The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 typhoons every year, as well as other natural disasters. The government of the Philippines has launched several efforts to increase the country’s resilience to these natural hazards, including the National Resilience Council (NRC) which is driven by the private sector to provide a platform for meaningful engagement and cooperation between local governments, the private sector, and climate-affected communities.

The seaweed industry in Zanzibar, Tanzania, provides social and economic opportunities to women farmers. Nonetheless, climate-induced impacts put the industry (and women farmers) at risk. Aqua-Farms Organization (AFO) aims combat this through its rent-to-own microcredit model that provides financing and technical support to women farmers.

In Pintadas, a municipality in Brazil, water security and social inequality have long been persistent. In recognition of these challenges, Rede Pintadas (Pintadas Network) works to empower women through social and economic activities, water efficiency projects, and engages in women's mobilization for political engagement, and advocates for legal and policy protection for cooperatives and women producers.

Augustine Babughirana founded Ugavoil in 2018 as a private agribusiness in Kasese district, Uganda, to “decouple economic activity from the consumption of finite resources”. Ugavoil is committed to using byproducts as a raw material for other processes and products, to promote sustainability of livelihoods and the environment. The company farms black soldier flies to recycle organic waste into fertilizer and livestock feed, to reduce landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions.

Vanuatu is highly vulnerable to climate change and disaster risks, such sea level rise, storm surges, landslides, flooding, and drought. The Santo Sunset Environment Network (SSEN) is an Indigenous-led network of community champions working for climate-resilient and socially just development on the island. SSEN has supports and empowers individuals, villages, and communities to implement sustainable development strategies in keeping with traditional livelihoods.

The effects of climate change have impacted agricultural production and maize yields in Meru County, Kenya. The Central Imenti Environment Rehabilitation Program (CIERP) has reoriented its work towards addressing this challenge, in addition to implementing tree planting and income diversification activities. Additionally, the CIERP has significantly extended the group’s activities in support of the psychological wellness of farmers who suffer losses due to the impacts of climate change in an effort to engage in a holistic methods for climate resilience.

KivuGreen, a youth-led enterprise, is strengthening the climate resilience of small-scale farmers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo through a mobile service that provides them with real-time forecasts and climate-smart agricultural advice. CEO Chris Ayale explains how KivuGreen contributes to climate adaptation and food security and describes how winning the 2021 YouthADAPT Challenge boosted KivuGreen’s impact.

As we age, certain tasks get harder - like carrying heavy containers of water. But with age, they say, comes wisdom. In Shumar, a remote mountain community in south-eastern Bhutan, an isolated community of mostly older persons has used their years of experience in managing the impacts of climate change-related landslides to design a specially adapted water delivery system suspended from the branches of large trees.

Mikoko Pamoja, a community-based organization from Gazi Bay, Kenya, was founded in response to growing deforestation of essential mangrove forests by the timber industry. The community in Gazi Bay, Kenya, is leading the way in showing the world how to reap the immense benefits of mangroves without their destruction. In response to the deforestation of essential mangrove forests, the Mikoko Pamoja organization, has pioneered the world’s first conservation project to link mangrove forests to the global carbon market and won the 2017 Equator Prize for their efforts.

The fast-growing, drought-resistant moringa (Moringa oleifera) tree is prized for its nutritional value and its potential as a climate solution, as it can tolerate extreme heat and cold. Rajib Parvez Raju, a Bangladeshi entrepreneur who is working to create a social movement in moringa cultivation and marketing, has engaged 5,000 farmers in its cultivation in 20 districts of Bangladesh.

Experience in Guinea demonstrates the huge potential of using the graduation approach in a range of contexts where communities are forced to relocate, whether that’s due to infrastructure projects or the impacts of climate change.

Sylvia Kuria, an organic farmer from Kiambu County in Kenya, is catalyzing a local movement for farmers to embrace agroecological methods, with minimal chemicals and more efficient water management, to tackle erratic rainfall patterns and water scarcity in the region.

2023 Local Adaptation Champions Award Winner

In India, Aumsat Technologies LLP has innovatively harnessed satellite-based radar analytics to address the pressing issue of water scarcity exacerbated by climate change.

2023 Local Adaptation Champions Award Winner

In Oaxaca, Mexico, Espacio de Encuentro de las Culturas Originarias, A.C. focuses on adaptation to climate change at the local level in highly vulnerable communities. Communities are benefiting from affordable, relevant, and innovative ecotechnologies that make them better able to adapt to extreme weather events.

2023 Local Adaptation Champions Award Winner

In Bangladesh, the Local Government Initiative on Climate Change (LoGIC) is enhancing communities’ ability to plan and finance local adaptation actions that suit their needs and contexts. Through this project, Local Government Division, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-Operatives, Government of Bangladesh provides a mechanism for accessing and managing climate finance from various sources, a platform for sharing best practices and lessons learned, and a system for monitoring and evaluating effectiveness and impact.

2023 Local Adaptation Champions Award Winner

In northern Tanzania, the Pastoral Women’s Council (PWC) enhances indigenous pastoralist women’s leadership capabilities to build women’s capacity to achieve equality as decision-makers in pastoralist societies.

The Songtaaba Association from Ouagadogou, Burkina Faso, is a local collective comprised mainly of women. Fed up with the fast-growing piles of garbage where they live, members of the association decided to take matters into their own hands and started an initiative to reclaim garbage from the streets and convert it into sustainable products for local markets. By doing so, they have also created stable jobs for those most in need.

In 2002, Irene Walimbwa, a local advocate and champion of women and youth empowerment from the Mount Elgon Community in Uganda, mobilized a group of vulnerable women and young farmers to start a savings association for small business support. Early successes focused on livestock husbandry, but this work soon led to the idea of starting a company to process bamboo products to ease these local tensions and advance sustainable development in the Mount Elgon region

The Drip Pool Irrigation Program initiated by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme – India (AKRSP-I), is a locally led initiative developed by and for farmers, to help them mitigate climate risks and enhance agricultural productivity. By combining technology, finance, and community collaboration, the program has enabled small and marginal cotton farmers in the Surendranagar, Rajkot, and Morbi districts to adopt drip irrigation and build resilient farmer institutions.

The Inga Foundation supports communities living in the Cuero and the Cangrejal River Valleys of Honduras with application and expanded use of the Inga Alley Cropping method. The method has emerged as an effective alternative to slash-and-burn agriculture; and as a way of addressing rural poverty and creating rural wealth through a rejuvenated, agroforestry-based ecosystem.

Rising sea level due to climate change has increased the salinity level in water and soil in the south-western coastal areas of Bangladesh. Large scale shrimp farming and improper use of sluice gates have further intensified the situation. As a result, agriculture has become almost impossible in these areas. This has forced people to shift to shrimp farming. To cope with the situation, people in Bagerhat are practising integrated farming by growing vegetable on raised beds over the shrimp enclosures.

Farmers in Rangpur have started early planting of winter vegetables to avert potential crop damage due to cold weather extremes. Pesticide use has reduced as a result, and farmers are now earning more profits than before. The local agriculture extension office has been providing necessary awareness and training on the benefits of early planting, and more and more farmers are beginning to adopt this practice.

Beyarapara, a coastal village situated in Pilganj Union of Fakirahat Upazila has been experiencing increased rainfall in recent years. Due to excessive rainfall, majority of the land in this village remain waterlogged throughout the year, rendering them unsuitable for cultivation. To address this problem, local farmers have set up floating farms for growing their crops. Alauddin Islam is one such farmer, who has received training from the local agricultural extension office on how to cultivate using this method. He is hopeful that this cropping practice will bring positive rewards for him and other farmers in the area.

Aklima Begum, a homemaker from Sharankhola, participated in a training program arranged by the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, where she acquired knowledge about poultry farming and livestock rearing. Inspired by this newfound understanding, she invested in three goats as an alternative livelihood option, especially during periods of flood when conventional farming becomes challenging. The initial three goats have now multiplied to fifteen, and Aklima’s quality of life has significantly improved. She aspires to expand her venture further and nurtures the dream of establishing a large animal farm one day.

People living in Sharankhola, situated right next to the Sundarbans in Bagerhat district, grapple with cyclones and recurrent flooding caused by tidal surges. Cyclone Sidr, that took place in 2007, devastated the lives and livelihoods of many people in the area. But this has also made them understand the importance of early warning and disaster preparedness. They are well prepared to survive any cyclone now.