Climate & Environment

The majority of people Concern works with are involved in some way with farming and food production. In countries like Malawi and Afghanistan, it’s essentially everyone. Many of these communities are also on the frontlines of climate change. We work with rural communities to promote new growing techniques, source improved seeds, trial alternative crops, and implement soil protection practices.

We support communities to adopt Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices in order to become more resilient to a less-predictable climate. We also work to strengthen links with the private sector to facilitate access to supplies and equipment. We are committed to rolling out CSA to 600,000 farmers as part of our strategic plan, while also supporting the African Union to roll out CSA to 6 million farmers on the continent.

Disaster risk reduction (DRR) protects the lives and livelihoods of communities and individuals who are most vulnerable to disasters or emergencies. Whether the crisis is caused by nature or humans (or a combination of both), DRR limits its negative impact on those who stand to lose the most. In some cases, we can reduce the size of a disaster, its strength, or even how frequently it occurs.

In tandem with this, we can also make sure that those who are most exposed to these hazards are able to better anticipate, survive, and recover. DRR focuses specifically on the three key dimensions of disaster risk:

1. Exposure to hazards
2. Vulnerability and capacity
3. Characteristics of each hazard

With this in mind, the goal of DRR is to prevent new risks, reduce existing risks, and increase overall resilience.

We find solutions that protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems to address societal challenges. Nature-based solutions not only help to offset the immediate land degradation caused by climate change, but also address challenges like food security, water security, public health, and social and economic development.