Adapting from the Ground Up

The report 'Adapting from the Ground Up' by the World Resources Institute outlines strategies to integrate small businesses, specifically micro and small enterprises (MSEs), into climate change adaptation efforts in developing countries to enhance both business and community resilience.

• Small businesses are essential for sustainable development and community resilience in developing countries, as they account for nearly 60% of employment in these regions. Many of these businesses operate in the agriculture sector, which is particularly susceptible to climate-driven floods and droughts.
• The report proposes a six-step framework for decision-makers to select policy options for engaging small businesses in adaptation: engaging stakeholders, prioritizing vulnerable sectors, identifying investment drivers, identifying investment barriers, designing interventions to catalyze MSE investment, and implementing and scaling up.
• Policymakers are provided with a menu of potential interventions to build resilience, including providing climate risk information, technical assistance, regulatory and fiscal incentives, subsidies, tax relief, public infrastructure spending, and risk compensation instruments.
• The report recommends that developing country governments involve MSEs and their investors in national adaptation planning from the start, educate them on climate risks, and delegate responsibility to local and city levels for more direct contact with businesses.
• Large private sector actors, multilateral partners, and special climate funds are urged to support MSEs through financing, technical assistance, and the creation of networks that turn product ideas into bankable projects.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Adapting from the Ground Up. https://www.wri.org/research/adapting-ground

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Adapting from the Ground Up. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/adapting-ground.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Adapting from the Ground Up |url=https://www.wri.org/research/adapting-ground |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendadapting, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Adapting from the Ground Up}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/adapting-ground}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }