Piloting Community-Based Adaptation Activities: Early Experiences in Bangladesh

Angie Dazé and Ahsan Uddin AhmedAdaptation Day at CoP11

Sunday, December 4, 2005

The Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change (RVCC) Project Project Goal: To increase capacity of communities in

the southwest region of Bangladesh to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change

Funding provided by the Canada Climate Change Development Fund (CCCDF) at CIDA

Managed by CARE Canada and implemented by CARE Bangladesh through local partner organizations

Duration: January 2002- January 2006

RVCC works in six districts in the southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh

Assessment of Vulnerability Project undertook 78 group vulnerability assessments Examined what people are vulnerable to, what aspects of

well-being are affected, and what coping strategies are currently employed

Vulnerability contexts were ranked in terms of their impact on well-being

Out of the ten elements most frequently identified as having high or medium impact on well-being, six will be directly affected by climate change:

SalinityFloodWaterloggingDroughtWind/stormErratic/heavy rainfall

Developing Adaptation Strategies Based on findings of

vulnerability assessment, adaptation strategies were designed

Focus on practical solutions for food and income security and access to safe water to increase coping capacity

Strategies designed to address current challenges and development needs in a way that is sustainable in the longer term context of climate change

New ways to cope End of project evaluations

showed that project participants feel that their coping capacity has increased

Reliance on drastic coping strategies such as migrating for work, selling land and assets, and eating non-traditional foods was reduced

People also felt that their ability to access services and to participate in local organizations was increased, and this supported their ability to adapt

An Integrated Approach to Adaptation

Approach focused on capacity development (for project participants, local partners, government) and this was found to facilitate adaptation

Awareness raising and advocacy efforts have had positive results in terms of generating interest in climate change in the region

Working in Partnership

Working with local partners increased relevance and sustainability of adaptation activities

Emphasis on creating linkages with local government leaders and service providers

Supportive relationship has been established which will extend beyond the life of the project

Final Thoughts RVCC piloted an integrated, community-led

approach to reducing environmental vulnerability Created an enabling environment for coping with

current challenges, while addressing poverty and developing adaptive capacity for the future

Project clearly demonstrates the relevance of climate change issues to rural development and livelihoods programming