Locally-led adaptation: moving from principles to practice in the water sector
This study focuses on Locally-led adaptation (LLA) in the water sector, examining progress and lessons learnt from water adaptation initiatives in East Africa's drylands. The report introduces an assessment framework to evaluate how case studies of water adaptation align with the LLA principles, supplemented with a principle on Nature-based Solution (NbS) in recognition of its potential in locally-led water adaptation.
Overall, the Kenya cases (WSTF and CCCF mechanism), outperformed the Tanzania ones (LoCAL). This difference can be attributed to the longer period for which the Kenya cases had been established, with institutionalised mechanisms for local decision-making, institutional capacity for implementing sustainable adaptation interventions, and developed partnerships. Additionally, the devolved finance and governance context in Kenya is more extensive than in Tanzania. While LoCAL in Tanzania channels adaptation funding to subnational governments, it works through national institutional frameworks on climate change.