Vulnerability and Risk Assessment in Botswana's Bobirwa Sub-District

Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (VRA methodology) aims at developing a common understanding among various stakeholders, including government officials, village committees and local communities, about the main hazards and issues affecting communities living in a given social-ecological landscape. These stakeholders constitute the Knowledge Group (KG) considered in ths report. This engagement was done so as to design measures that reduce risk, enhance wellbeing and promote resilience to hazards in the landscape.

This report outlines the findings of a VRA exercise carried out in Eastern Botswana in the village of Bobonong in Bobirwa sub–district in November 2015 in the context of the project Adaptation at Scale in Semi-Arid Regions (ASSAR). The VRA contributes to ASSAR’s work on understanding local vulnerability and potential adaptation responses, engaging diverse stakeholders and supporting research into use (RiU) processes.

At the end of the workshop, the KG participants were asked to reflect on their experience of participating in the VRA. The discussions were highly rated by participants as an opportunity to personally and collectively dialogue on important aspects of climate change for actions that would promote best practices. It seems the VRA was therefore successful in establishing an environment conducive to exchanging information and learning which lead to the development of a joint knowledge base about vulnerabilities, adaptive responses and survival mechanisms.