Economic case for community-based adaptation in dryland Kenya

A study made by the new economics foundation (nef), on behalf of CARE, shows that community-based adaptation (CBA) makes strong economic sense. The various scenarios comparing systematic and planned adaptation to a situation with no support to adaptation are based on learning from the real situation of two communities in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), county-level consultations and an analysis of long-term climate projections. In virtually all scenarios, the economic, environmental and social benefits of CBA – where vulnerable communities make informed development and risk-management decisions and actions in response to climate-change impacts – outweigh their costs, suggesting they are efficient and effective even in the absence of adaptation projects at national level. The optimal option for the ASALs emerged as an enhanced support of pastoralism combined with a modest diversification to drought-resistant cropping. The study provides justification for investment in CBA and complements other recent studies on the economics of resilience and the value of pastoralist production systems. It makes a compelling economic case for CBA both in conjunction with larger-scale interventions and as stand-alone activities. See “Counting on uncertainty: the economic case for community based adaptation in North-East Kenya”.

Posted on 14 August 2012 in News, Pastoralism & Climate Change, Pastoralism & Natural Resources, Pastoralism, Policy & Power, Pastoralist Livelihoods & Nutrition, Value of Pastoralism