Field work with the community
IUCN @ Paula Cruz
“Action learning” and monitoring to increase capacities and knowledge
School presentation at the Agrobiodiversity Fair
IUCN @ Pablo Cambronero
Avoiding soil erosion
IUCN @ Jeimy Carranza
In addition to training and supporting communities to implement EbA measures through their productive practices, the aim is to generate evidence on the benefits of these measures and create conditions for their sustainability and up scaling.
- The socio-environmental vulnerability of 7 communities in the Sixaola River basin is examined in order to then identify and prioritize EbA measures.
- Diagnoses are made (productive, socioeconomic and agro-ecological) to identify families with a commitment to transform their farms and select those with the greatest potential to become integral farms.
- Technical support is provided to communities, complemented with traditional knowledge, to ensure that EbA measures contribute to food and water security.
- Exchanges and training are organized for producers (men and women), indigenous authorities, youth and municipalities on climate change, food security, natural resource management, organic fertilizers and soil conservation.
- Monitoring and evaluation is carried out to understand the benefits of EbA measures, and inform horizontal and vertical up-scaling.
- Activities, such as the Agrobiodiversity Fair and binational reforestation events, are carried out collaboratively with local actors.
- IUCN’s and ACBTC’s years of previous work with the local communities were a key enabling factor to ensure effective and inclusive participation processes, achieve a high level of ownership of EbA measures, and empower stakeholders (in this case, producers, community groups, municipalities and Ministries).
- The binational agreement between Costa Rica and Panama (from 1979 and renewed in 1995) facilitates work at the binational level and inter-sectorial coordination, and endorses the Binational Commission for Sixaola that operates since 2011.
- Self-diagnosis of vulnerabilities in the face of climate change (in this case, through the CRiSTAL methodology) is a powerful tool that allows communities to jointly prioritize what is most urgent and important and achieves greater collective benefits.
- Applying the "action learning" approach at the community level allows for a better understanding of multiple concepts related to EbA and creates a community of practice that values and takes ownership of adaptation measures.
- It is important to recognize the complementarity between scientific and traditional knowledge for the implementation of EbA measures.