Desktop Study on - Regional Climate Change Adaptation ...

Assessment of Capacity Gaps and Needs of South East Asia Countries
in Addressing Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Variability and Climate Change
adoption of appropriate adaptation strategies. In
order to increase the ability of the farmers to access
and adopt alternative adaptation practices, it is
necessary to conduct scientific research on socioeconomic,
political and institutional structure in
which the most vulnerable are placed.
In addition, cost-benefit analysis of potential
adaptation strategies needs to be implemented for
strengthening the adaptive capacity of stakeholders.
As described in the study of PCW, the challenge is
to make all the stakeholders agree on the real risks
related to climate change and steps necessary to
reduce them. In order to enhance the capacity of
facilitation and decision-making between and among
the stakeholders, it is recommended that scientific
research be focused on priority-based interests
and the cost involved that needs to be borne by the
stakeholders, once the strategy is implemented.
Scientific research conducted by Lansigan (2000) and
IRRI (2009) highlights importance of understanding
of changing environments between and within
human and natural systems. The assessment on
vulnerability of crops and crop production system
is inevitable for building adaptation strategies of the
agriculture sector. However, the scientific insight into
vulnerability of people and local communities needs
more attention since it is the farmers and farming
communities that implement adaptation practices to
reduce vulnerability of crops. The poor communities
vulnerable to the changing socio-economic, political
and institutional systems may maintain to plant
crops vulnerable to climate variability due to the
lack of access to new rice species.
Increasing rice production in areas that are highly
vulnerable to climate variability through planting
genetically modified rice varieties is introduced as
an adaptation measure in the IRRI research (2009).
This scientific approach could result in enhancement
of efficient use of natural resources. However, it does
not necessarily ensure food security for the poor in
local communities that are vulnerable to climate
change, since decisions on whether the high yield
of rice produced is distributed to the people in food
insecurity or not is beyond the technological field.
Rather, it is the scientific research with a focus on
socio-political and institutional processes that affect
decision-making.
Governance Gaps
The climate change adaptation strategies
recommended by the two studies of Lansigan (2000)
and IRRI (2009) are built on top-down decision
making and information dissemination processes.
These strategies have been developed without
reflecting on traditional knowledge system or existing
community-based adaptation practices or having
multi-stakeholder consultation on opportunities
and threats of introducing genetically modified
rice seeds that farmers would come across. Hence,
inclusive governance, in which different groups
of stakeholders, including socially, economically
and politically vulnerable people, participate in
planning and decision-making processes, is of high
importance.
Capacity Gaps
There is lack of bottom-up assessment and planning
to address vulnerability and enhanced adaptive
livelihood at the local and national level.
Also, it is necessary to consider participatory action
research engaging the different stakeholders to be
pursued to minimize vulnerability of the poor and
enhanced adaptive capacity at the local level.
Water sector
There is a need to integrate climate and
human induced risks in watershed planning
and management in consultation with the
local communities. Further, it is necessary to
highlight the demand and supply of water in
building both socio-economic and institutional
remedies.
Agriculture and Food Security Sector
It is required to conduct an assessment of
socio-economic and political vulnerability
of the farmers and enhance the adaptive
capacity of the farmers to cope with floods and
water shortages based on the vulnerability
assessment.
Disaster Risk Reduction
The World Bank (2005) found that most of
the costs arising from natural disasters are
endured by individual households and the
Philippine Government. In order to effectively
relief the economic burden, alternate options
for covering costs from disasters are considered
that include a catastrophe insurance pool
or contingent credit facilities. Also, for local
government units, currently no incentive for
taking proactive risk reduction steps exists,
which must be changed with the introduction of
strong fiscal incentives. This would also reduce
the currently existing funding gap.
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