arcc community climate change adaptation

USAID Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change

Community CC Adaptation Plan Development in the Lower Mekong Basin: Process, Results, & Lessons

Paul Hartman, USAID Mekong ARCC


Mekong ARCC Geographic

Focus: Lower Mekong

Basin


1.  Top down: Use modelled projections to identify climate change impacts and vulnerable livelihoods in Lower Mekong Basin

2.  Bottom up: Work with communities across the Basin on adaptation planning that strengthens their resilience to climate change

Goal: Increase adaptation capacity & resilience of communities to the impacts of climate change

Top Down: Climate Change Impact and Adaptation Study for the Lower

Mekong Basin

•  Temperatures >35°C reduce rainfed & irrigated rice yields

•  Rising temperatures stress commercial livestock breeds & amplify costs of production

•  Aquaculture more vulnerable to disease from increased temperature and rainfall

•  Loss of biodiversity and species adapted to disturbance & higher temperatures may dominate natural community composition

Basin Wide Impacts

Target Provinces for Implementation

Five Sites w/28,073 Target Beneficiaries


Approach to Strengthening

Community Resilience


Adapta&on Decision Making Vulnerability Analysis

-‐ Revisit Priori&es -‐ Shi> OR Validate Priori&es -‐ Capture change

-‐ Translate climate profiles -‐ Local livelihood examples -‐ Joint scenario building

-‐ Self-‐iden&fied vulnerability -‐ Local Priori&es -‐ Asset Mapping

Community Climate Story (Bo$om-‐Up)

Scien&fic Climate Story

(Top-‐Down)

Shared Understanding

Planning Adapta7on Ini7a7ves

Ac&vity Implementa&on & Monitoring

Learning

Baseline

Ac7vity

Output

Outcome

I) Overview -‐ Projected community level climate impacts II) Thema7c Coverage -‐ Livelihoods -‐ Disaster Risk -‐ Ecosystems -‐ Gender

Cost & Sustainability Analysis

Adaptation Decision Making Template: A.K.A ‘The Bible’


Bottom Up Community Vulnerability Assessment

Huai Kang Pla Village, Chiang Rai


Huai Kang Pla Village

Sub-village: Lua Pattana

Sub-village: Pa Bong Ngam

Lang

Sub-village: Pa Bong Ngam

Bon

Forests

Main Road

Mae Chan River

Sub-village: Huai Pu

Huai Kang Pla Community Resource and Hazard Maps

Sub-village: Huai Ya No

Forests

Forests

Forests for NTFP collection

Forests

Big flood

Drought

Flood

Landslide


Seasonal Livelihood & Hazard Calendars

Crops Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Remarks

Maize

land preparation and weed elimination

grow fertilizer and herbicide

harvest for sale (grown mostly in Huai Kang Pla village)

Upland rice

land preparation and weed elimination

grow fertilizer and

herbicide

harvest for consumption but not enough for the whole year (grown mostly in Pa Bong Ngam Bon village)

Ginger harvest mature

land preparati

on

grow fertilizer and herbicide

harvest young ginger

harvest mature

for sale

Rice (paddy)

sowing, ploughing, herbicide

plant fertilizer harvest for consumption and sale (for Huai Pu village)

Soybean grow harvest grow for sale (grown after harvesting rice)

Rambutan harvest for sale Litchi harvest for sale Passion fruit (sour) stand

preparation

grow harvest for sale to Doi Kham project

Pineapple grow harvest for sale Bitter rattan, galangal, lemongrass, banana flower

harvest for consumption and sale

Bamboo shoot, mushroom

harvest

for sale

Edible fern harvest Honey harvest only by men

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Erratic rainfall during cultivation ** ** *** *** ***

Forest fire ** *** *** **

Storm and hail ***

Landslide * ** ** *

Illness * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hot season ***

Cold season *** ** * **


Adapta&on Decision Making Vulnerability Analysis

-‐ Revisit Priori&es -‐ Shi> OR Validate Priori&es -‐ Capture change

-‐ Translate climate profiles -‐ Local livelihood examples -‐ Joint scenario building

-‐ Self-‐iden&fied vulnerability -‐ Local Priori&es -‐ Asset Mapping

Community Climate Story (Bo$om-‐Up)

Scien&fic Climate Story

(Top-‐Down)

Shared Understanding

Planning Adapta7on Ini7a7ves

Ac&vity Implementa&on & Monitoring

Learning

Baseline

Ac7vity

Output

Outcome

I) Overview -‐ Projected community level climate impacts II) Thema7c Coverage -‐ Livelihoods -‐ Disaster Risk -‐ Ecosystems -‐ Gender

Cost & Sustainability Analysis

Scientific Climate Story and Shared Understanding


Top Down: Scientific Climate Story


Activities Form

Livestock Group

Form Local Vegetable Producer Group

Form Rice Producer Group

Short Medium Long Cattle Group, Fish Group, Chicken Groups Formed

Vegetables grow in Home Garden or interspersed in fields

Livestock Group Formed Community produces more food, variety of food, and is able to sell or use manure

Pioneer local veg group formed to change from mono to multi culture

Cooperative to work with study centers

Sharing knowledge and techniques

Agriculture group expands

Knowledge on diversity of native race collected

Training program on native rice and conservation

Native rice for selling developed

Rice strains suitable for changing climate grown with sugarcane and cassava

Adequate food for consumption. Land cultivated better Reduce use of chemicals Safe food provided Sustained system of management

Adequate supply of good quality rice developed Reduce mono cropping Reduce high use of chemicals Increase rice yield Increase income

Kok Klang Village Vision: “A harmonious community with clean and adequate water for consumption and agriculture, adequate rice and food for domestic consumption, a variety of beautiful natural assets, reduced agricultural chemicals uses, and restored ecosystems and biodiversity”.

Community Visioning Sakon Nakon, Thailand

How do these solutions address the

threats? Climate Change Threat Adaptation Solution

Increased temperature

Ag diversification/integration Climate smart pig rearing Improved forest management & Water filtration

Diversified risk Increased tolerance to heat Maintaining water table (lowlands) & disease prevention from turbid H2O (highlands)

Floods and storms

Irregular Rain/Lack of Rain

Result: Adaptation Plans Developed and Initiated


•  Need to reconcile differences between scientific and community lens to find common language

•  Relevant timescales, threats, benefits must serve as starting point for plan development

•  Education level and power structures need to be addressed to assist communities to

•  CC education should focus on weather vs. climate (1st), directionality vs. absolutes (2nd)

•  Identify systems, context & solutions that allow for replication from pilots

•  Keep solutions simple! •  Good preparation sometimes allows for good

luck

The Road Ahead Lessons Learned from Adaptation Decision Making Process

arcc community climate change adaptation

Science