community based adaptation and culture in theory and practice
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Community based adaptation and culture in theory and practice. Rachel Berger and Jonathan Ensor. Summary. Definitions Key concepts linking culture and adaptation From theory to practice Implications for practice. Practical Action – who are we?. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Rachel Berger and Jon Ensor 8 February 2008
Community based adaptation and culture in theory and practiceRachel Berger and Jonathan Ensor
Rachel Berger and Jon Ensor8 February 2008
Summary
Definitions Key concepts linking culture and
adaptation From theory to practice Implications for practice
Rachel Berger and Jon Ensor8 February 2008
Practical Action – who are we?
International NGO, founded 1965 by Fritz Schumacher, author of ‘Small is Beautiful’
UK HQ and 7 overseas offices Focus on reducing poverty through the use
of technology Engaging with communities in marginal
areas to develop responses to the challenges of climate change
Rachel Berger and Jon Ensor8 February 2008
Defining Community-based adaptation
A process focused on communities most vulnerable to CC
Looking at how CC affects their local environment and their assets and capacities
Essentially an action research approach to the impact of CC on livelihoods
(Huq and Reid, 2007)
Rachel Berger and Jon Ensor8 February 2008
Defining culture
‘the sum total of the material and spiritual activities and products of a given social group...a coherent and self-contained system of values and symbols ...[that] provides individuals with the signposts and meanings for behaviour’
Stavenhagen, 1998
Rachel Berger and Jon Ensor8 February 2008
Culture and adaptation
– How does a shared culture alter or limit the options for adaptation?
– How do individuals within communities respond to the prospect of changes to their lives?
– What lessons emerge for those working to secure lives and livelihoods in the face of climate change?
Rachel Berger and Jon Ensor8 February 2008
Key concept 1: Culture and change‘Improving the well-being of a person can
normally only be done through his goals… not to frustrate their realisation’ (Raz, 1988)
The importance of community and identity changes … Responses to the prospect of change varies depending on how and why change emerges. (Following Kymlicka, 1989)
Rachel Berger and Jon Ensor8 February 2008
Key concept 2: Culture and choice‘Engaging in the same activities will…have a
different significance in the life of the individual depending on the social practices and attitudes to such activities’
(Raz, 1988)
‘Freedom of choice is dependent on social practices, cultural meanings and a shared language… the context of individual choice is the range of options passed down to us by our culture’ (Kymlicka, 1995)
Rachel Berger and Jon Ensor8 February 2008
From theory to practice: 1Building on local cultural norms
Northern Kenya – pastoralists lives are built around complex value systems that determine coping
strategies
Turkana camp Camel milking
Rachel Berger and Jon Ensor8 February 2008
Adaptation that fits cultural values
Farming aloe instead of collecting from the wild
Young men of the warrior age set
Rachel Berger and Jon Ensor8 February 2008
From theory to practice: 2Local ownership/effecting change from within
Camel herding – a sustainable option for a desert region
Irrigated farming now provides patchy harvests and unreliable returns
Rachel Berger and Jon Ensor8 February 2008
Looking for adaptation options
Tree planting improves soil, and provide economic benefits…
...such as fodder for livestock
Rachel Berger and Jon Ensor8 February 2008
From theory to practice: 3Adaptation as part of culture
Bangladesh: River eroded communities have embraced adaptability as art of their response to their harsh environment
Rachel Berger and Jon Ensor8 February 2008
Adaptability in Bangladesh
Floating gardens– a new technology for this region
Tailoring provides an alternative livelihood
Rachel Berger and Jon Ensor8 February 2008
Conclusion: Implications for practice Changes that are perceived as a threat to
culture are likely to be resisted Successful adaptation
– fully involves communities in the process of developing options, expanding the local cultural ‘context of choice’
– identifies and builds on, rather than challenges, important cultural markers
A successful adaptation approach in one location will not necessarily translate to a different cultural context