A social science framework to guide multi-scale research for climate change adaptation strategies in agricultural communities

[摘要] Rural households in developing countries are particularly dependent on natural resources to secure their livelihoods and particularly vulnerable to increasing climate variability and long term climate change. This paper presents a research framework designed to support the development of climate adaptation options for smallholders producing rice in rainfed conditions in parts of Cambodia, Laos, Bangladesh and India.The aim of the research is to understand the process of household adaptation and translate this into useful information for policy makers who are looking to support adaptation in targeted ways.Specific questions include:- How does access to various types of resources influence or determine a household's ability to adapt?- What different types of livelihood portfolios exist for rice farming households? How are they distinct or what are the defining characteristics of these types?- How can the understanding of local rural systems be used to support and inform policy interventions for adaptation at higher administrative levels?- What additional information, processes or filters need to be applied for local level research to be relevant and responsibly feed into district, provincial or regional level decision making and planning?For the purpose of this research, adaptive capacity is defined as a household's ability to make changes to its livelihood portfolio in order to secure or improve food security and income earning under changing environmental conditions.The framework presented here combines the definition of a household typology, based on access to resources, relative quality and quantity of resources, and household strategies/perceptions of risk; as well as locally grounded community assessments of adaptive capacity which elicit household perspectives on potential for change, including supporting and constraining factors. The self assessment workshops approach the question from an inherently local and highly contextualised angle, while the typologies take a more abstracted, broad scale approach.

[发布日期] 2013-01-01 [发布机构] CSIRO

[学科分类] 地球科学(综合)