What are the lessons and challenges emerging from community-based approaches (CBA) to climate change adaptation? This paper examines community-led processes that build on the priorities, knowledge and capacities of local people. There is still a lot of ‘doing to’ by international institutions rather than communities taking charge. It is important to find ways to allow poor vulnerable people to influence policy and be heard in key policy arenas. For example, programmes should link communities to relevant decision-making bodies. They will also need to build the capacity of local organisations to enable them to take part effectively in decision-making processes.
CBA draws on participatory approaches and methods developed in both disaster risk reduction and community development work. It also draws on sector-specific approaches such as farmer participatory research. The international community is paying increasing attention to adaptation and more funding is available. However, most adaptation efforts have focused on top-down approaches based on climate change modelling.
Although adaptation funding is increasing, this does not mean money will necessarily reach the poor and those most vulnerable to climate change. Such communities are often marginalised and hard to reach. Moreover, they receive limited services and little support from their governments – even when they can articulate their needs.
Reaching these marginalised communities will be CBA’s greatest test. Although a relatively new field, it is already producing a number of lessons and challenges.
- Communities find it difficult to access reliable climate data. For example, climate models are often not detailed enough to be of practical use to local communities. Furthermore, where data is available, knowledge is limited by, for example, lack of internet access.
- There are different power structures within communities which need to be considered. Women, for example, are particularly affected by the impact of climate change, but their needs and wishes concerning adaptation are unlikely to be heard or acted upon.
- Monitoring and evaluation of CBA activities is a challenge. Truly participatory CBA would devolve decision-making to the community level. However, this makes any centralised reporting or evaluation activity more difficult to coordinate.
- Whilst CBA is focused on the community level, it cannot be carried out in isolation from other events and activities such as policymaking at the district, national and international levels.
Successful CBA programmes will ensure that communities are able to participate in identifying priorities and in planning, implementing, monitoring, and reviewing adaptation. Policymakers can improve their understanding of the needs and priorities of communities by taking part in ‘invited’ spaces, such as participatory scenario development workshops.
- Development workers need to change professional behaviours and attitudes and learn to become facilitators and co-learners rather than ‘teachers’ or ‘experts’.
- There is still much to be done in developing a common understanding and language between the different fields that CBA draws upon (such as disaster relief and climate science), and in sharing experiences and good practice.
- Continuing to document CBA processes in an honest and critical way is very important, both to improve practice and to share experience in little-documented areas, such as incorporating climate change adaptation into health policy.
