Review of key initiatives and approaches to adaptation planning at the national level in semi-arid areas

The semi-arid areas found in a large number of countries and regions of Africa and South and Central Asia display high vulnerability to climate change with considerable adaptation needs. Research outcomes indicate that global, regional and national initiatives are distributed unequally, and that these regions in Africa and Asia currently exhibit low participation, especially in national projects. In this paper, country-level and multi-country projects supported by international agencies are reviewed, along with priorities and goals presented in national adaptation and sectorial planning documents. Priorities listed in documents but not captured in current initiatives include human health, pastoralism, security and migration

Review of key initiatives and approaches to adaptation planning at the national level in semi-arid areas

The paper reviews country-level and multi-country projects supported by international agencies, examining the priorities and goals in national adaptation and sectorial planning documents. The analysis compares adaptation needs with current trends in national, regional and global projects and collaborations. The paper focuses on addressing research gaps, specifically looking at international support for adaptation actions in semi-arid regions, and reflecting on the vulnerability of these countries to the impacts of climate change. Outcomes indicate that global, regional and national initiatives are distributed unequally and that countries in Central and West Africa and Central Asia currently exhibit low participation, especially in national projects

Summary of the underlying dataset to assist in tracking resilience of rural agricultural communities

A list of indicators that can be used to track resilience of agricultural communities is presented in this brief. The provided data set covers a unique overview of policy-relevant indicators based on data on climate change impacts, vulnerability, adaptation, agriculture and rural development. This data is grouped into six critical sectors that are crucial for policy-makers to track resilience. The data is transferable and can be adjusted to different communities as the listed definitions can be modified to account for the specific local conditions. The indicators were used to identify a set of resilience indicators for rural agricultural communities in Ontario Canada (for details see “An Indicator Set to Track Resilience to Climate Change in Agriculture: A policy-maker׳s perspective” [1])

Advancing Environmental Mainstreaming in the Caribbean Region: The Role of Regional Institutions for Overcoming Barriers and Capacity Gaps

Environmental mainstreaming (EM) is a policy instrument to integrate environmental risks and opportunities into planning and implementation. A body of knowledge exists on identifying barriers for EM at the national level. This paper identifies contributions of regional institutions for improving capacities for EM at the national level, using the Caribbean region as a case study. The methodology adopted combines in-depth interviews with senior policy-makers and participatory workshops for medium- and junior-level staff of government agencies. Four barriers for EM are analyzed with specific roles for regional agencies, including weak leadership, insufficient science–policy linkages, deficits in quantity and quality of human resources, and institutional aspects. Research findings identify regional leadership as crucial to supporting the science–policy interface, to share data and knowledge across countries facing similar challenges, to provide assistance with national policy development for EM involving transboundary issues, and to ensure cross-sectoral perspectives in regional initiatives, especially those on economic development