How can we better understand and manage the impacts of droughts?

This work was carried out under the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA), with financial support from the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DfID) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.The impact of drought on the lives of subsistence crop and livestock farmers in semi-arid northern Namibia extends beyond hunger and exacerbated poverty levels. Current development interventions often fail to address the underlying causes of people’s vulnerability and make it difficult for adaptation to be successful due to their narrow view around addressing vulnerability. A wellbeing approach has the potential to offer a different, people-centred way of informing climate change adaptation because it explicitly integrates people’s aspirations (e.g. achieving food security) and values (e.g. freedom or a good quality of life)

Local participation in decentralized water governance : insights from north-central Namibia

The study analysis reveals that decentralized governance of water resources can be ineffective if governments do not allocate sufficient resources to support and enable local governance systems. In southern Africa, community-based management of natural resources has expanded in line with governments’ stated intentions of increasing local participation and ownership. Their capacities to contribute meaningfully to decentralized water management, as well as the presence of enabling institutional arrangements and financial resources, are limited. Achieving greater equity and efficiency in the water sector while reducing climate risk will require that local actors receive more support in return for fuller and more effective participation

Vulnerability and risk assessment in Omusati region in Namibia : fostering people-centred adaptation to climate change

The vulnerability assessment analyzes the levels of exposure and sensitivity of a social group, or a livelihood activity, in relation to pre-agreed key hazards and issues. The aim is to achieve a clearer understanding of who and what is vulnerable, including values for exposure and sensitivity to hazards such as drought and floods. This paper provides details of the assessment process and results. The Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA) with Adaptation at Scale in Semi-Arid Regions (ASSAR) aims to build the resilience of vulnerable populations and their livelihoods in three climate change hot spots in Africa and Asia.International Development Research Centre (IDRC)UK’s Department for International Development (DFID

Vulnerability and risk assessment in Omusati Region in Namibia Fostering people-centred adaptation to climate change

Synthesis and analysis reportInternational Development Research Centre, Canada and UK's Department for International Developmen

The Vulnerability and Risk Assessment in Omusati Region in Namibia

This report presents the findings of the VRA workshop held from 8 to 9 March 2016 at Outapi Lodge in Omusati Region in North-Central Namibia. The VRA exercise focused on the Onesi Constituency landscape and it was carried out in the context of the ASSAR project. The VRA contributes to ASSAR’s work on understanding local level vulnerability and potential adaptation responses by engaging diverse stakeholders and supporting Research-into-Use (RiU) processes

Vulnerability and responses to climate change in drylands : the case of Namibia

This paper covers climate trends and projections; impacts of climate change on Namibia’s economic sectors; vulnerability and adaptive capacity. Vulnerability to climate change in Namibia is driven by underlying structural factors, including a history of inappropriate economic policies, gender disparities and colonization, which have led to chronic poverty and inequality. Climate change intersects with these existing structural vulnerabilities and can accentuate or shift the balance between winners and losers. Climate change scenarios and potential impacts should be integrated into development planning so that future development takes place in a ‘climate compatible’ manner.International Development Research Centre (IDRC)UK’s Department for International Development (DFID