Fighting Hunger Worldwide A WFP approach to operationalise resilience Part 1: Integrated Context Analysis April 2014 A WFP approach to operationalise resilience Part 1: Integrated Context Analysis Background WFP provides assistance to the building the resilience of these most food insecure and vulnerable communities by strengthening their households and communities to build livelihoods and capacities to manage their resilience to shocks and ensure risks and shocks. long-term food security and nutrition. Often, these people live in fragile However, this requires a partnered landscapes and areas prone to frequent effort, based on robust planning disasters and recurring shocks. approaches that lay the foundations for structured and coordinated Working with governments and programming and operationalizing partners, WFP focuses efforts on of activities. WFP/Raffaella Policastro/Italy WFP/Raffaella WFP’s ‘three-pronged approach’ for partnered resilience building efforts The Integrated Context Analysis The ICA is one of these new tools, (ICA) is part of a broader three-step building on converging evidence to process, the ‘three-pronged approach’, inform strategic responses and planning that strengthens the design, planning at national levels. The ICA can be used and implementation of longer-term to identify more specific programme resilience building programmes, responses and identifies areas where developed in partnership and aligned further in-depth studies are needed. They to national and local priorities. guide the identification of priority areas It places people and partners in which to conduct Seasonal Livelihood at the centre of planning, using Programming consultations to identify converging analyses, consultations, area-specific complementary and multi- and consensus-building at three sectorial programmes with governments different levels. This three-pronged and partners, which in turn set the approach contains new and innovative foundations for targeted joint efforts programming tools and frameworks to with communities and partners to plan strengthen the identification, planning, and implement programmes through and delivery of programmes. Community-Based Participatory Planning (CBPP). 1. NATIONAL LEVEL: INTEGRATED CONTEXT ANALYSIS (ICA) “The bigger picture”: An integrated context analysis that combines historical trends of food security, nutrition, and shocks with other information such as land degradation, roads, markets, etc., to identify priority areas of intervention and appropriate programme strategies. 3. LOCAL A WFP’s 2. SUB-NATIONAL LEVEL: Three-pronged LEVEL: SEASONAL COMMUNITY LIVELIHOOD BASED PARTICIPATORY approach to PROGRAMMING (SLP) PLANNING (CBPP) resilience building “Getting better at “From the bottom up”: coordination A community level and partnerships”: participatory exercise to identify A consultative process needs and tailor programme to design an integrated responses to local requirements multi-year, multi-sectorial by ensuring prioritisation and operational plan using ownership by communities. seasonal and gender lenses. Integrated Context Analysis 1 What is Integrated Context Analysis (ICA)? The ICA is a process used to identify in turn help identify overall and discuss the most appropriate programmatic strategies and guide programmatic strategies in specific where to focus deeper thematic geographical areas - including analysis to inform the selection of resilience building, disaster risk programme activities, drawing on reduction, and social protection - the comparative advantages and between WFP, government, and technical expertise of governments, partners. The ICA is based on partners, communities, and affected historical trend analyses across a populations. number of technical and sectorial disciplines, the findings of which are overlaid to identify areas of What is the purpose of the convergence. In particular, trend ICA? analyses provide an understanding of what has happened in the past as The ICA provides a basis for strategic an indicator of what may occur in the programmatic discussions by multiple future, and where short, medium, stakeholders: and longer-term programming efforts may be required. 1. For Decision makers ICA combines findings from trend ICA provides an overview of trends of analyses and complementary food insecurity, undernutrition, and information on: exposure to shocks, and shows where • Food security and nutrition; these converge. This information helps • Exposure and risk to shocks; decision makers - such as government, • Aggravating factors, i.e. WFP, and partners – to develop overall environmental factors that can national programming strategies. increase the severity or impacts For example, where recurring food of shocks; insecurity and shocks converge, multi- • Livelihood types; and year, inter-sectorial programmes • Additional information, such to build resilience are required; in as security and political contexts, areas of recurring food insecurity yet markets and prices, infrastructure, no exposure to shocks are found, population density, etc. longer-term livelihood programmes and predictable safety nets could be By analysing and overlaying the considered; high shock-risk areas would findings of these different data sets require early warning and enhanced into maps, combinations of recurring preparedness measures irrespective food insecurity and undernutrition, of levels of food insecurity. shocks, and aggravating factors, can be identified – both geographically and by livelihood groups. These 2 2. For Programmers 3. For Analysts Once overall priority areas and ICA conducts trends analyses using intervention strategies are identified historical information derived from by decision makers, ICA provides government, WFP, and partner programmers with a deeper assessments, monitoring and understanding of the context, such as information systems, early warning landscapes, livelihoods, and locations outlooks and where required, models of communities at risk. This contributes risks and aggravating factors. Based on to the identification of partnerships, principles of triangulation, areas where discussions around a more evidence is contradictory is highlighted complementary approach to programme for deeper exploration by analysts. design tailored to local-level contexts, Similarly, results from new assessments and further guides the selection of can be triangulated against ICAs to programme areas and activities to identify areas where condition may avoid broad duplications and gaps. For have improved, remained the same, or programmers, ICA builds the rationales deteriorated. Findings from ICAs can for targeted, inter-sectorial, and multi- contribute to identifying when, where, year programmes with partners, and and what type of information may be contributes to identifying appropriate needed according to different contexts intervention types in specific areas – for within a country to inform future example, by determining focus areas assessment and monitoring design. By and linkages between seasonal support, using historical data to conduct trend recovery efforts, and resilience building; analyses, information from current and better defining where protective assessments and monitoring used for and/or productive safety nets could be short to medium-term programme placed. ICA also assists in identifying design also becomes a contribution where further specific thematic analyses to inform longer-term programming may be required. through ICA updates. Integrated Context Analysis 3 Who carries out the ICA? How does it work? The ICA is a joint effort that brings Integrated context analysis consists together different disciplines and of mapping and overlaying the information within WFP: following trend analyses and thematic information. • Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) conduct analyses 1. Trends of food security and on trends of food security, nutrition, nutrition and market information using VAM and other partner data, such as Unlike emergency responses, multi- the Famine Early Warning Systems year plans and programmes must Network (FEWS NET) and the be based on an understanding of Integrated Food Security Phase historical food security and nutrition Classification (IPC), and partner patterns. Historical trend analyses assessments and monitoring help distinguish between areas with systems in order to triangulate recurring and deep-rooted food the information and understand insecurity and undernutrition, and variations in the information. those that may be more transitory or seasonal in nature. • Emergency Preparedness and Response (OMEP) conduct For example, map 1 presents the trend analyses of shocks, uses findings of a food security trend remote sensing and Geographical analysis in Kenya. Combining Information Systems (GIS) to model risks based on climatic patterns, MAP 1. FOOD SECURITY TRENDS AND PEOPLE environmental features and levels IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE of land degradation, population densities, and infrastructure. • Programme Units guide the overlays of these data sets and analyses through a programmatic lens, and select areas of strategic and programmatic focus in consultation with stakeholders. Combined number of times people were in need of food assistance with reclassified FEWS NET Quarterly Outlook food security classifications (Kenya, 2007-2012). 4 results from two data sets (FEWS 2. Exposure to shocks NET and Kenya Short and Long Rains Assessments), this map brings Once the food security and nutritional together the overall food security base