Adaptation Actions Research Articles

“This community will grow” — little concern for future wildfires in a dry and increasingly hotter Swedish rural community

Increased risk of wildfires is often highlighted in media coverage of climate change in the Nordic countries. How an increased risk is reflected in the concerns and adaptive measures within the most likely affected communities is nevertheless not known. This study investigates concerns and adaptation to wildfires in a rural community in south-eastern Sweden. The comparatively dry study area has a history of frequent but often low-consequence wildfires and is projected to experience Sweden’s largest increase in severe fire weather towards 2100. Through narratives, this study elucidates potential wildfire concerns in this area and motivations behind adaptation measures. The narratives are compared to a physical causal network extracted from the literature on fires and their consequences in the region. Residents foresee an increased wildfire risk but do not consider it a threat to the future well-being of the community. Forest owners and homeowners express low commitment in preventive or adaptive measures. Instead, contrasting the reality of the twentieth century, the fire service is currently considered to be responsible for both preventing and suppressing fires. This attitude is attributed to the lack of severe implications from the generally well-managed fires in the region. Actions for prevention and adaptation seem triggered by media attention or experience from real high-consequence events occurring elsewhere, rather than local wildfire occurrence or climate change projections.

Decision Making for Self-Adaptation Based on Partially Observable Satisfaction of Non-Functional Requirements

Approaches that support the decision-making of self-adaptive and autonomous systems (SAS) often consider an idealized situation where (i) the system’s state is treated as fully observable by the monitoring infrastructure, and (ii) adaptation actions are assumed to have known, deterministic effects over the system. However, in practice, the system’s state may not be fully observable, and the adaptation actions may produce unexpected effects due to uncertain factors. This article presents a novel probabilistic approach to quantify the uncertainty associated with the effects of adaptation actions on the state of a SAS. Supported by Bayesian inference and POMDPs (Partially-Observable Markov Decision Processes), these effects are translated into the satisfaction levels of the non-functional requirements (NFRs) to, therefore, drive the decision-making. The approach has been applied to two substantial case studies from the networking and Internet of Things (IoT) domains, using two different POMDP solvers. The results show that the approach delivers statistically significant improvements in supporting decision-making for SAS.

Bioconcentration of Heavy Metals in Milkfish Reared in Stick-Net Pens System: Implications for Open Water Environmental Contamination and Food Safety

The coast of Tanjung Mas, Semarang City, is an industrial area used by the community to cultivate milkfish using stick-net pens. Furthermore, heavy metal contamination such as Cr, Cd, Cu, and Pb potentially disrupts milkfish meat's growth, quality, and safety. This study aims to determine heavy metals concentration in the waters and milkfish meat in stick-net pens cultivation in Tanjung Mas, Semarang City. The study was conducted using exploration, with five observation sites representing household waste disposal flow, industrial discharge, open sea, and intermediate areas. The observation sites were selected based on the milkfish cultivation activity. The sample and data, including water, milkfish, and environmental factors (temperature, pH, salinity, water current, and dissolved oxygen), were collected three times every two weeks. The heavy metals were detected using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). The highest heavy metal concentration is Cr, which ranges from 1.70 ± 0.32 ppm to 2.36 ± 0.63 ppm in milkfish and 2.77 ± 0.65 ppm to 3.05 ± 0.58 ppm in the environment. The heavy metals contamination in Semarang City’s water areas is still relatively low and has no impact on milkfish growth. Industrial waste, mainly heavy metals, potentially threatens the stick-net pens cultivation model developed by the community in Semarang City. This study can be used as an input for mitigation and adaptive action in anticipating future environmental changes and maintaining their business sustainability.

Building Resilient Cities: A Comprehensive Review of Climate Change Adaptation Indicators for Urban Design

Urban areas generate more than 70% of the world’s climate change emissions, mainly CO2, produced by the combustion of fossil fuels. Climate change is increasing cities’ exposure to climate hazards, such as heat waves or floods. Therefore, there is a need to improve risk management with the inclusion of climate resilience in urban policy design. Despite improved urban climate monitoring, there are still relatively few scientific publications on climate change adaptation in urban areas. Adaptation to climate change is not achieved through specific action, but rather through the adoption and continuous implementation of adaptation actions such as housing rehabilitation, green space management and protection measures for vulnerable groups. This variety of actions makes it difficult not only to identify different indicators, but also to use common benchmarks. Considering the role of municipalities in adapting to climate change, it is crucial to identify adaptation indicators that serve as a basis for decision making, as well as evaluation methods that allow the effectiveness of planned and implemented measures in municipalities. It can be used to determine which measures increase the level of adaptation or lead to poor adaptation. Therefore, monitoring indicators makes it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures, in addition to formulating new ones. This paper includes a literature review of existing index designed to address climate hazards and mitigate their impacts in urban areas.

Linking perceptions of climate change impacts with adaptation: Insights from landowners in Southern Chile

Adaptation is recognized as the outcome of a complex mix of individual and institutional factors that shape how society responds to climate change. Adaptation results from a joint decision-making process, where actors simultaneously evaluate the risks associated with climate change into whether or not they should adapt. We develop a model of this joint decision-making process that incorporates risk tolerance to identify what factors influence landowners’ perception and adaptation to climate change in southern Chile. The results are based on 86 in-person interviews, involving the collection of socioeconomic data, risk aversion tests, and semi-structured interviews. We found that while most landowners perceived climate change impacts as a threat, only 60 % had taken any action. Two underlying factors applied to both perception and adaptation: risk tolerance and off-farm incomes. Higher risk tolerance and greater reliance on off-farm incomes reduced people's perception and adaptation to climate change. The presence of climate change-induced impacts positively influenced the implementation of adaptation, while schooling and gender were relevant only in shaping climate change perceptions. Following these results, we suggest developing programs to communicate the real magnitude of climate risks so that landowners better understand the opportunity costs of climate change adaptation, and in that way, avoid/anticipate the need to see impacts on the land in order to act. Along these lines, further investigation of the role off-farm incomes play in adaptation is warranted, where it is simultaneously both a factor in the adaptation process but can also be an adaptation action as well.

Prioritising local sea level rise adaptation pathways in Shenzhen and Hong Kong using cost-benefit analysis

Local governments face urgent challenges from sea-level rise (SLR), impacting coastal urban areas significantly. Despite a shared commitment to adapting to climate change and SLR-induced hazards, strategies for SLR adaptation vary significantly between cities, reflecting a spectrum of political, socio-economic, and cultural contexts. This paper examines potential SLR adaptation strategies in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, cities with different political and socio-economic frameworks, to understand the effectiveness of varied local adaptation pathways to meet adaptation objectives. Through an analysis of shoreline adaptation infrastructures, including natural shelters and hard defense structures, alongside historical coastal reclamation data from 1985 to 2020, we identify the most cost-effective adaptation pathway. Specifically, our cost-benefit analysis reveals that Shenzhen's “Hybrid management” pathway offers superior economic efficiency, increasing benefits by up to 63% for only a 7%–16% rise in protection costs. Conversely, Hong Kong's “Relative-risk Reduction” pathway shows less timely adaptation actions, indicating a need for more dynamic approaches. The findings highlight the pitfalls of overly rigid SLR adaptation strategies and the necessity for flexible, transition-capable adaptation pathways to better manage future uncertainties. Lessons learned from this study will enable refinement of local SLR adaptation pathway approaches and could significantly improve decision-making under uncertainty in other coastal cities based on investment perspective.

Climate Change Education as an Adaptative Strategy for Dairy Farmers: A Sociocultural Perspective

Purpose This study aims to develop a transdisciplinary informal curriculum for climate change education (CCE) to increase the adaptive capacity of the small-farm milk-producing sector in Encarnación de Díaz, Jalisco, México. Design/Approach/Methods A sustainable rural livelihood framework assessing six types of capital (animal, financial, human, natural, physical, and sociocultural) in a sequential exploratory method design was used to determine the adaptive capacity of 61 milk producers to climate change. Several interrelated aspects of capital are associated with milk producers’ vulnerability to climate change. Findings Dairy farmers’ knowledge is based on traditional, historical, and cultural ways of interacting with their environment. Respecting this knowledge allowed us to use their experiential knowledge to co-jointly develop a CCE model to decrease the vulnerability of each of the six identified types of capital, with financial, human, and sociocultural capital being the most vulnerable. Originality/Value Using local knowledge to cultivate adaptive actions for climate change and reducing the vulnerability of affected communities is essential when developing an informal CCE curriculum.

The impact of migration on culturally-embedded and subjective perceptions of habitability in a context of environmental change

Environmental change is increasingly challenging the habitability of places around the world, particularly with regard to resource-dependent rural areas in the Global South. Apart from objectively measurable, bio-physical indices, it is likewise important to look at individual and group-specific perceptions of habitability, which are embedded in their respective socio-cultural context(s). Migration as a well-established household risk diversification strategy has the potential to increase people’s adaptive capacity, their well-being, and can shape the way people perceive the habitability of places. This study utilizes a human-centered approach in order to unravel the impacts of migration on culturally-embedded and subjective perceptions of habitability in a rural community in Northern Ghana which faces increasing pressure of environmental changes. Based on qualitative empirical research, we utilize place attachment, social status, and community cohesion as exemplary socio-cultural dimensions with particular relevance in this specific local context to showcase 1) the subjectivity and cultural embeddedness of habitability perceptions and 2) the respective potential of migration to influence such perceptions to both positive and negative ends. Positive migration impacts on the underlying socio-cultural context(s) can serve to undergird (collective) responsibility and adaptive action towards improving local habitability in parallel to encouraging efforts that strive to maintain cultural integrity. Integrating this knowledge in future habitability assessments can pave the way for context-sensitive and locally-adjusted resilience-building strategies that take the potential benefits and disadvantages of migration into account.

Climate Change Adaptation Planning: Breaking Down Barriers through Comprehensive Educational Frameworks

The planning profession sits at the forefront of local climate adaptation action. Yet, novel challenges exist for coordinating and implementing comprehensive actions. Through key actor interviews, this qualitative study examines the role of planners in navigating these challenges. In order to understand how planners are being prepared for this role, attention to how climate adaptation features in required courses across accredited planning programs in Canada is included. This study finds that while planners excel at a range of key skills related to communication, in the context of climate adaptation, these strengths are constrained by a lack of technical knowledge.

Totemism and Climate-Smart Adaptations in the Wasipe Traditional Area of the Savannah Region of Ghana

The belief in totems is very common in Ghana and other regions of Africa. This study looked at the development of Totemism over time in Ghana and Africa. The purpose of this research was to uncover the significance of Totemic climate smart adaption methods used in development discourse in Ghana’s ‘Wasipe’ Traditional Area of the Savanna Region. This has the potential to provide certain societal benefits related to climate-smart adaptation. The study adopted the Ethnographic theory as seen in Dewan and Haverkort’s conceptual approach to measure the relationship between nature and Totemism. At the same time, Ethnographic research provides insight into the cultural and social context in which people live and work. Both quantitative and qualitative data analysis were used for the study. The ‘Wasipe’ traditional area was purposively selected for the study because of the cultural background and experiences of the diverse endogenous knowledge systems and practices in the area. The target population consisted of traditional chiefs and opinion leaders who actively participate in the Community’s cultural, traditional and customary activities. Key among the findings include: “Wasipe” traditional area is divided into clans and groups according to Totemic beliefs. They mentioned leopard, tiger, rivers, tortoise, hawk, python, mudfish, electric fish, baobab tree, chameleon, parrot, spear, kapok tree, and some forms of tree species as totems in that traditional area. Totems help them to be able to forecast short, medium and long-term weather changes. It is recommended that multiple layers of actors and stakeholders should be involved in the planning and implementation of Ghana’s adaptation action. The paper concluded that Totemism continues to play a significant part in the day-to-day socio-political economic orientation, defying the effect of Western norms in our societies. This paper has shown that climate-smart adaptation strategies are cross-disciplinary and multidisciplinary. Keywords: Totem, Taboo, Sacrifice, Religion, Tradition, Culture, Climate, Chiefs, Cosmovision.

The integrated role of adaptive leadership, sense of empathy and communication transparency: trust building in corporate communication during the pandemic

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has generated a significant impact on several aspects of public relations practice. By adopting the theoretical framework of adaptive leadership, this research is designed to explore how an organization’s top leadership can support related adaptive action in strategic communication. Particularly, we hope to explore whether the application of adaptive leadership could facilitate a higher level of communication transparency as well as deliver a sense of caring and empathy in COVID-19 communication.Design/methodology/approachAn international online survey was designed and conducted for this study. The first sample consists of 776 full-time communication professionals in the United States of America with 435 women (56.1%) and 341 men (43.9%). The second sample consists of 268 full-time communication professionals in Canada, with 110 women (41.0%) and 158 men (59.0%). The two samples were merged into the final sample of 1,044 for the data analysis.FindingsResults confirmed that the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic increased communication professionals’ challenges in building trust. It also drives adaptive changes in their coping actions in strategic communication. More importantly, the top leadership within the organization played a key role in this adaptive leadership environment by demonstrating commitment to transparency in COVID-19 communication and delivering a sense of empathy during the pandemic.Originality/valueThis study contributes to our understanding of strategic communication in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 global pandemic, by focusing on the adaptive nature of communication leadership. More importantly, our study confirms the important roles of two leadership attributes (i.e. the sense of empathy and the commitment to communication transparency) in supporting adaptive leadership, which eventually influences trust building.

On the use of historical data in context-aware multimedia documents adaptation processes

Playing multimedia documents in ubiquitous systems may require content adaptation based on gathered context information and accumulated historical data. Several approaches have already been proposed, in which adaptation actions are performed to provide adapted documents. Nevertheless, these approaches focus mainly on efficient use of context information without involving historical users data to improve the adaptation process. Thus, this paper allows for consideration of historical users data during the execution of the adaptation process. To do so, the context elements and the adaptation actions are first modeled using the oriented-object approach and then converted into relational and NoSQL databases schemes. Finally, algorithms for storing, retrieving and analysing data are designed. The proposal is validated by implementing scenarios through a real prototype. At a first step, the performances are measured to estimate the cost of data processing. The experiments show that NoSQL databases excel in data storage and ease of implementation, while relational databases perform well in data retrieve. At a second step, the proposal usefulness is highlighted by showing how historical data contribute to adaptation rules personalization using datadriven rule learning mechanisms rather than defining them explicitly. The analysis algorithm could retain personalized adaptation rules with confidence degree greater than 90%. Overall, the results are satisfactory.

Potential Barriers to Adaptive Actions in Water–Rice Coupled Systems in Japan: A Framework for Predicting Soft Adaptation Limits

AbstractThe changing climate makes it more difficult to manage water resources and food production sustainably. Various adaptation measures have been proposed to moderate the negative impacts of climate change; however, implementation of these measures may be hampered by other factors even if the benefits are acknowledged—a situation termed “soft adaptation limits” by the IPCC. We hypothesized that societal rules can be a potential barrier to adaptive action if they are too fixed, because such rules have coevolved with the interactions between the past climate and human activities. To test this hypothesis, we present a framework based on the assumption that associated societal rules of Japan's matured irrigation systems are potential barriers to adaptation. The framework consisted of two process‐based models, one to evaluate the water deficit risk and one to evaluate the benefits of optimizing rice yield and quality. We applied each model to an experiment in which we shifted the current transplantation date by 1 week for up to 5 weeks before and after the current date under the historical (1981–2000) and RCP 2.6 and 8.5 (2011–2030 and 2031–2050) scenarios. We revealed two contrasting development pathways in the study watershed. Soft adaptation limits imposed by water availability will occur by 2030 if farmers optimize for quality, whereas mutual benefits to farmers and river administrators will be achieved if farmers seek yield. We argue that more participatory research with stakeholder engagement, as well as policy discussions about these possible developments, is needed to ensure successful adaptation.

The 2021 extreme rainfall in Gävle, Sweden: impacts on municipal welfare services and actions towards more resilient premises and operations

Abstract Climate-related risks, vulnerabilities, and impacts are increasing in cities, illustrated by precipitation-driven pluvial floods. Post-event analyses can aid in reducing urban flood risks, but knowledge gaps exist regarding how welfare services and premises are impacted and can be adapted. This study analyses an extreme precipitation-driven event generating extensive flooding in Gävle, Sweden, in 2021. The objective is to increase knowledge about how municipal welfare services are vulnerable to pluvial floods, and of appropriate actions towards improving the response capacity and building more resilient welfare premises and operations. The study shows that the Swedish weather warning system generally worked well, but the analysed property companies lacked strategies and equipment to evade flooding in their properties. Flood damages in 60 analysed buildings were generated by different causes, demonstrating the importance of contemplating the vulnerability of welfare buildings when conducting flood risk assessments. Although the flood event did not cause deaths or serious personal injuries, the study identified impacts on welfare service operations in both the short and long terms. The event increased learning on climate adaptation but did not trigger adaptive action. Identified keys for adaptation include prioritizing premises to protect, knowledge of flood protection equipment, insurance company requirements, and updated emergency plans.

Urban planning for flood resilience under technical and financial constraints: The role of planners and competence development in building a flood-resilient city in Matola, Mozambique

Today, urban flood resilience constitutes an academic and political discourse as well as a ‘proposed state’ to be achieved within urban management, planning, and development. Matola, a major Mozambican coastal city, has witnessed many floods, mainly caused by rainfall, the most devastating of which happened in 2000. This study analyses the actions the urban planners took during that major flood event, what flood mitigation and adaptation strategies and measures for increased flood resilience they have developed since that flood event, and the contribution of urban planning to building flood resilience under financial and technical constraints. The study is based on interviews with 32 urban planners from Matola and observations in the field. In addition to financial limitations, the main challenge in promoting flood resilience in Matola is the deficient and insufficient coordination in mitigation and adaptation actions among urban planners, political elites, and members of low-income urban communities, who use floodplain areas for purposes that contradict resilience-building actions. During the 2000 floods, mitigation actions were carried out by rescuing people and goods and placing them in accommodation centres. After the 2000 floods, gradual adaptation strategies and measures were carried out, such as hiring and training staff, designing a new urban plan, gradual resettlement, opening drainage channels, and allocating water pumping systems in some areas to promote flood resilience. The study concludes that urban planning contributed significantly to the building and promotion of flood resilience in Matola: the strategies and measures taken so far have contributed significantly to reducing the exposure and vulnerability to flooding of the population, their assets, and urban infrastructure, as well as improving the ecosystem in lowlands and coastal protection wetlands. The study brings a contribution from retrospective and prospective resilience thinking to the debate on building and promoting resilience in urban socio-ecological systems, showing the role of urban planners, and planning and management activity since the 2000 floods, and perspectives on the future. The study demonstrates that the development of competences or technical skills to plan and manage strategies and measures to promote resilience is a key factor in promoting socio-ecological resilience.

PARTISIPASI PEREMPUAN DALAM PROGRAM KAMPUNG IKLIM (PROKLIM) (Studi Kasus di Dusun Palasari Desa Sukahurip Kecamatan Cihaurbeuti Kabupaten Ciamis)

One of Indonesia's current development sectors is climate change control. Program Kampung Iklim was created, so that communities at the site level can carry out adaptation, mitigation, and institutional actions & sustainable support. Palasari hamlet is a ProKlim hamlet, but has low participation from the female population, so that achieving program sustainability is slightly hampered. The purpose of this study was to determine women's participation in the Program Kampung Iklim. The method used in this research is a case study with data collection through interviews, observation, and documentation. The results showed that women's participation went through 4 stages, (1) women's participation in ProKlim planning, including response participation such as asking questions in socialization activities and participation of tools and materials. (2) Women's participation in the implementation of ProKlim, there is participation of support, there is also participation of expertise and labor. (3) Women's participation in the utilization of ProKlim results, there is an increase in knowledge because it is reflected in the skills in utilizing yard land to improve food security. (4) Women's participation in the evaluation of ProKlim, namely by giving opinions/responses when the activities/programs have been implemented. ProKlim is a series of processes using the principle of empowerment, with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to create prosperity.

Planning for wastewater infrastructure adaptation under deep uncertainty

Infrastructure in low-lying coastal areas faces challenges from climate change, sea level rise, and the impact of compound hazards. Dynamic adaptive pathways planning (DAPP) is increasingly being applied as a way of planning under deep uncertainty. Stress testing for robustness is an integral part of DAPP which provides decision-makers with confidence. We outline a seven-step approach—combining scoping workshops, systems mapping, DAPP, exploratory modelling, robust decision-making, real options analysis and validation workshops—to support decision-making for infrastructure in low-lying coastal areas. We apply the seven steps to two wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) case studies in New Zealand to quantify indicators, signals, triggers and adaptation thresholds within DAPP plans and to identify adaptation pathways that are robust against future uncertainty. Case study one focuses on the implementation of an existing DAPP at Helensville WWTP. Our modelling enabled the challenge of quantifying indicators for adaptation thresholds and triggers to be overcome. We show that an adaptation threshold occurs at 31 cm of RSLR, the trigger point is sufficient lead time to enable relocation, and the indicator is the rate of observed RSLR. Case study one demonstrates in a quantitative way how an existing DAPP can be functionally implemented by a water management agency. Modelling for case study two, the Seaview WWTP, showed that 26 cm and 56 cm of RSLR are key thresholds. Nuisance flooding may occur after 26 cm of RSLR, which could happen as early as 2040 under a high emissions scenario. Inundation of plant assets may occur after 56 cm of RSLR, which could occur as early as 2060. Modelling showed that implementing changes to plant layout would allow the plant to remain on site for its design life (until 2080). Five adaptation archetypes were developed—sequences of adaptive actions that achieve the performance objective of continuing levels of service and avoid inundation of WWTPs. The seven-step approach is a way to stress-test a DAPP, to quantify signals, triggers and adaptation thresholds and to simulate implementation of a DAPP under a range of scenarios. This can facilitate more robust decision-making for wastewater infrastructure assets under future uncertainty.

A stage-based life cycle implementation for individual-based population viability analyses of grey wolves (Canis lupus) in Europe

Population viability analyses (PVA) are important tools for decision-making and planning of adaptive wildlife management actions. While earlier approaches on individual based PVAs have often been age-based, analyses of species with strong social structure might benefit from a stage-based model approach. In this study, we designed an individual-based and stage-based PVA within the software Vortex. As a case study, we applied our model to the German part of the European wolf population, making use of comprehensive data sets originating from the German monitoring regime including individual genotypes. Genetic diversity and inbreeding were important considerations in our analysis, as they could greatly impact population dynamics. We aimed to assess the population's trajectory, extinction risk, and genetic integrity under different scenarios while analyzing factors that could affect its survival. We found that mortality rates at different life cycle stages had varying effects on population growth. Higher mortality rates among pups and dispersers led to negative growth and increased the risk of extinction. In comparison, higher mortality rates among yearlings and subdominant wolves still resulted in positive growth but at a slower rate. Mortality among the breeding individuals within the pack (territorials) had the highest impact on population trajectory. Although the German wolves represent a rather recently founded population, our simulations predicted generally good genetic diversity as long as the population was not held at artificially low numbers.Ultimately, we present a generic, easy-to-use-and-adapt model built within the Vortex environment, that after appropriate modification, calibration and testing could be used within conservation practice and management in collaboration with scientific research. Our study highlights the importance of stage-based modeling for understanding the demographic traits of social species like wolves.

Incorporating Climate Adaptation into a Forest Management Plan: A Case Study on the Research and Teaching Forest of Michigan Technological University

Abstract We incorporated climate adaptation into a forest management plan for Michigan Technological University’s Ford Forest, a 2,000-ha property in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula used for education, research, and timber revenues. Our process was an opportunity to test the existing climate adaptation literature, pulling from multiple sources to meet the diverse needs of the institution at the time the plan was created. We present outcomes as well as lessons learned summarized in a series of broad takeaway messages. (1) Climate adaptation is a means to an end. The end must be defined and is made up of critical values and an adapted state. (2) Given the instability inherent in climate change, achieving adaptation means adjusting forest attributes in response to change but also preparing for unforeseen outcomes via adaptive management. (3) Decisions surrounding goals affect the entire process. Considering climate change–driven constraints when setting goals will improve outcomes. (4) Flawed decision-making is a risk associated with certain organizational contexts and affects the identification of goals, vulnerabilities, and adaptation options. (5) Climate adaptation actions cannot be evaluated in the short term for efficacy because climate change is ongoing. However, the appropriateness of a plan in responding to anticipated change can be evaluated. Study Implications: This work informs strategic planning for climate change adaptation in forests. We created a climate-informed forest management plan using adaptation frameworks for a university-owned forest in Upper Michigan at the confluence of the northern hardwoods and boreal forest ecotypes. We offer assessment of our plan outcomes and insights into how our decision-making context affected them. This case study expands on the ongoing scientific conversation, incorporating concepts from management science, on how best to adapt natural systems to climate change to protect human values derived from ecosystem services.

Drivers of adaptive capacity of rural women farmers: The role of climate action and information mediums in rural Ghana

AbstractGender‐differentiated roles, responsibilities, access, rights, and knowledge gaps shape women's vulnerability to climate change. This is especially critical for women farmers whose livelihoods are climate‐dependent. A key component in building women farmers’ resilience to climate change is deepening their adaptive capacity. Therefore, this research sought to measure the adaptive capacity of women farmers from two unique districts of Ghana using the sustainable livelihood capitals and investigate how access to climate information and the uptake of climate action can influence women's adaptive capacity. Rural women farmers (n = 497) were interviewed through a survey and supported with key informant interviews from six agricultural staff at the selected districts. The adaptive capacity of respondents was rated moderate at 0.405. Differences between the adaptive capacity of women from different agroecological zones (Dormaa East—0.422; East Gonja—0.388) were statistically insignificant (p > 0.05). All climate information mediums except the TV medium had a significant prediction on women farmers’ adaptive capacity. The odds of a decreasing relationship of predictor variables, such as extension officer medium, radio, and adaptation action, require strategic structuring to accrue holistic benefit. The study thus recommends deepening women's benefit from extension services by attracting and retaining female extensionists, while training extensionists on tailored techniques for engaging female farmers. Again, extensionists who report high outreach to female farmers should be incentivized. Traditional and modern Information and Communication Technology mediums must be explored and integrated as alternatives. Co‐benefit practices for both adaptation and mitigation should be encouraged among women farmers to deepen climate action.