How to scale out community-based adaptation to climate change

The document discusses the necessity of localised adaptation to climate change and the potential to 'scale out' community-based adaptation (CBA) solutions. It defines scaling out as providing "more quality benefits to more people over a wider geographical area, more equitably, more quickly, and more lastingly". Rather than focusing on high-level policy, the paper examines how local actors can pilot and showcase innovations until they are replicated. Based on CDKN's work in Bangladesh, Colombia, and eastern and southern Africa, the paper identifies four key elements common to successful scaling: networks and partnerships, documenting evidence and learning, adaptive capacity, and institutional channels and finance mechanisms.

• Scaling out community-based adaptation (CBA) is defined as the process of delivering "more quality benefits to more people over a wider geographical area, more equitably, more quickly, and more lastingly".
• The process of scaling out focuses on local actors piloting small-scale innovations and showcasing them until they are replicated by other local actors, leading to the widespread adoption of a specific practice, technology, or local regulatory approach, rather than relying on higher-level policy integration.
• Successful cases of scaling out CBA share several common elements: the use of networks and partnerships, the documentation of evidence and learning, the presence of adaptive capacity, and the utilization of institutional channels and finance mechanisms.

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} }