This report presents an overview of the outcomes and learning generated from the Adaptation Learning Programme for Africa (ALP) over five and a half years of implementation (2010-2015). It presents the perspectives of the ALP teams and CARE International, as the implementers of the programme. Many actors and stakeholders have taken part in the implementation and learning process, including local and national government institutions, research and civil society partners, and various parts of CARE International.

The challenges facing poor and marginalised communities in Africa are multiple and complex. Already prone to erratic rainfall, droughts, floods and cyclones, climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of these climatic hazards, resulting in significant impacts on livelihoods and affecting the drivers of poverty. Heavy reliance on the natural resource base means rural livelihoods in Africa are more sensitive to climate. These impacts add to the continent’s existing development challenges concerning food and income security, poverty, disease, environmental degradation, and inequitable rights, with the greatest impact being on women and marginalized groups. Poor rural women, in particular, are often the most vulnerable and the least included in decision-making, yet their voices and their different knowledge and capacity are vital for effective adaptation. Increasing the capacity of vulnerable people in sub-Saharan Africa to adapt to the impacts of climate variability and change is essential for sustaining development progress and future economic growth. This is ALP’s overall desired goal.

CARE International launched the Adaptation Learning Programme in 2010, implemented in Ghana, Niger, Mozambique and Kenya, in partnership with local civil society and government institutions. The programme seeks to identify successful approaches to  Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) through working directly with vulnerable communities as well as learning with other organisations practising CBA, and supporting incorporation of these approaches into development policies and programmes in the four countries and their regions in Africa.
 
Key CBA messages
  • building climate resilience requires a coordinated approach which goes beyond stand-alone adaptation actions to integrate adaptation into local and national development planning, disaster risk reduction and early warning systems, ecosystem management and sustainable development
  • empowering vulnerable communities to play a central role in the planning and decision making processes affecting their lives will be more successful than pre-determining solutions
  • adaptive capacity is central to building resilience and involves developing processes and capacities which enable continued response to a changing and uncertain climate over time
  • differential vulnerability and capacity of different groups and individuals to respond to the impacts of climate change, along with their valuable knowledge, must be taken into account when developing responses
  • information from climate science and the ability to understand and work with uncertainty is an essential resource to assist decision making for adaptation and resilience
  • a multi-level, cross-sectoral approach involving a range of different stakeholders is necessary to develop adaptive capacity and build long term resilience
  • community based adaptation depends upon but also adds new dimensions to good development practice, ensuring that interventions are decided and designed based on understanding current and future impacts of climate change and ensuring resilient development outcomes
  • CBA is a cost effective approach to developing adaptive capacity and building resilience; the social, economic and environmental benefits outweigh the costs of implementation in virtually all scenarios

 

 

August 31, 2016August 31, 20160
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