James Ford and Irene Hofmeijer present during the First International IHACC course in Lima Peru

From November 9-11, 2011 the McGill IHACC team and the IHACC team at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) came together to host the First International Climate Change and Health Outcome Course and Workshop in Lima, Peru. This was the first course on health and climate change ever offered at UPCH. The 3 day series covered (a) Climate Change Vulnerability and it’s Conceptual Evolution (James Ford); (b) Vulnerability Assessment Frameworks (James Ford); (c) Vulnerability Methods (James Ford); (d) Climate Change and Food Security (Marie-Pierre Lardeau); (e) Vulnerability Studies in Action (James Ford).

Twenty nine participants (14 ales and 15 females) attended the lectures from different disciplines (medicine, administration, nursing, psychology, veterinary and others) and from different sectors: UPCH, Universidad de San Marcos, Universidad National Agraria la Molina, Ministry of Agriculture and National Service of Meteorology and Hidrography.  A complete English syllabus is available on this website. For information in Spanish, http://www.upch.edu.pe/faspa/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=488:salud-vulnerabilidad-adaptacion-cambio-climatico&catid=26:evento-faspa.

An important outcome of this activity was the creation of a discussion space with officials from the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture responsible for drafting and implementing the National plan of risk management and adaptation to climate change in the agricultural sector. Information will be shared and  adaptations plans for IHACC communities will be prepared in collaboration with them.