In this Section:

	Background
	Project Overview
	Research Methods
	Status of Project
	References
	Related Links
	Contacts

Research and Products:
Community Vulnerability Assessment

Research Methods

We are employing the following methods to gather information on at least four representative livelihoods and communities (e.g. irrigated agriculture dependent on groundwater, irrigated agriculture based on surface water, rain fed farming, and timber/recreation/tourism livelihoods).

To begin the community assessments we review the relevant literature and secondary sources. This includes the systematic compilation of existing climate, hydrological, demographic, and economic data. In the first phase of our field research we use a "rapid ethnographic assessment" technique. It is initiated through a series of concentrated site visits by the research team to conduct open-ended interviews with officials and representatives of the community. Snowball sampling techniques are used to identify potential informants representing key economic and public service sectors. In-depth interviews are conducted with representative stakeholders. These are semi structured and cover topics that include the stakeholders' occupational history, household economic profile, schedule of yearly activities as they relate to climate, perceptions of climate change and use of climate forecasting. We also conduct focus group discussions and gather oral histories to document the process of climate buffering.

A second phase of our research refers to the creation of community/CLIMAS partnerships through climate forecast meetings with stakeholders and representatives of the climatology and hydrology components of the project.

Once we understand the range of vulnerabilities based on our community case studies, we will proceed to the third phase our assessment work. This consists of defining a set of critical indicators to characterize community vulnerability. These will form the basis for the creation of a GIS-based vulnerability database and map that allows classification of vulnerability by geographical area across the Southwestern region.