Launch of the CRISP-M tool

Webinar

A new digital tool that combines scientific climate risk information with the traditional knowledge, practices and skills of communities to help Indian communities undertake climate risk management more effectively was launched at this online event on 13 October

Online
Last updated 14 October 2021
A group of people gather on top of a hill.

Validation of the community level planning, Kuniri, India (Photo: copyright M.P Council of Science and Technology)

India’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is the world’s largest public works-based social protection programme, and its dual focus on wages and natural resource management assets provides the opportunity to enhance the climate resilience outcomes of the programme.

Evidence shows that MGNREGS is already helping communities cope with climate impacts to some extent. With the inclusion of climate information services in planning, implementation and monitoring, the scheme has the potential to help communities undertake climate risk management more effectively.

To realise the climate-resilience potential of MGNREGS, IIED, in partnership with MP Council of Science and Development (MPCST), has developed the Climate Resilience Information System and Planning Tool for MGNREGS (CRISP-M tool) for the Ministry of Rural Development, India.

Created with support from FCDO’s Infrastructure for Climate Resilient Growth (ICRG) programme, CRISP-M is a web and mobile phone-based geographic information system-aided tool that has been designed to help communities make climate-smart decisions. It helps enable them to absorb the effects of climate risks, adapt to climate impacts and transform their capacities to deal with growing climate impacts.

The tool has already been successfully piloted in 18 village panchayats of Niwali Block in Badwani, Madhya Pradesh, and CRISP-M shows the value of combining scientific climate risk information, methods, practices and technology with the traditional knowledge, practices and skills of communities. 

In this event on 13 October, the Hon’ble Minister Shri Giriraj Singh, Ministry of Rural Development, government of India, and Lord Tariq Ahmad, Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth in the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, jointly launched the tool.

About the speakers

Co-moderators

Keynote speakers

International discussant panel

National discussant panel

Closing statement

Event coverage

Speaking at the event Hon’ble Minister Shri Giriraj Singh said that the CRISP-M tool will help embed climate information in the GIS-based planning and implementation of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS and would be used in seven states: Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Rajasthan.

Lord Tariq Ahmad applauded India’s commitment to advancing this climate initiative through the MGNREGS programme, saying: "Reaching right across India, the scheme is having a positive, life-changing impact. It is helping poor and vulnerable people to cope with climate change and protecting them from weather-related disasters."

Shri Sinha said that the impact of grassroot planning, implementation and utilisation is visible in terms of enhanced groundwater recharge, increased forest coverage and increased land productivity in many impact studies of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA across India.

During his closing remarks, Shri Rohit Kumar, Joint Secretary said that the Ministry of Rural Development has already prepared GIS-based plans for 68% of Gram Panchayats (assemblies) of India with the help of remote-sensing technology.

Now, with the launch of this CRISP-M tool, the integration of climate information in GIS-based watershed planning will be possible and that would further strengthen planning of climate-resilient works under MGNREGS.

Watch a full recording of the event below or on IIED's YouTube channel, where you can also find links to take you straight to the contributions of each of the key speakers.

IIED events newsletter

Sign up to our mailing list for updates and invitations to events throughout the year, including webinars, critical themes and debriefs.

Contact

Anne Schulthess (anne.schulthess@iied.org), marketing manager, IIED's Communications Group