How to scale out community-based adaptation to climate change

This working paper by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) examines the 'scaling out' of community-based adaptation (CBA) pilots, focusing on how small-scale innovations can be replicated by local actors to benefit larger populations across wider geographical areas.

• The paper defines 'scaling out' of CBA pilots as the process of delivering more quality benefits to a larger number of people over a broader geographical area, ensuring this happens more equitably, quickly, and lastingly. Unlike higher-level policy integration, this approach emphasizes local actors piloting small-scale innovations and showcasing them until technologies, practices, or regulatory approaches are replicated and become widespread.
• Drawing from CDKN's experiences in Colombia, Bangladesh, and eastern and southern Africa, the paper identifies four common elements essential for the successful scaling out of CBA: networks and partnerships, the documentation of evidence and learning, adaptive capacity, and institutional channels and finance mechanisms.
• While adaptation activities must be localised because climate impacts and available resources are context-specific, there is potential to scale out CBA solutions because similarities in impacts and capacity often exist across wider areas. CBA pilots can test options suitable for a local area or country, potentially benefiting groups larger than the initial community.

APA

Gogoi, E., Dupar, M., Jones, L., Martinez, C., & McNamara, L. (2014). How to scale out community-based adaptation to climate change. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/resource/how-to-scale-out-community-based-adaptation-to-climate-change

Chicago

Gogoi, Elizabeth, Mairi Dupar, Lindsey Jones, Claudia Martinez, and Lisa McNamara. How to scale out community-based adaptation to climate change. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2014. https://cdkn.org/resource/how-to-scale-out-community-based-adaptation-to-climate-change.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gogoi |first1=Elizabeth |last2=Dupar |first2=Mairi |last3=Jones |first3=Lindsey |last4=Martinez |first4=Claudia |last5=McNamara |first5=Lisa |title=How to scale out community-based adaptation to climate change |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=3 April 2014 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/how-to-scale-out-community-based-adaptation-to-climate-change |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gogoi2014how, author = {Gogoi, Elizabeth and Dupar, Mairi and Jones, Lindsey and Martinez, Claudia and McNamara, Lisa}, title = {{How to scale out community-based adaptation to climate change}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2014}, month = apr, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/how-to-scale-out-community-based-adaptation-to-climate-change}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }