1. PARTICIPATORY! (EXPECT CONFUSION) Social Protection Shuffle
A game on information, decisions and consequences
PARTICIPATORY!
(EXPECT CONFUSION)
By: Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre & Delft University Gamelab
Supported by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization

2. GROUND RULES
1. Game = simplified representation of reality No questioning of game rules
Decisions are individual But consultation is encouraged
3. You win or lose assets Assets cannot be shared - Start with 1 or 2
4. We will play 7-10 years (rounds) Expect time pressure…

3. YOUR COUNTRY DROUGHT LAND
“In recent decades, there has been a sharp increase in weather-related disasters, and climate change is aggravating these risks. You live in a the country of Drough tland. Drought land is a country that is vulnerable to climate risks, which means it has a history in weather-related disasters and especially in these recent decades the risks of climate shocks are extremely high. Most of you are poor farmers which rely on agriculture to survive. Especially for farmers a climate shock has a lot of impact.”

4. YOU YOU Most of Some of (FARMER) (Government)
Most of you are farmers and some of you are the government of Zamunda. The government gives direction to the country and stimulates the development of society. `The governments wants to protect the country from natural disasters but is that really possible? Should a farmers loose all their assets as the result of a shock, the government will give aid to the victims and enable Zamunda to rebuild. But Zamunda is a poor country and also the government is on a budget.
(Government)

5. EACH YEAR – RISK OF SHOCK
No shock - OK!
Dry spell - Lose 1 asset
“We will play for between 7 and 10 rounds, each round representing one year. Each year, there is a risk of a shock event occurring in Zamunda. Neither government nor farmers know when a shock will hit.
There are assets in the game and these are very important. Having sufficient assets means that you are protected against such a shock. The type of shock that you are vulnerable to is a dry spell. If there is a dry spell all farmers lose 1 asset. If there is no shock you are all okay and you can keep all of your assets.”

6. OBJECTIVES Government: Farmers:
1. Keep as many farmers in the game as possible
Farmers:
Win! Get up to 6 assets
Stay in the game
The goal for the government is to keep as many farmers in the game as possible and to spend as little as possible.
“Who wants to be the government of Zamunda?”
Assign government players, number of government players: see table 1.1
“The government is assisted by a financial controller, who manages the finances of Zamunda.”
Introduce financial controller
“All other players are the farmers of Zamunda. Your goal is to win! And you can win by becoming resilient which means having 6 assets. However more important your main goal is to stay in the game as an active farmer at all times.

7. YOU Most of Zero beans left? Inactive for 1 year! (FARMER)
To the farmers: “You are all poor farmers. If a shock hits it is the question if your farm survives such a disaster. Therefore you each start the game with a small stock of assets: 1 or 2. If a farmer loses all assets, he or she is removed from the game until they can be helped back in by the government. While they are out of the game, they become an inactive farmer. All other farmers are active farmers. You will be inactive for 1 year and you will move to the inactive farmer area.”
“If you’ve become inactive, it means that you cannot take care of your family. And you will be inactive for 1 whole year. Think about what that would mean for you, for your farm and for your family.”
“The government can activate the inactive farmers at the end of the next year by giving them 2 assets per farmer. The farmer then returns to where he or she was located before he or she became inactive.”
Zero beans left?
Inactive for 1 year!

8. YOU Some of + Budget for Disaster Response and Preparedness
(Government) +
Each round the government has an allocated budget to be spent on disaster response and preparedness and each year the government needs to decide how to spend the budget.
The government receives this budget each year at the beginning of each round.
The budget equals a fixed base income + a variable income, which is the number of active farmers.
The base income equals half of the number of farmers in the game, rounding upwards.
The variable income equals 1x the number of active farmers in that year.
Budget for Disaster Response and Preparedness

9. LET’S
PLAY!
The government players go to the government office at one side of the room.
The facilitator takes the farmer players to the other side of the room, the farmer lands. (1/4 take 2 assets, ¾ take 1 asset)
The farmers are instructed not to talk to the government unless spoken to and not to tell the government the number of assets they have and unless asked for personally.
The farmers are instructed to mix up and take a random spot in the farmer land area (to make sure not all farmers with the same starting budget stand together).
If all rules are clear, the first round starts.

10. YEAR 1 Dry Spell All Farmers hand in 1 asset
ZERO assets? in trouble! Stay where you are
Government receives income
The first round is a short round and the facilitator immediately checks whether a disaster strikes that year, either by going to the next powerpoint slide or by turning the upper card from the pile of ‘shock’cards.
It is a ‘dry-spell’: all farmers need to hand in 1 asset (return it into one of the buckets)
All farmers need to stay where they are!
Government: Disaster Response!

11. IF Shock? Response 6. You have 30 seconds!
All but one: ask farmers how many assets they have
Give aid to farmers with 0 assets
Approach farmers individually
Cost to reach a farmer: 2. Note: after EACH farmer: pay controller.
Cost aid: pay them beans
The rules of emergency aid:
All but one of the government players may approach the farmers and give aid: ask how many assets the farmer has and give aid when a farmer has 0 assets
Give as many beans per farmer as you think they need.
Approach farmers individually – The government is /are not allowed to approach multiple farmers at the same time
During a shock people are hard to reach: anyone approached will cost the government 2 assets, to be paid to the financial controller.
Directly pay the financial controller after each farmer you approach.
You have 30 seconds
Still 0 assets? Move to inactive farmer area:
These farmers are inactive for at least 1 year: at the end of the next year the government can activate them by giving them 2 assets per farmer.
If the government has no assets left to give to these farmers, they can’t return in the game.
The government doesn’t receive income from inactive farmers.
6. You have 30 seconds!
Still ZERO? > Inactive for 1 year

12. YEAR 2 Dry Spell All Farmers hand in 1 asset.
ZERO assets? in trouble! Stay where you are
Government receives income
The second round is another short round and the facilitator immediately checks whether a disaster strikes this year
It is another ‘dry-spell’: all farmers need to hand in 1 asset (return it into one of the buckets)
All farmers need to stay where they are! The government can give emergency aid to farmers with 0 assets.
Time starts: the government has 30 seconds time to give emergency aid.
The farmers that still have 0 assets after emergency aid are instructed to move to the ‘inactive farmer area’.
The inactive farmers from last round may return to their farms if the government has sufficient assets to help them back: 2 assets per farmer
Government: 30 second Disaster Response!
Still ZERO? > Inactive for 1 year
Inactive farmers last year: Return, receive +2

13. Know how many assets a farmer has!
YEAR 3
Identification:
Know how many assets a farmer has!
Cost: 1
Farmers move to numbers
Government receives income
New rule for the government!
The government is able to gain information about the assets of the farmers
At the cost of 1 asset per farmer they can how many assets a farmer has.
This 1 asset needs to be paid to the financial controller, not to the farmers.
The government is not allowed to approach only 1 farmer per round. Investing in information means investing in a group of farmers (Minimum number of farmers: see table 1.1)
To help remember which farmers are approached and how many assets they have, these approached farmers go to the area’s in the middle of the room marked 0-6. These numbers indicate the number of assets of the farmer(s) in the area.

14. Developing farmers: upgrade your production!
YEAR 3
Farmer investments
Developing farmers: upgrade your production!
Another new rule, for the farmers: as a developing farmer, you can invest!

15. Developing farmers: upgrade your production!
YEAR 3
Farmer investments
Developing farmers: upgrade your production!
RESILIENT
FARMER
POOR FARMER
All farmers started this game as poor farmers, and poor farmers have up to 2 assets.
Your goal is to become a resilient farmer, with 6 assets.
If at some point during the game you have 3, 4 or 5 assets, you are no longer poor, but a developing farmer
Developing farmers have more means and therefore in this game they are able to invest. What we know from real life is that all farmers can invest but within the gameplay we will try to represent the additional struggle of poor farmers by not allowing them to invest in anything different from stable crops. 
Can invest in real life!
DEVELOPING FARMER

16. YEAR 3 Farmer investments Normal crops or Special crops +2 +1 -1 OK!
Developing farmers (3+ assets): upgrade your production!
Normal crops or Special crops
upgrade existing production
resistant to drought
As a developing farmer, each year you have the choice to invest in Normal crops or Special crops.
Investing in normal crops means upgrading your existing production: when there is no shock, you will earn 2 assets. When there is a dry spell, you will still lose one asset.
Investing in special crops means investing a crop that is resistant to drought. When there is a dry spell, you will be okay and you will not lose assets. When there is no shock, you will earn 1 asset. (Investments for the special crop is higher and therefore you earn less than with the normal crops) +2 +1 -1
OK!

17. Developing farmers – choose your crops!
YEAR 3
Government decide:
Invest in information?
How many farmers?
Government: do you want to invest in information? For how many farmers?
Developing farmers: choose your investment!
Developing farmers – choose your crops!

18. YEAR 3 All Farmers keep assets! Or gain 1 or 2 (investment)
No shock: all farmers are OK!
The inactive farmers from last round may return to their farms if the government has sufficient assets to help them back: 2 assets per farmer
Inactive farmers last year: Return, receive +2

19. Changing risks! No shock (OK! / +2 / +1) Dry spell (-1 / -1 / 0)
 BREAKING NEWS: changing risks
“In recent decades, the risks of a dry spell occurring have become very high. Unfortunately climate prospects are looking even worse. Research has shown that in the next years the problem of drought will only increase. This means that besides a dry spell, there is also the risk of a severe drought! If a severe drought occurs, a farmer loses not 1 but 2 assets. Unless you invest in special crops, then you will lose only 1 asset.”
Replace the numbers on the floor
Severe drought! - Lose 2 assets
Special crops: Lose 1 asset

20. YEAR 4 SOCIAL PROTECTION All poor farmers in the middle move up 1
Government decide:
Invest in information? How many farmers?
Activate social protection? Move 1 up!
Government receives income
New rule for the government:
The government is able to give extra assets to farmers before a shock might hit in order to make them more resilient against a shock.
If social protection is activated, the ‘poor’ farmers (with up to two assets) the government is connected to (in the numbered areas of the room) receive 1 asset per year, each year (= they move 1 area up).
In smaller groups, the government can give the assets directly to the farmers and then the farmers move 1 area up.
In larger groups, the farmers move 1 area up and the government pays the social protection assets to the financial controller.
Question 1 for government: do you want to invest in information? For how many farmers?
Question 2 for government: do you want to activate social protection?
If social protection is activated: all farmers on the numbers receive 1 asset from the government and move 1 area up
Developing farmers: choose your investment!
Developing farmers – choose your crops!

21. YEAR 4 Dry Spell Farmers: hand in 1 asset. Or none (special crops)
ZERO assets? in trouble! Stay where you are
Government: 30 second Disaster Response!
Still ZERO? > Inactive for 1 year
Inactive farmers last year: Return, receive +2

22. Developing farmers – choose your crops!
YEAR 5
Government decide:
Invest in information? How many farmers?
Activate social protection? Move 1 up!
Developing farmers – choose your crops!

23. YEAR 5 All Farmers keep assets! Or gain 1 or 2
Inactive farmers last year: Return, receive +2

24. Developing farmers – choose your crops!
YEAR 6
Government decide:
Invest in information? How many farmers?
Activate social protection? Move 1 up!
Developing farmers – choose your crops!

25. YEAR 6 Severe Drought! Farmers hand in 1 or 2 assets.
ZERO assets? in trouble! Stay where you are
Government: 30 second Disaster Response!
Still ZERO? > Inactive for 1 year
Inactive farmers last year: Return, receive +2

26. Developing farmers – choose your crops!
YEAR 7
Government decide:
Invest in information? How many farmers?
Activate social protection? Move 1 up!
Developing farmers – choose your crops!

27. YEAR 7 All Farmers keep assets! Or gain 1 or 2
Inactive farmers last year: Return, receive +2

28. Developing farmers – choose your crops!
YEAR 8
Government decide:
Invest in information? How many farmers?
Activate social protection? Move 1 up!
Developing farmers – choose your crops!

29. YEAR 8 Dry Spell Farmers: hand in 1 asset. Or none (special crops)
ZERO assets? in trouble! Stay where you are
Government: 30 second Disaster Response!
Still ZERO? > Inactive for 1 year
Inactive farmers last year: Return, receive +2

30. Developing farmers – choose your crops!
YEAR 9
Government decide:
Invest in information? How many farmers?
Activate social protection? Move 1 up!
Developing farmers – choose your crops!

31. YEAR 9 Dry Spell Farmers: hand in 1 asset. Or none (special crops)
ZERO assets? in trouble! Stay where you are
Government: 30 second Disaster Response!
Still ZERO? > Inactive for 1 year
Inactive farmers last year: Return, receive +2

32. Developing farmers – choose your crops!
YEAR 10
Government decide:
Invest in information? How many farmers?
Activate social protection? Move 1 up!
Developing farmers – choose your crops!

33. YEAR 10 All Farmers keep assets! Or gain 1 or 2
Inactive farmers last year: Return, receive +2

34. DEBRIEF 1. What did you experience in the game?
2. What was the difference between targeting and not targeting? How does that relate to real life? 
Let’s hear from a farmer and a government representative
3.  How did you experience social protection? How does that or any other insight from the game relate to real life? 
Let’s hear from a farmer and a government representative

35. Key take away messages
GAME: Receiving social assistance helps farmers to become more resilient
REALITY: Investing in flexible and scalable social protection systems is a key strategy in order to:
1. Address the root causes of poverty and vulnerability;
Not on incentivizing poor farmers to invest in resilient and climate smart agricultural practices:
Even though in real life, poor farmers benefit from having a choice, we chose in the simplified reality of game play, not to give the poor farmers a choice.
At the moment the game shows that, if you are a poor farmer, you get hits by shocks that throw you into poverty. When you are trying to get out (i.e. get disaster relief), you get hit again, so this is a very ineffective strategy. A safety net then helps cushion the fall, so shocks don’t affect you  so much. A regular, multi-year safety net benefit, gets you to a point where you can start investing and managing your assets so you can become a developing farmer. The game also shows that the safety net is not the only thing that will graduate people out of poverty – people’s investments in crops etc. are also important and necessary.
2. Reduce reliance to negative copying mechanisms (i.e. selling off productive assets);
3. Incentivize poor farmers to invest in resilient and climate smart agricultural practices;

36. Key take away messages
GAME: Having information regarding the poverty level before in advance, makes it more effective and efficient for the Government to allocate aid after a stress or a crisis.
REALITY: Investing in flexible and scalable social protection systems is a key strategy in order to:
4. Allow for an efficient, effective and inclusive response to stress or crisis by Governments.

37. Key messages on social protection – continued
Tip!
To achieve this: strong coordination is required between Social Protection and Climate Risk Management Policies
Thanks for playing!