LESSONS FROM JAMAICA: PROMOTING RESILIENCE THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS, SOCIAL NETWORKS AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT

The document analyzes climate adaptation in Jamaica, focusing on the Whitehouse region. It highlights the central role of government agencies in adaptation design, the importance of social networks and co-management in fisheries, and the significant barriers to local adaptive capacity, including a lack of financial capital and insurance.

• Government departments and agencies are central to the design and implementation of adaptation interventions, with science and policy advice flowing through top-down structures to the private sector and local governors.
• In the fisheries sector, co-management structures between the Department of Fisheries and community groups, such as the Bluefields Bay fishermen cooperatives, have emerged as adaptive co-governance models driven by social networks and relational ties.
• Local adaptive capacity in the Whitehouse region is severely limited by a lack of capital assets, including financial, social, natural, human, and physical assets, which hinders investment in technology like early warning signals and drip irrigation.
• Financial barriers to resilience include a lack of personal insurance and insufficient public funds for adaptation planning, which is further exacerbated by high national debt.
• While government agencies hold high influence, community groups are well-connected but lack power, and labor unions have limited influence and connection within the adaptation landscape.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2015). LESSONS FROM JAMAICA: PROMOTING RESILIENCE THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS, SOCIAL NETWORKS AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/8GIVRAPD_Policy_Brief_Lessons_from_Jamaica.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. LESSONS FROM JAMAICA: PROMOTING RESILIENCE THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS, SOCIAL NETWORKS AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT. 2015. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/8GIVRAPD_Policy_Brief_Lessons_from_Jamaica.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=LESSONS FROM JAMAICA: PROMOTING RESILIENCE THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS, SOCIAL NETWORKS AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT |date=September 2015 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/8GIVRAPD_Policy_Brief_Lessons_from_Jamaica.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2015lessons, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{LESSONS FROM JAMAICA: PROMOTING RESILIENCE THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS, SOCIAL NETWORKS AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2015}, month = sep, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/8GIVRAPD_Policy_Brief_Lessons_from_Jamaica.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }