcanbelearntaboutwhatworks

andwhatdoesnot,tosupportthenascentbodyofknowledgeinthisarea.

Whatwehavelearnttodateislimited,partlybecausegeneratingknowledge

andevidencetakestimeandpartlybecausetheincentivesforaddressing

fragilityorweakgovernance–orproactivelypursuingpeacebuildinggoals–

aremissinginthedesignoftheprogramme.Itisthereforehardlysurprising

thatthisisviewedasa‘problem’forthenormaldeliveryofclimateresilience

programmeswhenescalationoftensionsoccursinBRACEDcontexts.

Conflictandpoliticalinstabilityarenotbuiltintothedesignofthe

projectsevenwhentheyareclearlyhighlightedwithintheprojectcontext

andareknownriskstotheoperationaldelivery(recognisingthattheexact

fluctuationsofconflictarenot).Supportingpeacebuildingorthecessationof

conflictarenotdirectintentionsoftheprojectsand,assuch,arenotdirectly

targetedorreportedon.Indifficultenvironments,implementationfocuses

onthedeliveryofaproject’sactivities,ratherthanaffectingthechangeofa

widersystem.Itispossiblethatthisgoesbeyondwhatcanbeachievedby

aclimateresilienceprogramme.IPsandtheBRACEDKMshoulddevelopa

betterunderstandingoftherisksandtrade-offsofsuchapproachesduring

theremainderoftheprogramme.

Aswithmanyclimateinvestments,theultimategoalhereis

improvementsinwell-being,withtheintentiontosupportresilience

outcomesalongtheway.Monitoringsystemsaredesignedtotestprogress

againstclimate-relatedindicators.Whetherexplicitlyorimplicitly,dealing

withwidercontextualchallenges–particularlywheretheyrelatetolongerterm

governancechallengesortoissuesofinsecurityandfragility–isseenaspart

ofthewidercontextinwhichaprojecthastowork.Thesearenotconsidered

asdevelopmentorhumanitarianchallengestobeaddressedinordertodeliver

thedesiredclimateresilienceimpacts.Muchdebatesurroundsthequestionof

whetherclimate,disasterandpeacebuildinggoalscanorshouldbecombined,

butthereisagrowinginternationalinterestinidentifyingmorecoherentways

tomakeprogresson‘resilience’asitfeaturesacrossthepost-2015frameworks.

Thiscouldincludeaddressingclimateanddisasterrisksinfragileandconflict

affectedstates,inlinkedways.Here,overtime,BRACEDwillmakean

importantcontributiontoinformingthisagenda.


EMERGING THEME 2: ADJUSTING PLANNING PROCESSES IN THE CONTEXT OF DECENTRALISATION

ManyIPsareworkingincountriesundergoingadecentralisationprocess(Niger:

PRESENCES; SenegalandMali: DCF, Livestock Mobility; Kenya: PROGRESS).

Intheseprojects,ongoingdecentralisationinitiativespresentbothariskandan

opportunity.Lookingacrosstheprojectannualreportsforyear1,IPsreported

thattheinstitutionalarrangementsandgovernanceconditionsunderwhich

projectinterventionsareimplementedhadimplicationsforeffectiveness.34

TheDCFprojectisdesignedtoworkwithinthedecentralisedcontext.It

incorporatesanexpectationthatdecentralisedgovernanceframeworksin

SenegalandMaliwillcontinuetoevolveaspartofthedecentralisationprocess.

Theprojecthasdevotedmostofyear1toengagingwithandapplyinglocal

knowledgeandexpertiseongovernmentframeworks,inordertomatchdevolved

climatefundinstitutionstotheappropriateframeworks.Therearerisksand

opportunitiesinherentinthisapproach:therisksarepresentedifdecentralisation

processesbreakdown,whilepositiveopportunitiesoccurwheredecentralised

mechanismseffectivelyfunctiontomoveclimatefundsforuseatthelocallevel.

Ineithercase,theprocessofplanningandimplementationrequiresflexibilityand

time.Implementationisnotexpectedtobestraightforward,ascurrentstructures

continuetoevolve.Thisisbecause,inbothcountries(MaliandSenegal),

institutionsthatwouldsupporttheDCFapproachareeithernotfunctioningwell

orstillintheearlystages.Theproject’sdevolvedfinanceinstitutionbuilding

hasfocusedonbuildingcapacitiesattheregionalandlocallevels.Therehave

alsobeenadditionaleffortstolaythegroundworkneededtolinklocalsystems

andcapacitiestonationaloneswhenappropriate(e.g.toaccessinternational

climatefunds).Goingforward,itwillbeachallengetointegrateandmainstream

thedesignfeaturesoftheDCFapproachintothecentralgovernment’splanning

andbudgetsystem.Thischallengeislikelytobepolitical,asreformsencourage

nationalpoliticalactorstocontinuetodevolveauthority(planningand

budgetary)fromcentralisedtodecentralisedactors.

Similarly,fortheLivestock Mobilityproject,decentralisationunderwayin

theSahelcountriesitoperatesinmayeitherenableorconstrainthechanges

initiatedwithintheproject.Undertheprovisionsofdecentralisation,local

governmentbodiesareresponsiblefordeliveringthekeysocialandeconomic

services(suchashealth,wateroreducationandmarketfacilities)fora)

conductingagricultural,pastoralandforestryland-useplanningandb)raising

taxes.Asmobileherdersremainmarginalisedandlargelyexcludedfromlocal

decision-makingprocesses,specificattentionisrequiredwhennegotiating

inter-municipalagreementsatthedepartmentleveltomanageagro-pastoral

resources–inter-cooperationbetweenmunicipalitiesalongacorridorisoften

stillfragmented.Theanchoringoftheprojectwithineachcountry’sexisting

decentralisedmechanismsenablesittogainmorevisibilityonthelocaland

34 theroleofgovernanceinresilience-buildingprojectsisanareaofongoingresearchforthebracEDkmincollaborationwithiPs.


nationalscale,aswellaspromotingtheneedforinter-municipalagreements

tocaterforlong-distance,trans-borderlivestockmobility.

ForthePRESENCESproject,thedecentralisationprocessunderwayinNigerwill

entailchangesinlocalgovernanceandresources.Thegovernment’sadoptionof

thisattheCouncilofMinistersintheRepublicofNiger,on26January2016,set

thetermstotransferskillsandresourcesfromtheStatetothecommunesand

theRegionalTerritorialCommunitiesintheareasofeducation,health,water

andtheenvironment(whichrelatedirectlytotheproject’sinterventions).The

projectexpectsthatthesewillenablethecommunestoenactmanyprerogatives

ifthedecreeisappliedsuccessfully.However,theinstitutionalanalysishas

revealedalackofskillstransferredtothecommunes,despitethefactthatthis

principleisintroducedbydecentralisation.AdoptingthisdecreeintheCouncil

ofMinistersdemonstratesthegovernment’scommitmenttoacceleratethe

transferofresourcesandskillstocommunes.Thisisaconstraintacrossthe

Sahelcountriesundergoingdecentralisation.

The PROGRESSprojectisworkinginKenya,whichhasundergoneaprocess

ofpoliticaldevolutiontocounty-levelsince2012,withnewcountygovernment

institutionalstructures,policiesandplansstillunderdevelopment.Inestablishing

villagelevelresilienceandadaptationcommitteesunderBRACED,theproject

hashadtooperateinashiftingcontextasnewcounty-levellegislationand

ward-leveladministrativearrangementsareputinplace.Bycomparison,

decentralisationandcapacityatdistrictlevelinUgandaareweak.PROGRESS

hashighlightedaneedfortechnicalsupporttothedistrictsandtheOfficeofthe

PrimeMinisterinKaramojatostrengthenplanningfromthebottom-up.

InSenegal,publicinstitutionsatthedepartmentlevelandbelowarerelatively

strong.In2013,athirdactfordecentralisationtothedepartmentlevelwas

enacted,creatingamoresuitableenablingenvironmentfor‘anchoring’finance

mechanisms,suchastheClimateAdaptationFundsimplementedbyDCF.

Here,DCFhavebeenabletoworkcloselywithcommunesanddepartments

inestablishingAdaptationPlanningCommitteesatboththelocalleveland

withthenationalMinistryforDecentralisationinimplementingtheClimate

AdaptationFunds.InMali,ontheotherhand,decentralisedinstitutionsare

generallyweaker,posingchallengesforimplementingdecentralisedfunds,for

example.LocalelectionsinNovember2016havefurtherconstrainedplanning

andestablishmentofnewstructuresatthistime,makingitnecessarytowork

throughnationalgovernmentstructures.Thelegalframeworkisperhaps

moresupportiveofcooperationthroughinter-communeorinter-municipality

levelarrangements,asopposedtostrengtheningcommune-levelconditions

formanagingbothriskandfinance.ThisistheapproachtakenbyLivestock

MobilityinanchoringprojectactivitiesinlocalinstitutionsacrossNiger,Mali

andSenegal.TherisksandconstraintsperceivedbyDCF, PRESENCESandother

IPsoperatinginMaliandNiger(suchasRIC4REC,inprovidinggrantstofund

localresilienceplans)couldperhapsbeaddressedthroughasimilarapproach

togroupingadministrativeunitsforthepurposesofprojectimplementation.

GovernanceanddecentralisationinthecontextofBRACEDisanareaofongoing

researchfortheBRACEDKM(seeannex8forreferences).


EMERGING THEME 3: JOINING FORCES WITH SIMILAR EFFORTS

EvenifIPreportsmostlyhighlightconstraining(risk)factors,somefactorsare

alsounderscoredaspotentialenablersforaproject’simplementationand

changestohappen(6projects).Thepossibilityofrelyingonexistingstructures

orinitiativesisakeyenabler,aswellas(moregenerally)thewillingness

ofstakeholderstoengage.Alignmentwithnationalpoliciesisparticularly

interestingincountrieswherekeyframeworksareunderdefinition(changes

inprocessespotentiallyenablingorconstraining).Includedherewouldbe

decentralisationprocessesinSahelcountries,theclimatechangeandDRRpolicy

frameworkinMyanmarandtheadministrativereformthatismergingvillage

developmentcommitteesintonewmunicipalitiesinNepal.

“EvenifIPreportsmostlyhighlightconstraining(risk)factors,somefactorsarealsounderscored

aspotentialenablersforaproject’simplementationandchangestohappen”

IPsarelookingatopportunitiestomaximiseresultsandeffectiveness.For

example, PRESENCESreportedthattheprojectrelationsalreadyestablished

withtheregionaltechnicalservicesanddepartmentsandcommunesunder

previousinitiativesonfoodsecurityissuesintheprojectareaareeasingthe

implementationandownershipoftheprogrammebylocalauthorities.Similarly,

theMyanmar Allianceprojectcanleanonachievementsofpreviousprojects–

thoseimplementedinthelasteightyearsbysomeoftheAlliancemembers

(e.g.WorldVision)–toensurethatresultsoftheresilienceassessmentcan

beproperlyvalidated.Thiscanespeciallybeachievedthroughtheuseof

DRRassessments.

TheBRICSprojecthasbuiltonexistingknowledgeandpreviousexperiences.

Typically,thedifferenceinexclusivebreastfeedingratesbetweenthevillages

whereBRICShasbeenworkingforayear(inChad)ispartlyattributedto

previousworkinitiatedunderapreviousproject(CommunityResilienceto

AcuteMalnutrition–CRAM).Also,regardingtheengagementofEnvironmental

Committeesinsupportingcommunitiestomanageforestandwoodland

resources(e.g.regenerationofwoodlandthroughfarmer-managednatural

regeneration),theprocessbuildsonpreviousworkinitiatedin2014.

UndertheRIC4RECproject,thereareongoingtalkswithseveralmajor

developmentprojectsforcoordinationandinformationsharing.Theseinclude

theNearEastFoundation(NEF),MaliClimateChangeAdaptationActivity

(MCCAA),SwissContact,GIS,CatholicReliefServices(CRS),Livestockfor

Growth(L4G),theClimateChangeAdaptationProject(USAID),nationalforums

andotherfoodsecurityandenergyandclimate-relatedprojects.Acommon

platformwillbedecidedwithwillingstakeholdersandsomeinterventions

willbeco-supported(RIC4RECandSwissContact).


UnderthePROGRESSproject,apartnershipwiththeGIS-ledInterestGroupon

GrazingLandhelpedtoshareeffortsoninitialassessmentsandcommunication,

moreparticularlyinrelationtoa)mappinggrazingareasandcorridors,cattle

movementroutesandtheircalendarandb)supportinginformedmeetings

betweenleadersandpastoralistsandsubsequentdecisionsaroundrangeland

managementandbudgetingforpastoralists,includingtheco-fundingof

researchwork.

TheBRICSprojectpromotesexchangeandsharedlearningonresilienceresearch

inDarfurthroughjointmeetingsbetweenBRICSandasisterDFIDprojectin

SudancalledSHARP,withtheTuftsResearchDirectorcurrentlyinvolvedinboth

projects.BRICSandSHARPnationalresearchteamsworktogether,whichhelps

buildbridgesbetweenthesecommunities(involvingdifferentstakeholders)and

opensthewayforaresilienceinterestgroupornetworkatthenationalscale.

TheLivestock MobilityprojectusesACF-IdataonbiomasslevelsintheSahel

tosupporttheidentificationofzonesinbiomassdeficit(forecastsofrainfalland

levelsofbiomassavailableacrosstheregionareneededtoassesstheaccessof

pastoralistsandagro-pastoraliststofodderandwaterduringthedryseason).

5.3 Summary: resilience in contextProjectprogresstodateisinlinewithprogramme-levelexpectations.However,

areviewofthecontextthatprojectsoperatewithinhighlightsthatclimate

shocksandstressesareonefactoramongmanyhavinganimpactonprogress

todate.BRACEDprojectsoperateinacomplexinterplayofsocial,cultural,

environmental,politicalandeconomicfactorsthatshapedevelopmentprocesses.

ThoughBRACEDprojectsareoperatingindifferentcontexts,thereareanumber

ofthemesthatarecommonacrosstheminrelationtohowthosecontextsare

enablingand,inparticular,constrainingchangesinresilience:

resilience in context

Contextual factors that enable or constrain change

• Theme 1:respondingtoongoingcrisesanddifficultsituations.

• Theme 2:adjustingplanningprocessesinthecontextofdecentralisation.

• Theme 3:Joiningforceswithsimilarefforts.

Duringyear1ofBRACED,severalIPsaccessedandmadeuseofcontingency

fundingtodealwithshocksandstressesaffectingtheirprojects.However,year1

annualreportsprovidealimitednarrativeabouttheclimaticcontextofprojects,

andhowandtheextenttowhichactivitiesandstrategiesimplementedbyIPs

dealwiththis.WithallBRACEDprojectsoperatinginthecontextofshocksand

stresses,thereisaneedtoensurethatprojectmonitoringandresultsreporting

providessufficientspacefordetailing,reflectingonandunderstandingthese

issuesandhowprojectscandealwiththem.Attheprogrammelevel,BRACEDis

interestedinunderstandinghowresilienceisbeingbuiltinthecontextofshocks


andstresses,theeffectoftheseonresilience-buildingprocessesandoutcomes

andhowtheresiliencegainsmadebyprojectscanbeprotected.

ThereisarealdangerthatBRACEDprojectsmaynotincorporatethe‘reallife’

dynamicsofresilience-building.Althoughitistooearlyintheprogrammeto

demonstratetangibleresultsintermsofimprovedresilienceoutcomes,areview

ofIPs’reportsrevealsthatprojectsmayhavesetambitiousoutcome-level

objectives.Buildingresilienceintoclimateextremesandeventsisacomplex

andlong-termprocess.Thismeansthereisariskthatsubstantialoutcome-level

changesmaynotbedetectablebytheendoftheprogramme.

94ROUTES TO RESILIENCE: INSIGHTS FROM BRACED YEAR 1 concLusionsanDrEcommEnDations

6.1 Concluding comments: what has changed?TheBRACEDprogrammeaimstoimprovethelivesofupto5millionvulnerable

peoplefacingclimateextremesanddisasters.Itisexpectedthat,overthree

years,thiswillbeachievedthroughtheeffortsof15majorconsortiaoperating

acrosstheSahel,EastAfricaandAsia.Inprecedingsections,wehavepresented

asynthesisofkeyfindings,emergingthemesandlessonsfromyear1project

reportsandpresentedtheseagainstthethreespecificcomponentsofthe

BRACEDM&Eframeworkandtheoryofchange.35Asummaryoflessons

identifiedtodateispresentedinannex9.

Thisanalysishasfocusedonunderstandingandaddressingthequestion:How are

BRACED projects building resilience to climate extremes and disasters? Addressing

this,requiresanunderstandingofthefactorsthatmakearesilience-building

projectorprogrammeunique,andthereforegoesbeyondsummarisingprogress

todate.TheMonitoringResultsandReportingteamhaveconsultedandworked

35 resiliencepathways(areasofchange),understandingresilienceoutcomes(3asandtransformation)andresilienceincontext(Evaluativemonitoring).

6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS



withtheresearchfunctionoftheBRACEDKMtofurtherunpacktheanalysis

ofthedataandfindings.

Despitetheconcernsandlimitationshighlightedinthisreport,progressto

dateisinlinewithprogramme-levelexpectationsintermsoftheprocessesand

activitiesimplemented.BRACEDhashadanincrediblybusyfirstyear,initiating

averylargenumberofactivitiesinseparatelocationsacrossdifferentcountries.

Effortstodatehaveconcentratedonestablishingproject-levelbaselines

andimplementingparticipatoryanalysis,alongwithassessmentsofclimate

vulnerabilityandcapacityandtheselection,designandinitialimplementation

ofresilience-buildingactivitiesthroughawiderangeofstrategicpartnerships.

Areviewoftheprojects’pathwaystochangerevealsthatIPs’resilience-building

journeystartswith:

• deepeningknowledgeaboutclimaticrisk

• establishingcommunity-levelstructuresandcommunitygroupsforthe

implementationofprojectactivities

• workingwithnewpartnershipsandstakeholdernetworks

• actingasknowledgebrokerstofacilitatenewinformationtogovernment

andcitizens

• improvingthelinksbetweencivilsocietyandgovernment

• supportinginclusivedecision-makingthatconsiderstheprioritiesandneeds

ofthemostvulnerable.

Despiteprogressmadetodate,itistooearlyintheprogrammeto

demonstrateoutcome-levelresultsintermsofimprovedresiliencecapacities.

Evidencesuggeststhatnowthebuildingblockshavebeenestablished,more

tangibleresultswillstarttobeseenduringyears2and3.However,theauthors

wouldsuggestthatBRACEDprojectsmayhavesetambitiousoutcome-level

objectives,asthe‘reallife’dynamicsofresilience-buildingmaynothavebeen

incorporatedintoprojectdesignandimplementation.AlthoughBRACEDisright

tobeambitious,thetimeframeoftheprogrammemaymeanthatinsomeareas

onlymarginalchangeswillbeachieved.Giventhecomplexityandlong-term

challengesthatBRACEDaimstoaddress,thereisariskthatsubstantialoutcome-

levelchangesmaynotbedetectablebytheendoftheprogramme.

ItisalsoimportanttohighlightthattheBRACEDprogrammetheoryofchange

isbasedonabottom-upandtop-downassumption.Thebottom-upelement

isthefield-basedprojectsthatarethefocusofthisreport.Theassumption

wasthatwhiletheproject-levelcommunity-basedapproacheswillachieve

anddeliversustainedoutcomesandimpactonpeople’sresiliencetoclimate

extremes,successfulpracticesandapproacheswouldbereplicatedandscaled

upthroughthe(separate)top-downprovisionofnationalpolicyandcapacity

supportandpolicyinfluence.Thedelaysinthedesignandimplementationof

thiscomplementarytop-downworkmayhinderimpactoftheoverallBRACED

programme.Basedonthefindingsofthisreport,theBRACEDKMwillidentify


anyimplicationsforthepathwaysandassumptionsabouthowchangehappens

andrevisetheprogramme-leveltheoryofchangeaccordingly,inconjunction

withDFID,theBRACEDFMandtheprojectIPs.

BRACEDisauniqueprogramme–thebiggestglobalefforttobuildresilience

locally,inhighlyvulnerableplaces,yetatscale.WithIPs’workfirmlyrooted

inpractice,wehopethatthefindingsandlessonsemergingfromthisreport

willconstituteaground-breakingcontributiontoknowledgeandevidence

generationeffortsinthefieldofclimateanddisasterresilienceprogrammes

andaccompanyingmonitoringandresultsreportingefforts.

Key messages and recommendations

Basedonthefindingsofthisreport,sixkeymessageswithrelatedrecommendations

forbothIPsandtheKMhavebeenidentified.Together,thesewillimprovethe

BRACEDprogramme’songoingeffortstobuildknowledgeandevidenceonwhat

workstostrengthenresilience.

ItisimportanttonotethatBRACEDisnearlytwoyearsintoitsthree-year

implementationtimeframe.Therearethereforesomelimitationstowhatcanbe

adaptedandachievedintheremainderoftheprogramme.Thatsaid,manyofthe

recommendationsproposedareinlinewith–andfurtherbuildupon–existing

research,monitoringandlearningwork,particularlyoftheKM,creatingscope

fortheirapplication.Therecommendationsarenotprescriptive;itissuggested

thatIPsconsidertheminthecontextoftheirprojects.Thekeymessagesand

recommendationsmightalsorelevantforthosedesigningandimplementing

otherresilience-buildingprojectsandprogrammes.Aforthcomingpublication

fromtheKMwilldistilthemessagesandrecommendationsfurtherforaudiences

externaltoBRACED.

Key message 1: Accessing and using weather and climate information is

a critical element in building anticipatory, absorptive and adaptive capacities.

Tobesuccessful,projectsneedtoovercome potentialchallengesand bias

towardsprioritisinglocalisedshort-termclimateinformation.Moresupport

shouldbeofferedtoIPsandcommunitiesinbuildingbridgesbetweenthe

seeminglyeasieruseofnear-terminformationandthemorechallenginguse

oflonger-terminformation.

Recommendations: BRACEDpresentsauniqueopportunityto

integrateclimateservicesintoresilienceprogramming.Toachievethis,

IPsandtheKMshouldfurtherexplore:

• The incentives and motivations behind the observed focus on

near-term climate information.Isthisdrivenbysupplyconstraints

(e.g.lackofavailabledataorcapacity)orbyalackofdemand

(e.g.stakeholdersnotaskingforlongertermprojections)?Ifitisthe

former,theKMshouldsupportIPsinaddressingtheseconstraints

(e.g.throughitsClimateandWeatherHelpdesk).


• The new roles that IPs are playing as intermediaries/advisors

between formal climate services and communities.Howare

theseadvisoryfunctionsperceivedbythetargetedusersovertime?

(ThereisKMresearchspecificallylookingatthis.)

• The extent to which the limited reference to historical data or

longer-term (decadal to multi-decadal) projections limits the

adaptation components of BRACED projects.

Key message 2: Achieving meaningful resilience outcomes requires

knowledge, skills and capacities that go beyond the expertise of a

particular IP.Effectivepartnershipsareacriticalcomponentofresilience-

buildingprogrammesinordertodrawoneachother’sexpertise,knowledge,

experienceandresourcesandtojoinforcesforcommongoalsasmuchas

possible.Identifyingthe‘right’combinationofpartnersisasimportantasthe

designandimplementationofprojectactivities.Evenwhenknowledge,financial

meansandasupportive(governance)environmentareoftenstilllacking,IPs

cansometimesproducecreative,affordableandapplicabletechnologiesand

solutionsthroughnetworkingandpartnerships.

Recommendations: Partnershipsthathavethepotentialtoprovide

effectiveapproachestoresilience-buildingarevitalfortheBRACED

projectstoyieldmaximumimpact.DuringtheremainderofBRACED,IPs

andtheKMshoulddevelopabetterunderstandingaboutthefollowing:

• The role of partnerships in resilience-building, and how best

to ensure that partnerships are greater than the sum of their

parts.Thereisaneedtobetterunderstandhowinter-organisational

learningacrosspartnerstranslatesintolonger-term,positiveimpacts

toincreasecommunityresilience.

• Establishing a means of credibly measuring, reviewing and

documenting partnerships, in terms of both results and processes.

Key message 3:The starting point for enhancing individuals’ resilience is

recognising and addressing social exclusion and gender inequality. While

improvementsinwomen’sparticipationinprojects’activitiesandaccessto

resourcesarefundamentalstepstotake,theydonotinthemselveschangepower

relations,andthereforemaynottranslateintoinclusivedecision-making.

Recommendations: Inordertobuildabetterunderstandingof

howsocialexclusionandinequalitycanbeaddressed, IPsand

theKMshould:


• Pay closer attention to the sociocultural aspects underpinning

anticipatory, absorptive and adaptive capacities.Thisincludes

improvingtheanalysisbetweentransforminggenderrelationsand

theproject’stheoryofchangeforresilience-building.

• Document cases where inclusive decision-making takes place,

inparticular,examplesillustratingthelinksbetweenparticipation,

voiceandpower.

• Further investigate and document the specific types of

activities and strategies that should be integrated in resilience

programming to support inclusive decision-making.

Key message 4: Building anticipatory and absorptive capacity to deal with

current risks and threats is the first step for communities that are highly

vulnerable to climate change.AsBRACEDprojectscontinueinyears2and3,

itwillbeimportanttothinkabouthowanticipatoryandabsorptivecapacities

canbedevelopedinwaysthatprovideasolidfoundationforbuildingadaptive

capacityinthelongerterm.Understandinghowresiliencecapacitiesinterrelate–

andrevisitingwhetheritismorechallengingtobuildadaptivecapacityin

thelifespanofaBRACEDproject–willbeakeyinsighttoinformtheories

forbuildingcommunity-levelresilienceontheground.

Recommendations: Tobuildacomprehensiveunderstandingof

resilienceoutcomesandinformfutureresiliencetheory,programme

designandimplementation,IPsandtheKMshouldconsiderthe

followingintheremainderofBRACED:

• In places where communities are prioritising enhancing

anticipatory and absorptive capacity, investigate how these

capacities are being built inwaysthatprovideasolidfoundation

forbuildingadaptivecapacityinthelongerterm.

• As shocks and stresses occur, document if and how people and

communities are learning from these,andwhethertheyrebuildin

waysthatreducetheirfuturevulnerability.

• Investigate the role that community groups play in enhancing

social capital,andthusenablingcommunitiestocopewithdisaster

eventsandstrengthentheirabsorptivecapacity.

• Document the level of integration, layering, timing and

sequencing of the different capacity-building activitiesneeded

toimproveabsorptive,adaptiveandanticipatorycapacities.


Key message 5: While resilience-building interventions have building

capacity to manage shocks and stresses as a primary objective, addressing

and dealing with the socioeconomic and political dimensions of resilience-

building are equally important.Writingoperationalrisksawayintoan

assumptioncolumnisnotenough.Theoperationalchallengesofworkingin

complexsettingsnotonlycallformorepragmaticprojectdesignsandtime

frames,butalsoforexploringhowlinkstootherprogrammesaddressingissues,

suchaspeacebuildingandgovernancereforms,arenecessaryprerequisitesfor

climateresilienceprogrammes.

Recommendations: Improvingprogrammedesignandimplementation

beginswiththerecognitionandaddressingofthe‘real-life’challenges

involvedinimplementingresilience-buildingprojectsandprogrammes.

IPsandtheKMshould workcloselytogetherto developanevidence

baseandbetterunderstandingof:

• The role of contingency fund mechanisms in resilience-building

programmes, along with the extent to which they can support

protecting resilience gainsbotha)inadvanceofandb)intheface

ofshocksandstressesduringtheprojectcycle.TheKMisalready

workingwithrecipientIPsofthePHASEfunding,onanevaluative

learningpiecewiththisasitsfocus.

• The opportunities and trade-offs of integrating climate disaster

and peacebuilding goals as prerequisite criteria for resilience-

building interventions,byengagingconflictexperts.

• How to better integrate context analysis, beyond merely listing

risks and assumptions, in programme design and M&E.The

designandimplementationofresilience-buildingprogrammes

shouldincludenotonlytechnicalaspects,butalsothesociocultural

factorsthatinfluenceattitudes,behaviourandpractice.

Key message 6:While resilience-building projects focus on building

anticipatory, absorptive and adaptive capacity to shocks and stresses,

in practice resilience-building programmes seem to be, at their core, ‘good’

development projects with ‘tweaks’. BRACEDhascomealongwayin

conceptualisingandoperationalisingresilienceinpractice.IPshavealsodeveloped

tailoredindicesandestablishedbaselinesinordertomeasureprogressand

achievements.Understandingthefactorsthatconstitutetheresilienceofparticular

householdsisthestartingpointfordevising,deployingandimplementing

resilience-buildingstrategies.Evidenceandemerginglessonstodatehighlightsthat

BRACEDroutestoresilienceareunderpinnedbydevelopmentprogrammingthat

explicitlytakesclimateshocksandstressesintoaccountandbuildsstakeholders’

capacitytomanageclimateanddisasterrisk.Whilethereisevidencethat


suchapproachesrequirein-depthassessmentsandanalysisofstakeholders’

vulnerabilitiesandcapacities,itisdifficulttoidentify–fromyear1reports–how

suchapproachestranslateintoa‘different’setofactivitiesthatgobeyond‘good’

developmentworkandriskmanagementapproaches.

Recommendations: ThereisariskthatBRACEDmaylooklike

‘oldwineinnewbottles’.Inordertosupporteffectiveprojectand

programmedesign,implementation,M&Eandfuturefundingbythe

endoftheprogramme,the KM along with IPs should identify and

develop a set of criteria that identifies what makes resilience-

building different in practice.

Thecompanionreport,’Routestoresilience:lessonsfrommonitoringBRACED’,

hasrecommendationsthatfocusontheMRRteam’sexperiencesofestablishing

androllingouttheBRACEDM&Eframeworkandundertakingthefirstyear’s

projecttoprogramme-levelreporting.

6.2 Questions for further reflection, debate and learningWiththeaimofcontributingtoongoinglearningaboutresilienceprogramming,

theauthorswishtoengageprojectIPs,theKM,DFIDandwideraudiencesin

consideringtwocriticalquestionsthatariseasaresultofthefindingsofthis

report.Emerginginsightsshedsomelightforinitiatingdiscussion;however,

theBRACEDprogrammeshouldcontinuetoanswerthefollowingquestions

throughoutitslifetime:

What is BRACED doing differently?Thequestionthatarisesinpracticeis:what

‘tweaks’shouldweexpecttoseeinprojectsthatotherwisedrawheavilyfrom

good‘simple’localdevelopment?Emergingevidencetodatesuggeststhat,at

thecommunitylevel,integrateddisasterriskmanagementwithdevelopment

approachesisonewayofenhancingresilience.Putdifferently,theBRACED

projectsshowthatresilienceisbuiltthroughgooddevelopmentwith‘tweaks’

thatsupportcommunitiestodealwithshocksandstresses.Attheprogramming

andorganisationallevel,however,resilience-buildingapproachesrequireworking

indifferentpartnerships,usingdifferentkindsofinformationandbeingmuch

moreflexibleinplanningandspending.Tosomeextent,thatmaynotalterthe

contentoftheinterventionsatthehouseholdlevel,butitcertainlychanges

thewaytheimplementingpartnerhastoplananddeliverinterventions.

What is a realistic time frame in which to strengthen resilience and build

a solid evidence base? Evidencetodatesuggeststhattwokeyfactorsquestion

theachievabilityoftheoverallprogramme.First,attheprojectlevel,settingup

thestructuresandpartnershipsrequiredtoimplementprojectactivities(that

is,thefoundationsforresilience-buildingactivities)takeslongerthanoriginally



envisaged.Second,evenifobjectivesaremet,itisquestionablewhetheritis

possibletogeneratetheevidencetodemonstratethatresiliencehasbeenbuilt

withinthetimeframeoftheprojects.Thisisbecausebuildingresiliencerequires

attitudinal,behaviouralandcapacitychanges,allofwhichtaketime.IPsand

theKMmayhavesetgoalsthataretooambitious,bothintermsofachieving

objectivesandgeneratingevidenceandlessonsonwhatworksandwhat

doesnotinbuildingresiliencetoclimateextremesanddisasters.Athree-year

programmesuchasBRACEDshouldnotexpectultimatelessonson‘whatworks

best’tobuildresiliencebut,rather,togenerateemergingguidanceinterms

oftweakstogooddevelopmentandpromisingwaysofworkingtobuildand

evaluateanticipatory,absorptiveandadaptivecapacities.

102ROUTES TO RESILIENCE: INSIGHTS FROM BRACED YEAR 1 annEx

Annex 1: Components of the BRACED programmeTheBRACEDprogrammecomprisesfourcomponents:

• ComponentsAandBarefield-basedresilience-buildingprojectsinthe

SahelandEastAfrica/Asiarespectively.These15three-yearprojectsare

beingrunconcurrently,usuallyinoneortwoofthe13BRACEDcountries.

EachBRACEDprojectisuniqueinitsdesign,targetbeneficiaries,activities

andoperatingcontext,andisdeliveredbyaBRACEDImplementingPartner

(IP).ImplementingPartnersaretypicallymulti-organisationconsortiawho

havecometogethertodesignanddeliveraresilience-buildingproject

underBRACED.Annex4providesalistoftheIPsandtheirprojects.

AFundManager(FM)managestheperformanceofthe15projects.

• ComponentCaimstodevelopabetterunderstandingofwhatworksin

buildingresiliencetoclimateextremesanddisasters.Tothisend,DFID

isalsosupportinga‘KnowledgeManager’(KM).TheBRACEDKMis

aconsortiumofmonitoringandevaluation(M&E),research,learning,

communicationsandregionalorganisations.Workingalongsidethe15project

IPs,theKMisbuildingaknowledgeandevidencebaseofwhatworksto

strengthenresilience.TheKMnetworksinternallyandexternallytoputthat

knowledgeandevidenceintousewithinandbeyondBRACEDcountries.

• ComponentD(whichisstillsubjecttoapproval)aimstobuildthecapability

andcapacityofdevelopingcountriesandregionalorganisationstoprepare

andplanfortheexpectedincreasesinthefrequencyandseverityofclimate

extremesanddisasters.


Annex 2: BRACED Theory of Change

SeeNote2oftheBRACEDM&EGuidanceNotesforafullnarrativeofthe

TheoryofChange.

BRACED invests in projects directly targeting:

Working with a whole variety of stakeholders:

Assumptions:effectiveness of the BRACED fund

to support changes in 7 thematic areas, which will stregthen 4 areas of change:

Assumptions:BRACED outputs

Which will directly deliver a set of four OUTPUTS at different scales leading to BRACED OUTCOME:

From which BRACED will derive lessons to deliver a set of ‘amplified’ results by influecing policy making and development planning from the international to the local level:

And, in the long term will:

Assumptions:BRACED amplified effect

Impact:Improved well-being of poor people, despite exposure to climate extremes and disasters

Households and community level

Components A&B

Regional/ international organisations

National government

Sub-local government

Research institutions

NGOs CSOs

Communities

Thematic areasClimate & weather information

Technology & innovation

Gender & social equality

Markets & local economic empowerment

Delivery of basic services

Governance & natural resource management

Resilience concepts

Areas of changeKnowledge & attitudes

Capacity & skills

Partnerships

Decision-making

National and local government capacity

Component D

Knowledge, learning and evidence

Component C

Output 4:Improved policies in

targeted areas

Output 2:Increased capacity of local

government, CSDs and private sector to respond to climate related

shocks and stresses

Output 1:Poor people receive support to reduce their

vulnerability to climate related shocks and stresses

Assumptions:BRACED outcomes

Outcome:Poor people in developing countries have improved their levels of resilience to climate related shocks and stresses.

Measuring the three dimensions of resilience:Anticipatory, adaptive and absorbative capacity.

Output 3: Better understanding of w

hat works in

building resilience to climate extrem

es and disasters

BRACED

amplifie

d

results



Annex 3: BRACED M&E ‘infrastructure’

BRACED Fund

Manager

FM Results Team

Quarterly & Monthly

Reporting

Direct engagement

with IPs

Annual Reporting Synthesis

Evaluation

Quarterly Performance

Reporting

Monitoring visit reports

BRACED Knowledge Manager

Project to programme evidence &

learning

Monitoring & Results Reporting

(MRR)

Consistent project results

reporting (Outcome level)

Evaluative Monitoring

(context analysis)

Areas of Change (Outcome Mapping)

3As – Resilience outcomes

Contribution Analysis

(Country Case Studies)

Realist Evaluation

Case based analysis

Quasi-Experimental

Impact Evaluation

Contribution Analysis

EA1: BRACED Programme

ToC

EA2: BRACED interventions

EA5: PHASE

EA3: BRACED Projects

EA4: Adaptive Social Protection

(System level)

Activity Method

How is BRACED performing?

How are BRACED projects building resilience?

How effectively are activities being delivered?

What results has BRACED delivered?

Does the BRACED model work? For whom?

What does this mean for future resilience programming?

What does this mean for resilience strengthening more broadly?

What have we learned about monitoring and measurement of resilience programming?

* EA: Evaluation Activity* ToC: Theory of Change


Annex 4: The BRACED projectsEachBRACEDprojectisusingdifferentinterventionstrategiesandbeing

implementedindifferentclimaticandoperatingcontexts.Table9belowprovides

abriefsynopsisofthelocationandfocusofeachofthe1436projectsconsidered

inthisreport,alongwiththename/abbreviationbywhichtheyarereferredto

throughoutthereport:37

36 oneofthefifteenbracEDprojectsdidnotcompleteaprojectreportforyear1duetodelaysinstartingimplementation.

37 FormoreinformationaboutbracEDprojects,visitwww.braced.org

http://www.braced.org


Table 9: Synopsis of BRACED projects

project name project abbreviation

project location

project focus

ANUKULAN anukuLan nepal Drivingsmallfarmerinvestmentinclimate-smarttechnologies

Building Resilience in Chad and Sudan

brics chad,sudan strategiesandtechnologiestobuildresilienceagainstdroughtsandfloods,includingclimate-smartagriculture,improvedirrigationandearlywarningsystems

Climate Information and Assets for Resilience in Ethiopia

ciarE Ethiopia improvingaccesstoreliableclimateinformationandincreasinglocalcommunities’capacitytorespondtoclimatethreats

Decentralising Climate Funds DcF mali,senegal Decentralisingclimatefundsinmaliandsenegal

Improving Resilience to Climate Change in South Sudan

iriss southsudan strategiesandtechnologiestobuildresilienceagainstdroughtsandfloods

Livestock Mobility Livestockmobility burkinaFaso,mali,mauritania,niger,senegal

strengtheningtheresilienceofpastoralistsandagro-pastoralists,throughtrans-borderlivestockmobility

Market Approaches to Resilience

mar Ethiopia Financialmodelsandeconomicopportunitiesadaptabletoclimateextremes

Myanmar Alliance myanmaralliance myanmar improvingaccesstoclimateriskinformationandcommunitydisasterpreparednessandapproaches

Projet de la Résilience face aux Chocs Environnementaux et Sociaux au Niger

PrEsEncEs niger naturalresourcemanagementandgovernance,climate-resilientlivelihoodsandimprovedclimateinformation

ProgrEss kenya,uganda

buildingresilientgovernance,marketsandsocialsystems

Renforcement des Initiatives Communautaires pour la Résilience aux Extrêmes Climatiques

ric4rEc mali strengtheningcommunities’initiativesforresiliencetoclimateextremes

Scaling up Resilience to Climate Extremes for over 1 Million People

sur1m niger,mali intelligentagriculture,savingcirclesandradiomessagingforresilienceinthenigerriverbasin

Welthungerhilfe (name of lead IP agency)

Whh burkinaFaso changingfarmingpracticestoprepareforheavyrainandhightemperatures

Zaman Lebidi ZamanLebidi burkinaFaso improvingaccesstoreliableclimateinformationandincreasinglocalcommunities’capacitytorespondtoclimatethreats


Annex 5: Project-level screening grid

braced m&e framework

how are braced components a and b building resilience to climate extremes?

Pathways to resilience

Categorising changes along the four Areas of Change

Whoarethemainactors(boundarypartners)?

Whatactivitieshavebeenundertakenandwhere?

Whatarethemainachievements/changes?

Whatlevelofchangehasbeenseen?

Whatarethemainchallenges?howistheprojectaddressingthem?

arethereanyunexpectedresults?

arethereanylinksofchangeprocessestooutcome-levelchange?

Whatisthelevelofevidenceshownonhowprojectactivitieshavecontributedtochange?

Understanding resilience outcomes

Categorising outcome-level changes

Whoarethedirect/indirectbeneficiariesandhowhavetheybenefited?

Whatarethemaincapacitiesbeingbuilt?

Whatevidenceistherethatbuildingadaptive,anticipatoryandabsorptivecapacitieshasreducedtheimpactofshocksandstresses?

Doanyprojectactivities/initiativeshelpenhancemorethanonecapacityatatime?

arethereanytrade-offsininitiativestoenhanceadaptive,anticipatoryandabsorptivecapacity,whereenhancingonecapacitymayresultintheerosionofanother?

inwhatwaysistheprojectlaggingbehindornolongerrelevant?

Contextualising resilience

Categorising contextual dynamics

Whatarethemainconstrainers/enablersrelatedtothelocal,sub-nationalornationallevels?

howarethesecontextualfactorsconstrainingorenablingchangefromtheproject?

havetheycontributedtoanyunexpectedoutputsoroutcomes?

arethesecontextualfactorswithinorbeyondtheproject’sareaofcontrol?

Whatarethemainchallenges?

howistheprojectaddressingthosechallenges?


Annex 6: Mapping of project activities and approaches and recurrent themesAcomparativeanalysisoftheproject-levelsyntheseswasconductedagainst

thecorequestionofthisreport.Contentanalysisledtotheidentification

andmappingofrecurringthemesattheprogrammelevel,guidedbyexpert

knowledgeandinterpretationoftheMRRteam(basedontheirintimate

knowledgeoftheprogramme):

Area of Change 1: Knowledge and attitudes

Themes:

1. COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY PLANNING

2. ACCESSING AND USING CLIMATE AND WEATHER INFORMATION

activities participatory community planning

formation of village committees/planning

committees

generating, facilitating access to climate information

1 alliancemyanmar • • •

2 anukuLan •(LaPas) • •

3 ciarE •(braPa) • •

4 iriss • • •

5 Livestockmobility Public debates/social agreements •

6 PrEsEncEs •(caaP) • •

7 ZamanLebidi •(braPa) • •

8 brics •(supportgroups) •

9 ProgrEss • •(racs) •

10 ric4rEc •(cbDrmplans) • •

11 sur1m • • •

12 Whh •

13 mar • • •

14 DcF resilienceassessments(local

government)

adaptationcommittees(withingovernment) •


Area of Change 2: strengthening capacity and skills

Themes:

1. BUILDING FARMERS’ AND PASTORALISTS’ CAPACITY

2. BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND TECHNICAL SERVICES, WITHIN AND ACROSS SECTORS

activities access to finance/financial services

access to markets

agricultural/Farming practices

specific gender focus

planning and implementation (targeting government and/or technical departments)

1 Alliance

Myanmar• • • •

2 ANUKULAN • • • • •

3 CIARE • • • •

4 IRISS • • •

5 Livestock

Mobility• • • •

6 PRESENCES • • • •

7 Zaman Lebidi • • •

8 BRICS • • • •

9 PROGRESS • • • • •

10 RIC4REC • (community

resilience

grants)

• • •

11 SUR1M • (SILC) • • •

12 WHH • •

13 MAR • •

14 DCF • (access

to finance

by local

government)

• • •


Area of Change 3: Partnerships

Themes:

1. WORKING TOGETHER – LEVERAGING RESOURCES AND CAPACITIES

2. STRENGTHENING NETWORKING AND COLLABORATION

activities partnering local government and

CSOs

Partnering with Private

Sector

partnering with the media – dissemination

of climate information

Partnering sub-national and national

institutions

1 alliancemyanmar • • •

2 anukuLan• •(service

providers)•

3 ciarE • • •

4 iriss • •

5 Livestockmobility • •(service

providers)•

6 PrEsEncEs• •(financial

institutions)• •

7 ZamanLebidi • • •

8 brics • •

9 ProgrEss• •(financial

institutions)• •

10 ric4rEc• •(dissemination

ofclimateinfo)•

11 sur1m

•

•(financialinstitutions;

distributionofinputs)

•

12 Whh• •(distributionof

inputs)• •

13 mar• •(financial

institutions)•

14 DCF • •


Area of Change 4: Inclusive decision-making*

Theme:

FOSTERING REPRESENTATION, PARTICIPATION AND LEADERSHIP OF THE MOST VULNERABLE

representation/participation in planning, decision-making

processes

participation/leading project activities

training on addressing

gender-specific issues

1 alliancemyanmar • •

2 anukuLan • •

3 ciarE •

4 iriss • • •

5 Livestockmobility •

6 PrEsEncEs • •

7 ZamanLebidi • •

8 brics • •

9 ProgrEss• • •(genderresponsive

budgeting)

10 ric4rEc •

11 sur1m• • •(trainingoncitizen

participationtocsos)

12 Whh • •

13 mar

14 DcF •

*Limiteddataavailable–clusteringofactivities.


Resilience in contextThetablebelowreflectsthereportsthatexplicitlymentionedthosethemesaskeychallengesinprojectimplementation:

themes 1. braced in difficult environments: the

challenges of responding to ongoing crisis

2. braced in decentralised or decentralising countries –

adjusting planning processes to weak governance structures

3. joining forces with other ongoing

initiatives

1 alliancemyanmar • •

2 anukuLan •

3 ciarE •

4 iriss • •

5 Livestockmobility • •

6 PrEsEncEs • • •

7 ZamanLebidi • •

8 brics • • •

9 ProgrEss • • •

10 ric4rEc • • •

11 sur1m •

12 Whh •

13 mar •

14 DcF • •


Annex 7: Further illustrative examplesThisannexprovidessomesupplementaryillustrativeexamplesfromprojects

ofthefindingspresentedinthemaintext.

Examples to supplement section 3.2: Strengthening capacities and skills

• WHH: Theprojectpromotedlocalfarmers’adoptionofnewtechniques

andmethods,including:

(a) theadoptionoflandandnaturalresourcemanagementmethods,such

asZaï,Halfmoonsandintercropping(altogetheradoptedby48.4%of

thebeneficiarypopulation).

(b) theadoptionofcertifiedimprovedseedscoupledwiththeuseoforganic

fertiliser(adoptedby73%ofthebeneficiariesascomparedto36%of

non-beneficiaries).

Significantchangescanalsobeseeninthediversificationofagricultural

productionmethods(marketgardens,cassava,riceandpoultry

production).Theseresultsseemtosuggestthatchanges,suchas

adoptionofnewtechniquesandmethods,canhappeneveninrelatively

shortperiodsoftime(i.e.sevenmonthsofdirectsupporttotargeted

farmers).Anetworkofseedproducersisunderconstruction(training

ofleadfarmers,sites-inspectionsandcertification).Treenurserieshave

beenestablishedtoimproveaccesstocertifiedseedsinallcommunes

oftheprojectareaandprovideinputtotreeseedlings.Producershave

beenencouragedtosellpartoftheirproducetolocalmarkets,inorder

togainincome.Asaresult,changeshavebeenobservedintermsof

increasesinfrequencyandvolumesofsales.Inturn,thishasledto

improvedprofitmarginsforfarmers.Theshareofbeneficiarieswho

reportedhaving(improved)accesstomarketsinyear1wasmorethan

twiceashighasfornon-beneficiaries(35%versus16%).

• InChad,theCLAs(CommitteeLocaleAction)aretheofficialdistrict-level

institutioninchargeofmonitoringearlywarninginformationandensuring

acoordinatedresponseinthecaseofanevent.TheBRICSprojecthasbeen

facilitatingmonthlycoordinationmeetings,leadingtopositiveresultsin

termsoftheinvolvementofCLAsindatagatheringonissuessuchasfood

security,accesstocleanwater,childdiseasesandmalnutrition.BRICShas

alsoestablishedgoodlinkswithCLAsandprovidesregularsupport.CLA

interestandengagementiscriticalforthesupportandimplementationof

improvedearlywarningprocesses.

• InNigerandMali,theSUR1Mprojecthastrainedcommunal-levelearly

warninggroupsonclimatedatacollection.Localwarningstructureshave

beenestablished/revitalised,whichhasledtoanincreaseincommune

capabilitiesforvulnerabilityanalysisanddatatransmission.Earlywarning

groupsnowcollectandtransmitdataonamonthlybasisinbothcountries.


All19communescompilecommunitydataandsendittothenexthigher

level(districtandcircle).SUR1Mhasreportedparticularlypositiveresults

inMali,wheretheestablishmentofearlywarninggroupsin89villagesof

theprojectareahascontributedtoimprovingvulnerabilityanalysis(i.e.

assessmentoftheagriculturalcampaignresultsanddeterminationofthe

numberoffoodinsecurepeopleintheregionofGao).Sincethestartof

theagriculturalcampaignin2015/2016,earlywarninggroupmembershave

alertedtechnicalservicesandprojectstaff,suggestingthattheagricultural

campaignwouldnotservethecommunitywell.Thishasallowedthelocal

governmenttomakearrangementstoensurefoodavailabilityforthemost

vulnerablehouseholds.

Examples to supplement section 3.4: Working in partnership

• TheSUR1Mprojectaddresseschallengesinthedistributionofinputs

toremoteruralareas(e.g.weaklinksalongthevaluechainbetween

farmersandagro-dealersandbuyersforcrops,andalackoftransparent

communicationandsharing).Theconnectionsbetweenleadfarmers

andagro-dealersarebeingencouragedtopromotethedevelopmentof

newmarkets(agriculturalinputs)throughpartnershipswithsuppliers.In

Niger,theprojecthasassistedaprivatecertifiedseedmultiplicationand

distributionsystemthroughapartnershipwiththeManomaCompany,which

supportstheexpansionoftheirdistributionnetwork(certifiedseeds)tothe

projectzone.InMali,lobbyingencouragedbytheprojectandundertaken

byGaoregionalagricultureofficialshasledtorenewedinterestfromagro-

dealers,despitethedelayintheestablishmentofseedproducers.Changes

inthesupplychainhavestartedtoemerge.Farmerspreviouslyhadtowalk

atleast30kilometrestobuyagriculturalinputs,butManomanowsells

seedsandotheragriculturalinputsvialocalsalespeopledirectlyinvillages

intheprojectinterventionzone.Evidenceofsuccesscanbeseeninthefact

thatproducersinprojectcommunesarenowdevelopingpartnershipswith

variousseedcompanies/agro-dealersforthenextcampaign.

• ThePROGRESSprojecthasfacilitatedtheestablishmentoflinksbetween

beneficiariesandserviceproviders.Opportunitiesforbusinessdevelopment

alongtheagriculturalvaluechainarealsobeingdiscussedthroughmulti-

stakeholderplatforms.TheprojecthasbecomeamemberofWajirValue

ChainActors,whichincludesvaluechainrelevantbodiesthatdeliberate

onmattersconcerningselectedvaluechainsinthecounty.Changeshave

startedtoemergeasaresultofBRACEDworkinthisarea.Amongthese

changesisanimprovedavailabilityofproducts(mainlyenergy-efficient

stoves)throughtheactiveengagementofproducersanddistributorswithin

theproject–includingdemonstrationsofproductsorganisedbysuppliers.

Thisimprovementhelpstoaddresstheincreaseindemandforsuchproducts

(asaresultofawareness-raisinginterventionsonresilienceandnatural

resourcesmanagement).

• WithinthePRESENCESproject,microfinanceinstitutionshaveengaged

withcommunitiestoimplementgrainbanksandwarrantagesystems,mainly


toaddressthecerealdeficitduringthehungergap.The‘Lingué’TéraFund

isengagedinfinancingwarrantageinthezoneandcontactshavebeen

establishedwithcommunities.ThePRESENCESreporthighlightsthatsuch

anarrangementisalreadyanindicationofchange,asMFIswereinitially

reluctantabouttheideaofdevelopinganeffectivecollaborationwith

communityorganisations.Communeshavestrengthenedthecapacitiesof

20cerealbanksin13communitiesthroughwarrantageincollaborationwith

MFIs.Itisexpectedthatcerealbankswillhelpcommunitiestomeetthe

needsofpopulationsduringthehungergap.

• ThroughtheANUKULANproject,iDEandIWMI,incollaborationwithother

stakeholders,organisedamultipleusewatersystem(MUS)International

WorkshopinFebruary2016,whichmobilisedover180participantsincluding

MUScommunities,government,academicinstitutions,donors,international

centres,developmentorganisationsandotherstakeholders.Theworkshop

playedakeyroleinpromotingMUSasatooltoaddressclimateresilience

inNepal.AkeyoutcomeoftheworkshopwastheformationoftheNepal

MUSnetwork,whichaimstoshareknowledgeandinformationondifferent

approachesforMUSandpromoteMUSacrossthewatersectorinNepal.

AnMUSGuidelinehasnowbeendevelopedbytheMinistryofPopulation

andEnvironmentfortheinstitutionalisationofMUSandisintheprocess

ofendorsement.MUSarenowrecognisedasaclimatechangeadaptation

mechanismbybothdistrict-andnational-levelstakeholders.

• Collaborationwithregionalandinternationalinstitutionshasalsobeenkey

toenhancingthevisibilityoftheLivestock Mobility project’sinterventions

andfindings.ProjectpartnersareinvolvedinthepreparationforPRAPS

(ProjetRégionald’AppuiauPastoralismeauSahel)attherequestofthe

WorldBank.Alongsidethisinitiative,projectpartnershavelobbiedtogether

fortherightsofpastoraliststhroughthedevelopmentofaPRAPSforcoastal

countries(PRIDEC).Itisexpectedthatthisinitiativewillbeco-fundedbythe

WorldBankandtheEconomicCommunityofWestAfricanStates(ECOWAS).

Examples to supplement section 5.2: Resilience in context

• The PROGRESSprojectisworkinginKenya,whichhasundergone

aprocessofpoliticaldevolutiontocounty-levelsince2012,withnew

countygovernmentinstitutionalstructures,policiesandplansstillunder

development.Inestablishingvillagelevelresilienceandadaptation

committeesunderBRACED,theprojecthashadtooperateinashifting

contextasnewcounty-levellegislationandward-leveladministrative

arrangementsareputinplace.Bycomparison,decentralisationandcapacity

atdistrictlevelinUgandaareweak.PROGRESShashighlightedaneedfor

technicalsupporttothedistrictsandtheOfficeofthePrimeMinisterin

Karamojatostrengthenplanningfromthebottom-up.

• Similarly,fortheLivestock Mobilityproject,decentralisationunderwayin

theSahelcountriesitoperatesinmayeitherenableorconstrainthechanges

initiatedwithintheproject.Undertheprovisionsofdecentralisation,local


governmentbodiesareresponsiblefordeliveringkeysocialandeconomic

services(suchashealth,wateroreducationandmarketfacilities)for

conductingagricultural,pastoralandforestryland-useplanningandfor

raisingtaxes.Asmobileherdersremainmarginalisedandlargelyexcluded

fromlocaldecision-makingprocesses,specificattentionisrequiredwhen

negotiatinginter-municipalagreementsatthedepartmentleveltomanage

agro-pastoralresources–inter-cooperationbetweenmunicipalitiesalonga

corridorisoftenstillfragmented.Theanchoringoftheprojectwithineach

country’sexistingdecentralisedmechanismsenablestheprojecttogain

morevisibilityonthelocalandnationalscale,aswellaspromotingtheneed

forinter-municipalagreementsbetweenmunicipalitiestocaterforlong-

distance,trans-borderlivestockmobility.

• ForthePRESENCESproject,thedecentralisationprocessunderway

inNigerwillentailchangesinlocalgovernanceandresources.Theadoption

bythegovernmentattheCouncilofMinisterson26January2016in

theRepublicofNigersetthetermstotransferskillsandresourcesfrom

theStatetothecommunesandtheRegionalTerritorialCommunitiesin

theareasofeducation,health,waterandtheenvironment.Theserelate

directlytotheproject’sinterventions.Theprojectexpectsthatthese

willenablethecommunestoenactmanyprerogativesifthedecreeis

appliedsuccessfully,buttheinstitutionalanalysishasrevealedalackof

skillstransferredtothecommunes,despitethefactthatthisprinciple

isintroducedbydecentralisation.AdoptingthisdecreeintheCouncil

ofMinistersdemonstratesthegovernment’scommitmenttoaccelerate

thetransferofresourcesandskillstocommunes.Thisisaconstraint

acrosstheSahelcountriesundergoingdecentralisation.


Annex 8: BRACED research outputsOutlinedbelowaresomeoftheoutputsfromtheKM’songoingresearchwork

thathastakenplaceincollaborationwiththeIPs.(ForallBRACEDpublications,

seethebraced.orgwebsite.)

Resilience pathways

CLIMATE AND WEATHER INFORMATIONWilkinson,E.,budimir,m.,ahmed,a.k.andouma,g.(2015)‘climateinformation

andservicesinbracEDcountries’.bracEDknowledgemanagerresilienceintel.London:oDi.

Jones,L.,harvey,b.andgodfrey-Woods,r.(2016)‘thechangingroleofngosinsupportingclimateservices’.bracEDknowledgemanagerresilienceintel.London:oDi.

CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND FINANCIAL SERVICESHawortha.,Frandon-martinezc.,Fayolle,v.andsimonet,c.(2016)‘climate

resilienceandfinancialservices:LessonsfromEthiopia,maliandmyanmar’.bracEDknowledgemanagerWorkingPaper.London:oDi.

Haworth,a.,Frandon-martinez,c.,Fayolle,v.andWilkinson,E.(2016)‘bankingonresilience:buildingcapacitiesthroughfinancialserviceinclusion’.bracEDknowledgemanagerPolicybrief.London:acclimatise.

CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND SOCIAL PROTECTIONUlrichs,m.(2016)‘increasingpeople’sresiliencetoshocksthroughsocialprotection’.

bracEDknowledgemanagerresilienceintel.London:oDi.

Ulrichs,m.andslater,r.(2016)‘howcansocialprotectionbuildresilience?insightsfromEthiopia,kenyaanduganda’.bracEDknowledgemanagerWorkingPaper.London:oDi.

RESILIENT RISK GOVERNANCECarabine,E.,chesterman,s.andWilkinson,E.(2016)‘resilientriskgovernance:

experiencefromthesahelandhornofafrica’.bracEDknowledgemanagerresilienceintel.London:oDi.

GENDER AND RESILIENCELemasson,v.,norton,a.andWilkinson,E.(2015)‘genderandresilience’.bracED

knowledgemanagerWorkingPaper.London:oDi.

Lemasson,v.(2015)‘genderandresilience:fromtheorytopractice’.bracEDknowledgemanagerWorkingPaper.London:oDi.

Rigg,s.,Lovell,E.andPichon,F.(2016)‘assessinggenderinresilienceprogramming:burkinaFaso’.bracEDknowledgemanagerresilienceintel.London:oDi.

Hilton,m.,monmaung,y.andLemasson,v.(2016)‘assessinggenderinresilienceprogramming:myanmar’.bracEDknowledgemanagerresilienceintel.London:oDi.

http://www.braced.org/reality-of-resilience/case-studies/index.html










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Understanding resilience outcomes

Bahadur,a.v.,Peters,k.,Wilkinson,E.,Pichon,F.,gray,k.andtanner,t.(2015)‘the3as:trackingresilienceacrossbracED’.bracEDknowledgemanagerWorkingPaper.London:oDi.

Wilkinson,E.,budimir,m.,ahmed,a.k.andouma,g.(2015)‘climateinformationandservicesinbracEDcountries’.bracEDknowledgemanagerresilienceintel.London:oDi.

Wilkinson,E.andPeters,k.(Eds.)(2015)‘climateextremesandresiliencepovertyreduction:developmentdesignedwithuncertaintyinmind’.bracEDknowledgemanagerresearchPaper.London:oDi.

Resilience in contextCONTINGENCY FUNDINGPeters,k.,venton,P,Pichon,F.,Jones,L.(2016)‘Evaluativelearningforresilience:

ProvidinghumanitarianassistanceforsahelEmergencies(PhasE)’.bracEDknowledgemanagerEvaluationPaper.London:oDi.







http://www.braced.org/resources/i/?id=8a8b3b72-da43-4e44-bb55-dc18d9ce5a13







Annex 9: Summary of lessons learntThetablebelowsetsoutthelessonsidentifiedinthisreportacross

BRACEDprojects,intermsofresiliencepathways,resilienceoutcomes

andresiliencecontexts:

Thecompanionreport,’Routestoresilience:lessonsfrommonitoringBRACED’

hasdetailsonthelessonsidentifiedbasedontheMRRteam’sexperiencesof

a)establishingandrollingouttheBRACEDM&Eframeworkandb)undertaking

thefirstyear’sproject-toprogramme-levelreporting.

Resiliencepathways

Changes in resilience knowledge and attitudes

• theculturalandpoliticaldimensionofchangingattitudesandbehaviourshouldnotbeunderestimated

• thechallengeremains:fromeasyuseofnear-terminformationandthemorechallenginguseoflonger-terminformation

Strengthening capacities and skills to manage climate and disaster risks

• buildingcapacitytomanagetheriskofclimateextremesanddisastersgoesbeyondtechnicalskills

• itisnotaboutonetypeofcapacity,butacombinationofcapacities

• Joined-upprogrammingandcomplementaryactivitiesareessentialiftheyaretosupportwomen’sempowerment

Building partnerships to deliver interventions for resilience

• buildingresiliencetoclimateanddisastersstartswithfindingtherightpartners

• understandingeachpartner’scapacityiscritical

• Evaluatingpartnershipsthataregreaterthanthesumofitspartstaketime

Improving decision-making through inclusive resilience-building

• socialexclusionandgenderinequalitiescannotbeaddressedwithquickfixesinaone-offproject

• thegoaloffosteringsocialequalityandinclusionbeginswithchangingattitudesandbuildingthecapacitiesofprojectstaff

• monitoringanddocumentingcaseswhereinclusivedecision-makingtakesplaceiscritical

Understanding resilience outcomes: lessons learnt

Absorptive anticipatory and Adaptive Capacities and Transformative change

• Whencommunitiesdefineresiliencepriorities,activitiesareorientedaroundenhancinganticipatoryandabsorptivecapacity

• Forsomeoutcomes,project-levelreportingdiffersfromtheconceptualunderstandingofresiliencecapacitiesdescribedinthe3asframework

• thebracEDprogrammemaygeneratemoreachievementsinbuildinganticipatoryandabsorptivecapacitythanadaptivecapacity(ortransformation)

Resilience in context

Contextual factors that enable or constrain change

• anticipatingandmanagingcrisisiscentraltoresilience-buildingprogrammes.yet,thechallengeremains:monitoringandcontextualisingresultsinthefaceofshocksandstresses

• contextmattersandsodopragmaticprojectdesigns

• Learningaboutprocessesandprogressinbuildingresiliencerequiresrealisticexpectationsandmovingbeyond‘linearreporting’


BRACED aims to build the resilience of up to 5 million vulnerable people against

climate extremes and disasters. It does so through a three year, UK Government

funded programme, which supports 108 organisations, working in 15 consortiums,

across 13 countries in East Africa, the Sahel and Southeast Asia. Uniquely, BRACED

also has a Knowledge Manager consortium.

The Knowledge Manager consortium is led by the Overseas Development Institute

and includes the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, the Asian Disaster

Preparedness Centre, ENDA Energie, Itad and Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The views presented in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent

the views of BRACED, its partners or donor.

Readers are encouraged to reproduce material from BRACED Knowledge Manager Reports for

their own publications, as long as they are not being sold commercially. As copyright holder, the

BRACED programme requests due acknowledgement and a copy of the publication. For online

use, we ask readers to link to the original resource on the BRACED website.

The BRACED Knowledge Manager generates evidence and learning on

resilience and adaptation in partnership with the BRACED projects and

the wider resilience community. It gathers robust evidence of what works

to strengthen resilience to climate extremes and disasters, and initiates

and supports processes to ensure that evidence is put into use in policy

and programmes. The Knowledge Manager also fosters partnerships to

amplify the impact of new evidence and learning, in order to significantly

improve levels of resilience in poor and vulnerable countries and

communities around the world.

Published December 2016

Website: www.braced.org Twitter: @bebraced Facebook: www.facebook.com/bracedforclimatechange

Cover image: Dieter Telemans

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