Blended
Climate Change Adaptation in Food Security and Natural Resource Management
It is time to take climate action, but where to start? In this course you will learn how to turn your climate analysis in to adaptation actions to strengthen food security and natural resource management. Without appropriate responses, climate change will further impact sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry and landscape management in many southern countries. But if you plan for it, effective adaptation to climate change is possible!
Course dates are subject to change. This course will be taught in blended format. Which means, partially online and partially in an OKP country, not The Netherlands. Location will be updated.
What will you learn?
Upon completion of the course you will:
- Apply a systems thinking approach to understand complex issues such as climate change
- Have a full understanding of climate change adaptation concepts and solutions including: the management of ecosystem services, landscape approaches and climate smart agriculture
- Acquire new project cycle management concepts, skills, methodologies and experiences including: participatory planning & implementation, locally-led adaptation and the importance of reflective learning next to monitoring and evaluation
- Based on this be able to effectively and meaningfully contribute to implementation of climate change adaptation strategies and methodologies at the local level
- Be able to effectively and meaningfully contribute to the debate on climate change adaptation in local-scale policy processes
- Have prepared a personal action plan to integrate your new knowledge and skills into your daily work at home.
For whom is this course?
Applicants should have at least a relevant BSc degree or an equivalent academix qualification, and at least three years of professional experience in relevant fields like agriculture, natural resource management or sustainable development. Apart from practitioners in these fields, we also have welcomed staff of private companies, a bank official and a journalist. Competence in the English language is required.
Course programme in more detail
Climate adaptation can be effective
Climate change is a fact. But if you plan for it, adaptation to climate change is possible. This requires strategic and systemic thinking by you and your organisation. This course enables you to become familiar with strategic planning for climate change adaptation and increased climate resilience.
Why adapt to climate change?
Without appropriate responses climate change is likely to constrain economic development and poverty reduction efforts. Countries with economies rooted in climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture, fisheries and forestry are expected to be hit hardest. This will be true for many countries in the Global South. Climate change is both a global and a local development issue, as it could jeopardise the livelihoods of millions. This is particularly so where communities are already vulnerable to changes and have limited coping capacity. Well-designed adaptation strategies provide to build climate resilience. Climate resilience is the capacity of a person or system to maintain its role, purpose and integrity in the face of dramatically changed circumstances. Resilience is the ability of a (social or ecological) system to absorb disturbances while retaining the same basic structure and ways of functioning, the capacity for self-organisation, and the capacity to adapt to stress and change. In the face of climate change this capacity needs to be reinforced, at farm and local levels but also at other levels such as the landscape level.
You can become involved
While climate change negotiations take place in the international arena, there is often limited knowledge and understanding of climate change adaptation concepts and its implications at the local level. All countries develop adaptation strategies which are aimed at climate change adaptation for the medium to long-term. The formulation of climate change adaptation projects, covering urgent and immediate needs, is done by most least-developed countries (LDCs) by preparing National Adaptation Programmes for Action (NAPAs). Many economically more developed countries also prepare adaptation programmes or strategies. Often projects formulated under such programmes or strategies focus on technical issues and not on the institutional and organisational capacities that should be in place to implement possible adaptation strategies. Adaptation means also change in attitude, skills and mind-set. The translation of policies and policy instruments on climate change (either from your governmental or from your non-governmental organisation or enterprise) into local climate adaptation strategies is something that you as a professional can contribute to.
Hot spots for climate change
A hot spot for climate change is an ‘area’ that is already vulnerable and is likely to suffer substantial impacts as a result of climate change. How to design adaptation strategies for these hot spots is part of the group work based on participants cases. There is particular attention for increasing resilience of farmers in the hotspot. The results are well thought out proposals for climate change adaptation which you can apply in your work situation back home.
Interactive training
Courses will be taught in blended format. Which means, partially online and partially in an OKP country, not The Netherlands.
This course uses interactive training methods. Topics are dealt with in a combination of lectures, plenary and group work, study assignments and role plays provided by WCDI and the University of Makerere. Experiences and case studies of participants are the entry point for interaction. Learning from experiences from your peers is an important element.
This interactive course starts online and then continues face-2-face in Kampala, Uganda. It includes field work in the rural area of South-Uganda and interactions with researchers and farmers to discuss and refine strategies for climate smart agriculture and natural resource management. It also includes the preparation of a personal action plan to integrate your new knowledge and skills into your daily work at home.
Application for this course
Push the Orange button at the top and the bottom of this page to apply for the course ''Climate Change Adaptation in Food Security and Natural Resource Management''. Depending on your nationality, your organisation and the type of course you wish to join, your eligibility and the application procedures may differ. Find out more about the requirements and the application process.