Community-based Adaptation

The proposed solutions on this Mission 2021 website for preparing communities in Bangladesh’s delta region for climate change are a combination of “hard” and “soft” [2]  adaptation strategies. While “hard” adaptation focuses on “adapting infrastructure and economic production to expected climate change impacts,” “soft” adaptation focuses on supporting communities with knowledge and awareness to tackle environmental challenges. Successful adaptation strategies must not only include technological solutions (“hard”), but also must consider the political, economic, and social environment (“soft”) of the location in which solutions are implemented. Community-based adaptation to climate change (CBA) is a form of “soft” adaptation, which is the focus of this section. In this section, we present an adapted CBA framework for the Mission 2021 Bangladesh. We then argue that CBA should be integrated with our suggested solutions to bridge the gap between the proposal of technical solutions and their implementation at the complex community-level environments of Bangladesh and similar countries.

An Introduction to CBA

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has characterised [1] CBA as a method that “focuses on empowering communities to use their own knowledge and decision-making processes to take action on climate change.” The individual steps comprising the process of CBA are shown in the graphic below, which we have adapted from a 2007 IIED briefing on CBA[3].  The order of these three steps can be altered, if necessary:

[Figure 1]: Community-Based Adaptation as a Process

[Figure 1]: Community-Based Adaptation as a Process

The first step (Figure 1) involves familiarization with the community. Before attempting to effect change in a community, a group of outsiders must either spend time with community members or expedite the familiarization process by seeking the help of organizations, such as NGOs and governmental organizations, that have already gained the trust of the community. The further reading section provides information about some local Bangladeshi organizations and international NGOs working in Bangladesh, who can be contacted for beginning dialogue with locals. Familiarization with a community is crucial, especially for foreign organizations. As explained in this section with the example of polders, historically, foreign intervention has not always been beneficial for Bangladesh. Thus, only after building a keen understanding of the specific community and gaining the trust of community members must an organization attempt to implement a solution in it.

The second step (Figure 1) involves identifying adaptations that may benefit the community after learning about existing and indigenous adaptation strategies. This step makes CBA a particularly powerful approach in our case – it helps convert an apparent weakness of Bangladesh – its history of vulnerability to natural disasters and floods1 – to a strength for climate change adaptation. This is because Bangladeshis can build upon the methods they have developed over decades to tackle periodic flooding and cyclones to now tackle complications due to climate change. In other words, Bangladeshi communities can strengthen their resilience to the effects of climate change if they are encouraged to view climate change not as a completely new and foreign threat, but as a new complication that they have already been preparing for while tackling devastating floods and cyclones. Recent case studies on adaptation[2] have emphasized that even national adaptation strategies must take into account “locally established coping strategies.”  

The third step (Figure 1) emphasizes the necessity of communicating with a community about proposed “hard” adaptation methods determined after the second step. This requires the familiarity with the culture and literacy levels of a community, which are understood in the first step of familiarization with the community. To convey scientific information to a Bangladeshi community, written sources may either be translated into Bengali or the written medium can be abandoned altogether for non-written media like video, art, and theatre. This is especially useful for communicating with illiterate Bangladeshis, since the adult literacy rate[4] of Bangladesh (% of people ages 15 and above) is only 72.8% as of 2016. If community members understand the purpose of the adaptation strategies an organization is attempting to implement, they can more effectively integrate the solution in their daily lives.

Northwestern Bangladesh’s Floating Centers of Learning as a Case Study Highlighting the Potential of CBA in Southern Bangladesh

So far, we have presented general reasons why CBA is a crucial “soft” adaptation framework for tackling the impacts of climate change in Bangladesh. This case study illustrates how the CBA steps explained in the previous section can be applied in practice using northwestern Bangladesh’s floating centers of learning as an example. Even though northwestern Bangladesh is outside the region we have considered for Mission 2021, lessons learned from community-based endeavors there are useful for introducing in southern Bangladesh.

“Floating” centers of learning are an example of a successful adaptation effort that can be understood using the CBA framework. The nonprofit organization Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha [7] provides almost 97,000 people in Bangladeshi flood-prone areas with access to “floating schools [8], libraries, health clinics and floating training centres with wireless internet access,” along with technologies such as solar lights.

[Figure 2]: Students disembarking from their boat school [6]

[Figure 2]: Students disembarking from their boat school. Source: IIED’s documentary “Afloat.”[6]

[Figure 3]: The CBA framework applied to the floating centers of learning solution

[Figure 3]: The CBA framework applied to the floating centers of learning solution

Since Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha is a local organization, its members were likely familiar with the issues the selected northwestern Bangladeshi communities face, such as the flooding patterns. Additionally, the organization’s members have been motivated[9] by the social and technological issues villagers face, such as the limited education of women and the absence of proper lighting to study at night. In fact, the education of the founder of the organization was negatively impacted by the monsoon [10].

The adaptation strategies Shidhulai suggested relied on the familiarization with the communities. The organization developed a way to use the water that floods homes and threatens livelihoods as an innovative way of bringing education to students and healthcare to residents in boats! In response to the knowledge about the limited education of women, the organization specifically targets its work with libraries at women. In response to the knowledge about the lack of proper lighting in villagers, the organization has developed solar lanterns, which it distributes as scholarships, and solar technology to run computers at the libraries.

Finally, the education floating schools and libraries provides empowers community members, especially women, children, and the elderly, with knowledge about their environment. A notable development is Shidhulai’s “river-based curriculum” [11],  which empowers students with knowledge about environmental protection and water conservation that they can harness in the future to tackle climate change.

In a similar manner, the solutions we have suggested for Bangladesh in Mission 2021 can be analyzed using this CBA framework to ease the conversion of written proposals into implemented strategies.

[Figure 4]: Students learning at a boat school [6]

[Figure 4]: Students learning at a boat school. Source: IIED’s documentary “Afloat.” [6]

[Figure 5]: A “floating” library equipped with computers [6]

[Figure 5]: A “floating” library equipped with computers. Source: IIED’s documentary “Afloat.” [6]

A Global View of CBA Practices

So far, this section has only introduced local CBA efforts in one location, but local CBA efforts exist worldwide. The Further Reading Section includes links to CBA documentation from organizations in Nicaragua and Vietnam. Moreover, worldwide local CBA efforts do not exist in isolation – organizations and governments share CBA practices using several methods. One of these is the Community-Based Adaptation conferences, organized by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in collaboration with other organizations. The first of these conferences was held in Dhaka in 2005. Out of the eleven conferences so far, six have been held in Dhaka, and have included speakers such as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. This highlights the role of Bangladesh in shaping CBA methods from the early stages of CBA’s development. The other conferences have been held in Tanzania, Vietnam, Nepal, Kenya, and Uganda, and have encouraged countries to share best practices about CBA. Out of these conferences have emerged websites such as WeAdapt, which allow the sharing of global CBA practices.

One of our goals in tackling Mission 2021 has been not just to study MIT and Bangladesh in isolation, but to view them as distant points on a spectrum of coastal communities affected by climate change. An aim of our project is to provide general suggestions, informed by these two specific case studies, for other countries on the spectrum. CBA is one of these suggestions that countries on the Bangladesh side of the spectrum can adopt.

Although CBA is a relatively new concept, it is gaining recognition worldwide. Emerging lessons from CBA research include the need for coordination at several levels, such as between local and global organizations, and national and local organizations. As a “soft” adaptation strategy, CBA can empower communities by educating community members and finding connections with existing and indigenous practices. Therefore, CBA can effectively allow coastal communities to bridge any gap between “hard” solutions and their interaction with the social, cultural, and political atmosphere of coastal communities.  

1  Flooding is ingrained in Bangladeshi society and culture. The author of one of our sources described thinking of the flood season as “fun” when he was a child, since he could paddle around his farm in a makeshift boat made from banana leaves (p. 5)![5] This small example highlights the necessity of using Bangladeshi people’s familiarity with floods as a useful tool in helping them adapt to the intensifying climatic conditions.*

By: Charvi Gopal 

 

References

  1. Community-based adaptation (CBA) conference archive. (2017, July 05). Retrieved from https://www.iied.org/community-based-adaptation-cba-conference-archive
  1. POLICY BRIEF: Climate Change: Why Community Based Adaptation Makes Economic Sense. (2013). CARE and New Economics Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.care.dk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/PolicyBrief_ClimateChange_final_web.pdf

 

  1. Huq, S., and Hannah Reid. (2007). A vital approach to the threat climate change poses to the poor. International Institute for Environment and Development. Retrieved from http://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/dlc/bitstream/handle/10535/6228/A%20vital%20approach.pdf?sequenc
  1. Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above). (2017). World Bank. Retrieved from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS?locations=BD
  1. Roy, M., Hanlon, J., and Hulme, D. (2016). Bangladesh confronts climate change: keeping our heads above water. London, New York: Anthem Press.
  1. [IIED]. (2011, January 20). ‘Afloat’ part 2 of 4: Bangladeshi Boat School [Video File] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_rWPBFZe1
  1. Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha. (2013). About Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha. Retrieved from http://www.shidhulai.org/aboutshidhulai.html
  1. Yee, A. (2013, June 30). ‘Floating Schools’ Bring Classrooms to Stranded Students. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/01/world/asia/floating-schools-in-bangladesh.html
  2. Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha. (2013). People, Life & Tradition. Retrieved from http://www.shidhulai.org/lifetradition.html
  3. Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha. (2013). History of Shidhulai. Retrieved from http://www.shidhulai.org/history.html
  4. Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha. (2013). Learning. Retrieved from http://www.shidhulai.org/learning.html

Further Reading

  1. ActionAid: http://www.actionaid.org/bangladesh
  2. Oxfam International: https://www.oxfam.org/en/countries/bangladesh
  3. CARE: http://www.care.org/country/bangladesh
  4. IIED, A methodology for CBA planning in Vietnam: http://careclimatechange.org/case-studies/cba_planning_vietnam/
  1. Partners for Resilience, Nicaragua: http://www.partnersforresilience.nl/en/countries/nicaragua
  2. IIED, Community-Based Adaptation in practice: A global overview of CARE’s practice of Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) to climate change:

https://www.weadapt.org/knowledge-base/global-initiative-on-community-based-adaptation-gicba/care-cba-case-studies

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