Transformation from the ground: Adaptation pioneers as agents of change through climate-resilient agriculture

Adaptation to climate change is neither optional nor hypothetical. It is no longer something that we plan for in the future. The time is here and now. Smallholder farmers and herders the world over know this through their own lived experiences. Acknowledging this fact through transdisciplinary collaboration with a focus on farmer-led innovation (F-LI) for adaptation is a rising priority in the domain of climate change adaptation. However, it is often unclear how exactly to implement this in practice. While much adaptation work starts with analyzing problems and building out from that anchor, there is much to be gained in starting with climate solutions that are already effectively embedded within livelihoods and communities.

Adaptation for climate-resilient agriculture needs an approach that builds on and engages with people’s agency in both generating and scaling their own climate change adaptation solutions. This approach must be built into a robust, coherent, and consistent framework that speaks to the needs of farmers – and lets farmers speak for themselves. It engages farmers and herders in a way that acknowledges their practical knowledge to be of equal value with other, more institutionalized, forms of knowledge such as science.