Risk Wise

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identified a small group of farmers at risk of losing a significant

proportion of their crops every second or third year because of local-

ized, low intensity floods caused by rain water runoff from sloping

land. These farmers were participating in an agricultural diversity

programme but, because of the regular eroding of their asset base,

were not benefiting from the programme in a sustainable fashion that

could lead to the establishment of more livelihood options. The

vulnerability analysis identified that they could not manage this risk

because they lacked appropriate tools to construct an earth bund to

protect their fields – something which was easily addressed by the

programme – an intervention that had an immediate impact.

In essence, risk management is very simple – it requires that we

address the scale, frequency, intensity or impact of a hazard, or

people’s vulnerability to a hazard, or both. In practice, it requires a

careful contextual understanding of the nature, cause and interac-

tions of the many types of hazards, and identifying why communities

are unable – or only partially able – to manage the risks that face

them as a result of these.

The complexity and nature of hazards facing poor communities

are such that it may not always be possible to introduce measures to

reduce their frequency, magnitude or scale, particularly in the short

term. For example, when looking at the risks facing those in

displaced camps in northern Uganda, the underlying hazard facing

the community was conflict. While it was not realistic for Concern

or our partners to resolve this, risk analysis suggested areas where we

could help the displaced reduce their vulnerabilities to some of the

consequential risks associated with the conflict. These included

issues around firewood collection, the siting of water points, the

location of latrines, and protecting particularly vulnerable groups

such as households headed by children.

Risk analysis – an approach to holistic contextual

analysis and quality programming

In addition to responding to humanitarian crises,

Concern focuses on four programme sectors through

which we seek to realize our mission of contributing to

the elimination of poverty: health, HIV/Aids, education

and livelihoods. These areas of activity are informed by

a number of cross cutting issues including gender and

equality. One of the challenges that we have is to ensure

that these activities are complementary and collectively

contributing to the elimination of poverty.

Contextual analysis and understanding are funda-

mental to quality programming and risk and

vulnerability analysis must be at the heart of the highest

level of analysis that we make when seeking to deter-

mine where and how we should work.

The starting point for risk management should not

be post-disaster, but rather the consistent early applica-

tion of risk analysis to further our contextual

understanding. Risk analysis aims to identify the nature,

characteristics, interaction and causes of existing and

expected future hazards that threaten poor people’s lives

and livelihoods, the impact of these hazards, and to

establish who is vulnerable to these and why.

Risk analysis should include an analysis of micro and

macro issues, and the linkages between them, as this will

highlight the underlying causes of poverty such as inap-

propriate policies, poor governance and the denial of

rights. Responding to risks of this nature requires long-

term advocacy programmes that are necessarily

Plaine Mapou, La Gonave, Haiti. A risk analysis recently completed on the island of La Gonave, Haiti showed that addressing environmental degradation is a priority

for the community

Image: William Devas