Community Based Adaptation in Action A case study from Bangladesh – 2008
Bangladesh, due to its geo-physical position and socio-economic context, is highly prone
to regular natural hazards and the impacts of climate change. In 2005, the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) initiated a project at the request
of the Bangladesh government that was designed to improve the adaptive capacities of
rural populations and their resilience to drought and other climate change impacts. It also
aimed to inform service providers and policy-makers of the learning and findings, in order
to improve support to future adaptation processes. The project is implemented under the
Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Programme (CDMP), by the Department of
Agricultural Extension (DAE), and in collaboration with the Departments of Fisheries,
Livestock and Forestry and national research institutes such as Bangladesh Rice Research
Institute (BRRI) and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI). (Community
based actions started with: the characterization of livelihood systems; profiling of vulnerable
groups; assessment of past and current climate impacts; understanding of local perceptions
of climate impacts, local coping capacities and existing adaptation strategies. Based on
those findings the project promotes institutional and technical capacity building within key
agencies and among farmers associations/groups for demand responsive services needed by
farmers to better adapt. The project has developed, and is constantly updating, a menu of
diversified good practice adaptation options, which guides field testing of locally prioritized
adaptation practices. Participatory extension is key and includes: demonstrations, orientation
meetings, field days, farmer field schools, and community rallies.
This report provides a summary of the working approach developed and tested to
promote community-based adaptation within agriculture. It presents lessons learned from
the implementation process as well as the details of good practice options for drought risk
management in the context of climate change.
Title | Community Based Adaptation in Action A case study from Bangladesh – 2008 |
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Document Category | Disaster Management Plan |
Document Type | Report |
Circulation Type | Public |
Publishing Date | N/A |
Language | English |
Publisher information | UNDP |
ISBN | N/A |
Refrence Number | 954021-11-12-2021 |