Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Successful Community Participation in Climate Change Adaptation Programs: on Whose Terms?

  • Published:
Environmental Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Community participation in climate change adaptation (CCA) programs has been advocated for long, but its implementation remains uncertain. There is also very little understanding and consensus on how and to what extent local communities can and should be involved in these projects. Arguably, both the concept and practice of community participation remain equivocal and contentious due to a lack of systematic effort to define the participatory framework in CCA. While the framework for community participation can be adopted from other planning and management discourses, yet they are typically expert-driven. The local communities hardly play a role in designing the framework. This study, therefore, took an alternative approach to define the meaning and implication of community participation from local communities’ perspectives. To this end, we used the grounded theory qualitative research methods to survey 50 respondents across five rural communities in climate change impacted Northern Ghana. To evaluate the communities’ meaningful participation in the adaptation projects, respondents suggested three critical parameters—First, community participation in a CCA project can be considered successful if the project contributes towards the livelihood security of the community. Second, the project outcome should be tangible. Third, the project should enhance the community’s skills and training such that the community can run a similar project in the future without much dependence on external agencies. This study provides an alternative methodological insight on how to design and operationalize meaningful community participation in CCA that will have universal application irrespective of the geographical and socio-cultural boundaries.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akudugu MA, Dittoh S, Mahama ES (2012) The implications of climate change on food security and rural livelihoods: experiences from Northern Ghana. J Environ Earth Sci 2(3):21–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen KM (2006) Community‐based disaster preparedness and climate adaptation: local capacity‐building in the Philippines. Disasters 30(1):81–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arnstein SR (1969) A ladder of citizen participation. J Am Inst Plan 35(4):216–224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arora-Jonsson S (2011) Virtue and vulnerability: discourses on women, gender and climate change. Glob Environ Change 21(2):744–751

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashley L, Zhumanova M, Isaeva A, Dear C (2016) Examining changes in local adaptive capacity resulting from climate change adaptation programming in rural Kyrgyzstan. Clim Dev 8(3):281–287

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ayers J, Forsyth T (2009) Community-based adaptation to climate change. Environment 51(4):22–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Bele MY, Sonwa DJ, Tiani AM (2013) Supporting local adaptive capacity to climate change in the Congo basin forest of Cameroon: a participatory action research approach. Int J Clim Change Strateg Manag 5(2):181–197

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blackstock KL, Kelly GJ, Horsey BL (2007) Developing and applying a framework to evaluate participatory research for sustainability. Ecol Econ 60(4):726–742

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boafo YA, Saito O, Takeuchi K (2014) Provisioning ecosystem services in rural savanna landscapes of Northern Ghana: an assessment of supply, utilization, and drivers of change. J Disaster Res 9(4):501–515

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boakye-Danquah J, Antwi EK, Saito O, Abekoe MK (2014). Impact of farm management practices and agricultural land use on soil organic carbon storage potential in the savannah ecological zone of Northern Ghana. J Disaster Res 9(4):484–500

  • Buggy L, McNamara KE (2016) The need to reinterpret “community” for climate change adaptation: a case study of Pele Island, Vanuatu. Clim Dev 8(3):270–280

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnham M, Ma Z (2016) Linking smallholder farmer climate change adaptation decisions to development. Clim Dev 8(4):289–311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carr G, Blöschl G, Loucks DP (2012) Evaluating participation in water resource management: a review. Water Resour Res 48(11):1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chambers R (1997) Whose reality counts? Putting the first last. Intermediate Technology Publications Ltd (ITP)

  • Chess C, Purcell K (1999) Public participation and the environment: do we know what works? Environ Sci Technol 33(16):2685–2692

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Collins K, Ison R (2009) Jumping off Arnstein’s ladder: social learning as a new policy paradigm for climate change adaptation. Environ Policy Gov 19(6):358–373

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conway D, Schipper ELF (2011) Adaptation to climate change in Africa: challenges and opportunities identified from Ethiopia. Glob Environ Change 21(1):227–237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corbin J, Strauss A (2014) Basics of qualitative research: techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Sage publications

  • Crook R (2005) The role of traditional institutions in political change and development CDD/ODI Policy Brief no. 4, pp. 1–5

  • Davidson CH, Johnson C, Lizarralde G, Dikmen N, Sliwinski A (2007) Truths and myths about community participation in post-disaster housing projects. Habitat Int 31(1):100–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denzin NK, Lincoln YS (eds) (2011) The Sage handbook of qualitative research. Sage

  • Dodman D, Mitlin D (2013) Challenges for community‐based adaptation: discovering the potential for transformation. J Int Dev 25(5):640–659

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Egeru A (2012) Role of indigenous knowledge in climate change adaptation: a case study of the Teso sub-region, Eastern Uganda. Indian J Tradit Knowl 11(2):217–224

    Google Scholar 

  • Few R, Brown K, Tompkins EL (2007) Public participation and climate change adaptation: avoiding the illusion of inclusion. Clim Policy 7(1):46–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth T (2013) Community‐based adaptation: a review of past and future challenges. Wiley Interdiscip Rev 4(5):439–446

    Google Scholar 

  • Galicia L, Gómez-Mendoza L, Magaña V (2015) Climate change impacts and adaptation strategies in temperate forests in Central Mexico: a participatory approach. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 20(1):21–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gentle P, Maraseni TN (2012) Climate change, poverty and livelihoods: adaptation practices by rural mountain communities in Nepal. Environ Sci policy 21:24–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guri B (2006) Traditional, authorities, decentralization and development. strengthening the capacity of traditional authorities for good governance and development at the local level. Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development (CIKOD), Madina, Accra

  • Hung HC, Chen LY (2013) Incorporating stakeholders’ knowledge into assessing vulnerability to climatic hazards: application to the river basin management in Taiwan. Clim Change 120(1–2):491–507

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kranjac-Brisavljevic G, Bayorbor TB, Obeng F (1999) Rethinking natural resource degradation in semi-arid Sub-Saharan Africa: the case of semi-arid Ghana. Overseas Development Institute/University of Development Studies, London

  • Kwiatkowski RE (2011) Indigenous community based participatory research and health impact assessment: a Canadian example. Environ Impact Assess Rev 31(4):445–450

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lahiri-Dutt K (2004) ‘I plan, you participate’: a southern view of community participation in urban Australia. Community Dev J 39(1):13–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larsen K, Gunnarsson-Östling U (2009) Climate change scenarios and citizen-participation: mitigation and adaptation perspectives in constructing sustainable futures. Habitat Int 33(3):260–266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laube W, Schraven B, Awo M (2012) Smallholder adaptation to climate change: dynamics and limits in Northern Ghana. Climatic change 111(3–4):753–774

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laux P, Kunstmann H, Bárdossy A (2008) Predicting the regional onset of the rainy season in West Africa. Int J Climatol 28(3):329–342

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahama C (2009) Local government and traditional authorities in concert: towards a more productive relationship. Commonw J Local Gov 4:7–25

    Google Scholar 

  • McCool SF, Guthrie K (2001) Mapping the dimensions of successful public participation in messy natural resources management situations. Soc Nat Resour 14(4):309–323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNamara KE, Buggy L (2017) Community-based climate change adaptation: a review of academic literature. Local Environ 22(4):443–460

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore SA (1996) Defining “successful” environmental dispute resolution: Case studies from public land planning in the United States and Australia. Environ Impact Assess Rev 16(3):151–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mubaya CP, Njuki J, Mutsvangwa EP, Mugabe FT, Nanja D (2012) Climate variability and change or multiple stressors? Farmer perceptions regarding threats to livelihoods in Zimbabwe and Zambia. J Environ Manag 102:9–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nkoana EM, Verbruggen A, Hugé J (2018) Climate change adaptation tools at the community level: an integrated literature review. Sustainability 10(3):796

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nkoana EM, Waas T, Verbruggen A, Burman CJ, Hugé J (2017) Analytic framework for assessing participation processes and outcomes of climate change adaptation tools. Environ Dev Sustainabil 19(5):1731–1760

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osbahr H, Twyman C, Adger WN, Thomas DS (2008) Effective livelihood adaptation to climate change disturbance: scale dimensions of practice in Mozambique. Geoforum 39(6):1951–1964

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Otsuki K, Jasaw GS, Lolig V (2014) Framing community resilience through mobility and gender. J Disast Res 9:554–562

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Owusu-Mensah I (2014) Politics, chieftaincy and customary law in Ghana’s fourth republic. J Pan Afr Stud 6(7):261–278

    Google Scholar 

  • Patton MQ (2001) Qualitative research and evaluation methods, 2nd edn. Sage Publications, Thousand oaks, CA

  • Piggott-McKellar AE, McNamara KE, Nunn PD, Watson JE (2019) What are the barriers to successful community-based climatechange adaptation? A review of grey literature. Local Environment 24(4):374–390

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reed MS (2008) Stakeholder participation for environmental management: a literature review. Biol Conserv 141(10):2417–2431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reid H, Alam M, Berger R, Cannon T, Huq S, Milligan A (2009) Community-based adaptation to climate change: an overview. Participat Learn action 60(1):11–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Renn O, Webler T, Wiedemann P (eds) (2013) Fairness and competence in citizen participation: evaluating models for environmental discourse, vol. 10. Springer Science & Business Media

  • Roncoli C, Ingram K, Kirshen P (2001) The costs and risks of coping with drought: livelihood impacts and farmers¹ responses in Burkina Faso. Clim Res 19(2):119–132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roncoli C, Jost C, Kirshen P, Sanon M, Ingram KT, Woodin M, Yaka P (2009) From accessing to assessing forecasts: an end-to-end study of participatory climate forecast dissemination in Burkina Faso (West Africa). Clim Change 92(3–4):433

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosener JB (1981) User-oriented evaluation: a new way to view citizen participation. J Appl Behav Sci 17(4):583–596

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross H, Shaw S, Rissik D, Cliffe N, Chapman S, Hounsell V, Schoeman J (2015) A participatory systems approach to understanding climate adaptation needs. Clim Change 129(1–2):27–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowe G, Frewer LJ (2000) Public participation methods: a framework for evaluation. Sci Technol Hum Values 25(1):3–29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samaddar S, Ayaribilla AJ, Oteng-Ababio M, Dayour F, Yokomatsu M (2019) Stakeholders’ perceptions on effective community participation in climate change adaptation. In: Sustainable solutions for food security. Springer, Cham, pp. 355–379

  • Samaddar S, Choi J, Misra BA, Tatano H (2015b) Insights on social learning and collaborative action plan development for disaster risk reduction: practicing Yonmenkaigi System Method (YSM) in flood-prone Mumbai. Nat Hazards 75(2):1531–1554

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samaddar S, Okada N (2006) Participatory approach for post-earthquake reconstruction in the Villages of Kachh, Gujarat, India. Annuals of Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, No. 49B, pp. 197–205

  • Samaddar S, Okada N, Choi J, Tatano H (2017) What constitutes successful participatory disaster risk management? Insights from post-earthquake reconstruction work in rural Gujrat. Nat Hazards 85(1):1–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samaddar S, Yokomatsu M, Dayour F, Oteng-Ababio M, Dzivenu T, Ishikawa H (2018) Exploring the role of trust in risk communication among climate-induced vulnerable rural communities in Wa West District Ghana. In: Saito O, Kranjac-Berisavljevic G, Takeuchi K, Gyasi EA (eds) Strategies for building resilience against climate and ecosystem changes in Sub-Saharan Africa. Springer, Singapore, pp. 247–264

  • Samaddar S, Yokomatsu M, Dzivenu T, Oteng-Ababio M, Adams MR, Dayour F, Hirohiko I (2015) Evaluating effective public participation in disaster management and climate change adaptation: insights from northern Ghana through a user-based approach. Risk Hazards Crisis Public Policy 6(1):117–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samaddar S, Yokomatsu M, Dzivenu T, Oteng-Ababio M, Adams MR, Dayour F, Ishikawa H (2014) Assessing rural communities concerns for improved climate change adaptation strategies in northern Ghana. J Disaster Res 9(4):529–541

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santos SL, Chess C (2003) Evaluating citizen advisory boards: the importance of theory and participant‐based criteria and practical implications. Risk Anal 23(2):269–279

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saxena NC (1997) The saga of participatory forest management in India. CIFOR (Center for International Forest Research), Jakarta

    Google Scholar 

  • Sekine H, Fukuhara K, Uraguchi A, Tan CK, Nagai M, Okada Y (2009) The Effectiveness of Community-based Adaptation (CBA) to climate change. GEIC Working Paper Series 2009–001

  • Selvaraju R, Subbiah AR, Baas S, Juergens I (2006) Livelihood adaptation to climate variability and change in drought-prone areas of Bangladesh: developing institutions and options. Rome, Italy: ADPC (Asian Disaster Preparedness Center) and FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

  • Sheppard SR, Shaw A, Flanders D, Burch S, Wiek A, Carmichael J, Cohen S (2011) Future visioning of local climate change: a framework for community engagement and planning with scenarios and visualisation. Futures 43(4):400–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spires M, Shackleton S, Cundill G (2014) Barriers to implementing planned community-based adaptation in developing countries: a systematic literature review. Clim Dev 6(3):277–287

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toth FL, Hizsnyik E (2008) Managing the inconceivable: participatory assessments of impacts and responses to extreme climate change. Clim Change 91(1):81–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tuler S, Webler T (1999) “Voices From the Forest: What Participants Expect of a Public Participation Process”. Society & Natural Resources 12:437–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ubisi NR, Mafongoya PL, Kolanisi U, Jiri O (2017) Smallholder farmer’s perceived effects of climate change on crop production and household livelihoods in rural Limpopo province, South Africa. Change Adapt Socio-Ecol Syst 3(1):27–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Webler T, Tuler S (2006) Four perspectives on public participation process in environmental assessment and decision making: combined results from 10 cases studies. Policy Stud J 34:699–722

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webler T, Tuler S, Krueger ROB (2001) What is a good public participation process? Five perspectives from the public. Environ Manag 27(3):435–450

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wenger E (1998) Communities of practice: learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press

  • Williams T, Hardison P (2013) Culture, law, risk and governance: contexts of traditional knowledge in climate change adaptation. In: Climate change and indigenous peoples in the United States. Springer, Cham, pp. 23–36

  • Yaro JA (2013) The perception of and adaptation to climate variability/change in Ghana by small-scale and commercial farmers. Reg Environ Change 13(6):1259–1272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yates JS (2014) Power and politics in the governance of community-based adaptation. Community-based adaptation to climate change: emerging lessons. Practical Action Publishing, Rugby, pp. 15–34

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was carried out by the Enhancing Resilience to ‘Climate and Ecosystem Changes in Semi-arid Africa: An Integrated Approach’ with financial support from the Japan Science Technology Agency (JST) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as part of SATREPS (Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development). Our immeasurable gratitude goes to all the study villages in the Tolon District of Northern Ghana for their time and continuous support. We also thank two anonymous reviewers and for their comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Subhajyoti Samaddar & Muneta Yokomatsu

  2. Department of Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

    Martin Oteng-Ababio

  3. University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana

    Frederick Dayour, Francis K. Obeng & Romanus Ziem

  4. University of Energy and Natural Resources in Sunyani, Sunyani, Ghana

    Akudugu Ayaribila

Authors
  1. Subhajyoti Samaddar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Martin Oteng-Ababio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Frederick Dayour
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Akudugu Ayaribila
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Francis K. Obeng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Romanus Ziem
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Muneta Yokomatsu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Subhajyoti Samaddar.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Samaddar, S., Oteng-Ababio, M., Dayour, F. et al. Successful Community Participation in Climate Change Adaptation Programs: on Whose Terms?. Environmental Management 67, 747–762 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-020-01421-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-020-01421-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation