Introduction - Climate Change Adaptation and Development: Transforming Paradigms and Practices - page 12

implemented does matter; in particular, smaller-scale technologies suited to
community-level interventions and participation can contribute to equitable
and pro-poor development.
Adaptation beyond the local level
Focusing on adaptation solely on the local level may not be enough to
reduce vulnerability. Several chapters show how adaptation must take place
simultaneously across levels. In Chapter 7 , Trond Vedeld, Wilbard Kombe, Clara
Kweka Msale and Siri Bjerkreim Hellevik draw attention to the importance of
multilevel governance and the coordination between different levels and actors.
In the case of Dar es Salaam, they find that integrating adaptation into urban
governance and building adaptive capacity at the local level can be severely
constrained by deep-seated institutional deficiencies: policies and mandates
are unclear, and a lack of finances, resources and technologies characterizes all
levels. The authors show how informal settlements in Dar es Salaam that are
at risk from flooding remain largely outside the realm of spatial planning. This
has led to large informal settlements in flood-prone areas, with a significantly
unequal distribution of vulnerability between different groups. Adding climate
change adaptation to an already highly pressured governance system that
is failing to meet the basic needs of the population may seem challenging.
However, the authors point to the potential for bringing coherence to planning
processes, recognizing that broader development plans play an important role in
determining who is at risk, and why.
Diverse actions and policies beyond official or explicit adaptation measures can
ultimately provide a much wider and more effective solution space for addressing
risks. In Chapter 8 , Jennifer West describes how in Tanzania, climate policies
have identified the agricultural sector as particularly vulnerable and a top priority
for adaptation. However, West describes how vulnerability among small-scale
farmers has been driven by structural changes in agriculture, such as efforts to
modernize and commercialize smallholder production in breadbasket regions
of the country. In order for policy efforts to support the adaptation process, the
effect of such structural changes on the adaptive capacity of rural smallholders
must be understood. West describes how some types of agricultural investments
can support local capacity - but she also notes that it matters how agricultural
investments are made, not just for farmer sensitivity to climate factors but also for
market risk, access to land and water, equity outcomes and empowerment.
Unintended community adaptation opportunities sometimes arise from
technological and socio-economic changes. In Chapter 9 , Julie Wilk, Mattias
Hjerpe and Birgitta Rydhagen investigate how such unplanned side effects
or spinoffs often materialize outside the aims of development programmes
or government interventions. Examining the cases of information and
communication technology (ICT) in South Africa, changing lifestyles in China,
and empowerment in India, they show that such spinoffs often can be utilized to