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Roadmap for Community Based Adaptation (CBA)
02 March 2010
The 4th International Community Based Adaptation (CBA) conference drew to a close on Saturday, setting a roadmap for further theory-building and knowledge sharing in this nascent but extremely promising field for the year to come. IDS will be continuing its commitment and involvement with CBA, co-covening a working group on online technologies for sharing and visualising knowledge, and serving on the steering committee for a new Global Initiative for Community Based Adaptation (GICBA).
First time on African soil - and by no means the last
This year's conference was noteworthy as it was attended by the largest number of participants since its inception, and also because it was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, its first time outside of Bangladesh. In doing so, the conference recognised the significant challenges that African communities are already facing as a result of climate change and increased climatic variability. It also brought in contributions and viewpoints of a new audience of practitioners to enrich debates and expand the field. In her opening statement to the event, the Tanzanian Minister of Environment, Hon. Batilda Burian, stressed that this African event should not be a one-off, and, indeed, closing discussions featured a commitment to ensuring that the momentum set here will carry through to a 2nd African Conference in 2011.
Sharing knowledge within the conference and beyond
The CBA conferences provide an opportunity for a range of stakeholders - from donor agencies to CBOs - to learn from the early generations of CBA projects being now implemented around the world. Good practices and a clear understanding of what CBA is and isn't are still emerging, thus opportunities to showcase, compare, and challenge approaches are of much value. Among these was IDS' new work on Strengthening Climate Resilience, presented by Katie Harris (Climate Change and Development). Others included work being done on the roles of community governance and civil society in adaptation, climate-induced vulnerability in agriculture and pastoralism, micro-insurance, and lessons learned in scaling up CBA, to name a few.
Discussions also covered the latest online technologies for compiling and visualising case studies, using participatory video with communities, and the power of community radio, among others. IDS and its partners in the AfricaAdapt network (one of the event sponsors) were also active in this regard, initiating a French-language dialogue on knowledge sharing needs and strategies for CBA; presenting on the knowledge sharing work of the AfricaAdapt network and Eldis' Community Based Adaptation Exchange (CBA-X); and blogging throughout the conference to keep those who couldn't attend informed.
IDS contributing to the path ahead
While this year's meet offered a chance to celebrate the progress achieved in the four years since the Conference's inception, work still remains in refining our collective understanding of the CBA theory and practice and in leveraging adequate resources for effective implementation. To this end, working groups were established over the course of the week on key issues such as economics, tools and technologies, and evaluation. These groups will continue to work virtually through forums - including the Eldis CBA-X - in preparation for next year's Conference in Dhaka. IDS will serve as co-conveners of a working group on online technologies for sharing and visualising knowledge.
Another noteworthy step was the formalisation of both a Global Initiative and a Global Platform for Community Based Adaptation. The Initiative will act as a more permanent forum for the community of practice working on CBA, while the UNEP-GEF hosted Platform will mobilise small grants and encourage private-sector financing of CBA in consultation with the Global Initiative. Blane Harvey (Climate Change and Development) has been invited to serve as a member of the Global Initiative's Steering Committee, providing an avenue for ongoing IDS input.
Climate change negotiators and policymakers should be guided by realities on the ground
The conference was also aiming to promote the integration of community-based adaptation into national policies and international development programmes. This was reiterated in an interview with Mr. Muyungi, a prominent negotiator for Least Developed Countries, where he discusses the importance of community based adaptation in Africa and the role that it should play in post-Copenhagen climate change negotiations.
Image: AfricaAdapt Network
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- AfricaAdapt - The Network facilitates the flow of climate change adaptation knowledge for sustainable livelihoods between researchers, policy makers, civil society organisations and communities who are vulnerable to climate variability and change across the continent. (2008 - 2011)
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