Local adaptations to climate extremes in rural Africa: opportunities and barriers

Marisa Goulden, Lars Otto Næss, Katharine Vincent and Neil Adger

Living with climate change: are there limits to adaptation?London, February 2008

Overview

• Study areas

• Opportunities and barriers to adaptation

• Adaptation examples

• Access to adaptations

• Institutional and policy influence on adaptation

• Conclusions

Study areasUganda: Central Uganda, shallow lakes, wetlands and farmland

Tanzania: Dodoma Region, dryland landscape: savanna and hill top forests

South Africa: Limpopo Province, dryland landscape

Study areasUganda: Central Uganda, shallow lakes, wetlands and farmland

Flooding and drought, lake area and fish catch variability

Tanzania: Dodoma Region, dryland landscape: savanna and hill top forests

High rainfall variability, droughts, perception of decrease in rainfall

South Africa: Limpopo Province, dryland landscape

High rainfall variability, floods and droughts

Opportunities and barriers exist

• Experience of climate impacts demonstrates many opportunities for adaptations

• Barriers to adaptation exist where individuals lack access to assets

• Institutions and policies influence access to adaptations

AdaptationsLivelihood

diversificationLocal Knowledge

basedSocial links based

AdaptationsLivelihood

diversificationLocal Knowledge

basedSocial links based

Concurrent diversityMultiple activities to

spread risk and increase income

Temporal diversity Swapping activities

over time

Spatial diversity Migration, relocation,

spatial spread

AdaptationsLivelihood

diversificationLocal Knowledge

basedSocial links based

Knowledge of historical variability

Traditional skills

Traditional practices

AdaptationsLivelihood

diversificationLocal Knowledge

basedSocial links based

Loans, exchange, informal credit,

remittances.

Labouring for other households

Collective action groups, government

assistance

AdaptationsLivelihood

diversificationLocal Knowledge

basedSocial links based

Concurrent diversityMultiple activities to

spread risk and increase income

Knowledge of historical variability

Loans, exchange, informal credit,

remittances.

Temporal diversity Swapping activities

over timeTraditional skills

Labouring for other households

Spatial diversity Migration, relocation,

spatial spreadTraditional practices

Collective action groups, government

assistance

Access to adaptations

Livelihood diversification

Local Knowledge based

Social links based

Access to adaptations

Livelihood diversification

Local Knowledge based

Social links based

Depends on wealth, gender, age, health, labour, social links

Requires access to diverse capital assets

Poor resort to temporal diversification and use of natural resources.

Access to adaptations

Livelihood diversification

Local Knowledge based

Social links based

Depends on gender, age, skills, knowledge

and labour

Threats to traditional uses of resources.

Varying trust in traditional practices.

Access to adaptations

Livelihood diversification

Local Knowledge based

Social links based

Access provided by bridging and linking

social capital

Limits of bonding social capital adaptations

Depends on wealth, education, gender and

occupation

Access to adaptations

Livelihood diversification

Local Knowledge based

Social links based

Depends on wealth, gender, age, health, labour, social links

Depends on gender, age, skills, knowledge

and labour

Access provided by bridging and linking

social capital

Requires access to diverse capital assets

Threats to traditional uses of resources.

Limits of bonding social capital adaptations

Poor resort to temporal diversification and use of natural resources.

Varying trust in traditional practices.

Depends on wealth, education, gender and

occupation

Institutional and policy influence on adaptationLivelihood

diversificationLocal Knowledge

basedSocial links based

Institutional and policy influence on adaptationLivelihood

diversificationLocal Knowledge

basedSocial links based

Village-based institutions facilitate

access

Weak institutional capacity impedes

government assistance

Fisheries regulations enforcement hinders

fishing based livelihoods

Institutional and policy influence on adaptationLivelihood

diversificationLocal Knowledge

basedSocial links based

Loss of local knowledge

Local wild food substitutes for

insufficient food aid

Conflict of government initiatives and

regulations with traditional practices.

Institutional and policy influence on adaptationLivelihood

diversificationLocal Knowledge

basedSocial links based

Government assistance reduces traditional

reciprocity

Government assistance favours those with better social links

Social, political and environmental change

influence collective action opportunities.

Institutional and policy influence on adaptationLivelihood

diversificationLocal Knowledge

basedSocial links based

Village-based institutions facilitate

access

Loss of local knowledge

Government assistance reduces traditional

reciprocity

Weak institutional capacity impedes

government assistance

Local wild food substitutes for

insufficient food aid

Government assistance favours those with better social links

Fisheries regulations enforcement hinders

fishing based livelihoods

Conflict of government initiatives and

regulations with traditional practices.

Social, political and environmental change

influence collective action opportunities.

Conclusions• Rural households have experience of adaptations

that rely on livelihood diversification, local knowledge and social links

• Barriers to adaptation occur where people lack access to assets, e.g. labour, skills, social links.

• Institutions and government policy influence access to adaptations

• Opportunities for adaptation can be promoted but those households that lack access will be more vulnerable.