Adapting to climate variability: Pumpkins, people and policy

Ziervogel, Gina; Bharwani, Sukaina; Downing, Thomas E.

doi:10.1111/j.1477-8947.2006.00121.x

Cited by 158 publications

(130 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…The high degree of social learning enabled people of Agüita de la Perdiz to assist neighbouring communities in their response and recovery, both during the 2005 deluge and in other disasters. The key role of autonomous adaptation and local knowledge in adapting to climate variability and change has been frequently illustrated in rural contexts Eakin, 2006;Reid and Vogel, 2006;Ziervogel et al, 2006). The case of Agüita de la Perdiz shows the more universal relevance of the third principle of sustainable adaptation for both urban and rural contexts; that is, the importance of generating local knowledge and integrating it with other sources of knowledge in order to develop successful responses to climate change and empower local decision-making.…”

Section: Key Principle 3: Integrate Local Knowledge Into Adaptation Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Key principle 1: recognize the context for vulnerability, including multiple stressors Individuals, groups and regions are experiencing many types of stressors, besides environmental change, that together create a context for vulnerability (Eakin, 2006;Ziervogel et al, 2006;Leichenko and O'Brien, 2008;Eriksen and Lind, 2009;Tschakert and Dietrich, 2010). Recognizing the role of multiple stressors in influencing this context for vulnerability involves acknowledging that despite good intentions, some adaptations may not improve social equity and environmental integrity.…”

Section: Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is particularly important to identify the synergies between adaptation and sustainable development because urgent and overwhelming poverty problems in the world are far from satisfactorily addressed, and environmental problems other than climate change also threaten people's livelihoods and quality of life. Indeed, most individuals and communities are adapting to multiple stressors, in addition to climate variability, extremes and the risk of disaster (Eakin, 2006;Reid and Vogel, 2006;Schipper and Pelling, 2006;Ziervogel et al, 2006;O'Brien et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

When not every response to climate change is a good one: Identifying principles for sustainable adaptation

Eriksen¹,

Aldunce²,

Bahinipati³

et al. 2011

Climate and Development

484

258

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Section: Key Principle 3: Integrate Local Knowledge Into Adaptation Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

When not every response to climate change is a good one: Identifying principles for sustainable adaptation

Eriksen¹,

Aldunce²,

Bahinipati³

et al. 2011

Climate and Development

484

258

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Although there is an increasing realization of the interplay of different driving forces for rural development and environmental change in the tropics (Lambin et al 2001, Reynolds et al 2007, Mbow et al 2008, understanding the relative impact of climate factors is not straight forward (Reenberg 2001, Mortimore et al 2005, Reid and Vogel 2006, Ziervogel et al 2006, Reynolds et al 2007, Thomas et al 2007, Tschakert 2007, Barbier et al 2009, Mertz et al 2009b). This debate has gained increasing importance as it is realized that the impacts of climate change, all other things equal, will require significant adaptation in many different sectors of society (Adger et al 2007, Mertz et al 2009a.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The general conclusions have often been that it is too complex and difficult to isolate the climate factor from other driving forces of change because decisions taken are often influenced by many nonclimatic conditions, some of which often appear to be more important than the climate factors (Eakin 2005, Ziervogel et al 2006, Reid and Vogel 2006, Tschakert 2007, Mbow et al 2008. Understanding the direct impact of climate factors on specific human populations thus requires the unraveling of a complex intertwinement of physical, biological, and socio-cultural systems (Oliver-Smith and Hoffman 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Factors Play a Limited Role for Past Adaptation Strategies in West Africa

Mertz¹,

Mbow²,

Nielsen³

et al. 2010

E&S

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ABSTRACT. The Sudano-Sahelian zone of West Africa has experienced recurrent droughts since the mid-1970s and today there is considerable concern for how this region will be able to adapt to future climate change. To develop well targeted adaptation strategies, the relative importance of climate factors as drivers of land use and livelihood change need to be better understood. Based on the perceptions of 1249 households in five countries across an annual rainfall gradient of 400-900 mm, we provide an estimate of the relative weight of climate factors as drivers of changes in rural households during the past 20 years. Climate factors, mainly inadequate rainfall, are perceived by 30-50% of households to be a cause of decreasing rainfed crop production, whereas a wide range of other factors explains the remaining 50-70%. Climate factors are much less important for decreasing livestock production and pasture areas. Increases in pasture are also observed and caused by improved tenure in the driest zone. Adaptation strategies to declining crop production include 'prayer' and migration in the 400-500 mm zone; reforestation, migration, and government support in the 500-700 mm zone; and soil improvement in the 700-900 mm zone. Declining livestock holdings are countered by improved fodder resources and veterinary services. It is concluded that although rainfed crop production is mainly constrained by climate factors, livestock and pasture are less climate sensitive in all rainfall zones. This needs to be reflected in national adaptation strategies in the region.

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A hybrid framework for assessing socioeconomic drought: Linking climate variability, local resilience, and demand

2015

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Socioeconomic drought broadly refers to conditions whereby the water supply cannot satisfy the demand. Most previous studies describe droughts based on large-scale meteorological/hydrologic conditions, ignoring the demand and local resilience to cope with climate variability. Reservoirs provide resilience against climatic extremes and play a key role in water supply and demand management. Here we outline a unique multivariate approach as a measure of socioeconomic drought, termed Multivariate Standardized Reliability and Resilience Index (MSRRI). The model combines information on the inflow and reservoir storage relative to the demand. MSRRI combines (I) a "top-down" approach that focuses on processes/phenomena that cannot be simply controlled or altered by decision makers, such as climate change and variability, and (II) a "bottom-up" methodology that represents the local resilience and societal capacity to respond or adapt to droughts. MSRRI is based on a nonparametric multivariate distribution function that links inflow-demand reliability indicator to water storage resilience indicator. These indicators are used to assess socioeconomic drought during the Australian Millennium drought (1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010) and the 2011-2014 California drought. The results show that MSRRI is superior to univariate indices because it captures both early onset and persistence of water stress over time. The suggested framework can be applied to both individual reservoirs and a group of reservoirs in a region, and it is consistent with the currently available standardized drought indicators. MSRRI provides complementary information on socioeconomic drought development and recovery based on reservoir storage and demand that cannot be achieved from the commonly used drought indicators.

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Adapting to climate variability: Pumpkins, people and policy

Cited by 158 publications

References 54 publications

When not every response to climate change is a good one: Identifying principles for sustainable adaptation

When not every response to climate change is a good one: Identifying principles for sustainable adaptation

Climate Factors Play a Limited Role for Past Adaptation Strategies in West Africa

A hybrid framework for assessing socioeconomic drought: Linking climate variability, local resilience, and demand

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