Legacy report: Planning and Implementing Rural Adaptation Initiatives in the Lower Mekong
This report presents the USAID Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change project and discusses an integrative process for combining climate science and community knowledge, and adaptation strategies applied in target communities along with lessons learned. The report is useful to those working with communities on climate change adaptation including, non-governmental organisations, international aid organisations, government agencies, and research institutions.
The lessons learned presented in this publication (p. 46-47) are the following:
- Community adaptation options must show an economic gain for adaptation strategies to be successful.
- Non-quantifiable benefits related to increased food security and nutrition are also important.
- Small shifts to existing systems are more likely to be replicated.
- Training and capacity building are critical for enhancing community knowledge and adaptive behaviours.
- Project cycle is a key factor influencing success.
- There are many other important co-benefits from the adaptation activities that were implemented in the target villages.
- There are also substantial long-term benefits provided by maintaining healthy forests related to their role in providing critical ecosystem services .