CASE STUDY: MALI
GOVERNANCE AND CLIMATE
CHANGE ADAPTATION
University of Arizona
Sahel Eco
ATLAS
Climate Change Adaptation,
Thought Leadership and Assessments
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MAJOR OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
• Document the mechanisms by which decentralized
governance can confer adaptive advantage
PHOTO COURTESY: NASA
• Identify the role of decentralized governance in building
the resilience of households and communities to climate
change pressures
• Help define a more effective strategy for donor
investment in governance and climate change adaptation
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
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PRESENTATION CONTENT
• Study question
• Methodology
– Analysis of the system of decentralized governance
– Local perceptions of climate change and its impacts on livelihoods
– Existing forms of climate pressure adaptation
PHOTO COURTESY: NASA
• Findings
• Conclusions and recommendations for enhanced resilience
through improved governance
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
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HOW DOES GOVERNANCE INFLUENCE
CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN MALI?
• Facilitate the introduction of climate-smart technologies
• Enforce natural resource regulatory laws
• Create natural resource conservation programs
• Mediate an inter-village problem-solving process
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
PHOTO COURTESY: NASA
• Disseminate information across the population
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PHOTO COURTESY: NASA
FRAMEWORK: DECENTRALIZED ADAPTATION
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
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QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGY:
• A qualitative study of 5 communes in 3 regions of Mali
(Ourikéla, Kléla, Koula, Minidian, Konna)
• Focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and
head of household interviews in each commune: 3 villages
in each commune
• 193 interviews / 800 pages of text
• Content analysis
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
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STUDY SITES
4/3/2017
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
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Women’s focus group
discussion in Dianweli
Men’s focus group
discussion in Wolongotoba
4/3/2017
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
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CLIMATE IN DAILY LIVES?
Perceptions of:
• Excessive temperatures
• Violent storms and high winds
PHOTO COURTESY: NASA
• Changes in the rainy season (onset, length, intra-seasonal
distribution)
Observation: Climate record reinforces these
perceptions
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
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DETERMINANTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
ADAPTATION
• Technology change
• Organizational change
PHOTO COURTESY: NASA
• Diversification
• Social capital
Observation: Governance influences the effectiveness
of all determinants
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
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LOCAL LEVEL GOVERNING
INSTITUTIONS
DEVELOPMENT PLANNING: THE
PDSEC
• Maire
• Education and health
• Conseil
• Agriculture/livestock/fisheries
• Natural resources management
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
PHOTO COURTESY: NASA
DECENTRALIZED GOVERNANCE AND
DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
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DECENTRALIZED GOVERNANCE AND
DEVELOPMENT PLANNING (cont.)
EFFECTIVENESS ISSUES
• Local level planning capacity and reliance on
external consultants
• Inadequate local revenue generation and near
total reliance on external financing
PHOTO COURTESY: NASA
• Village level participation in the process and
local awareness of the PDSEC
• Ambiguous relationship: Appointed officials vs.
locally elected bodies
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
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LIVELIHOODS SYSTEMS IN THREE REGIONS
•
Mixed livelihoods: rainfed crop production, small
irrigated plots, recession agriculture, mixed livestock,
and fishing at rivers and seasonally flooded
depressions
• Livelihood assets: human capital, physical capital, social
capital
•
4/3/2017
Livelihood strategies: crop diversification, croplivestock, food-cash crop, native foods, off-farm IGAs,
and migration
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
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TECHNOLOGY CHANGE AS ADAPTATION
• Early-maturing seeds
• Water and soil management (zais, diguettes, “live fences”,
reforestation, water diversion channels, small-scale
irrigation, contour plowing, manure/compost, fertilization)
• Livestock management: feed storage, crop residue,
purchased feed, distant pastures
4/3/2017
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
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TECHNOLOGY ADAPTATION: EXAMPLES
Contour-plowing in Loutanaa
Live fence
4/3/2017
Zais
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
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ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AS ADAPTATION
Preserved woodland
Women’s savings groups
4/3/2017
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
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DIVERSIFICATION AS ADAPTATION
Livestock
Néré
Charcoal/
Fuelwood
Fishing
4/3/2017
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
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DIVERSIFICATION AS ADAPTATION
Champ du mil
Champ du coton
Women’s maraichage
4/3/2017
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SOCIAL CAPITAL AS ADAPTATION
Food sharing in
times of crisis
Labor-sharing youth
groups
Women’s labor group
4/3/2017
ATLAS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ASSESSMENTS
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CONCLUSIONS: THE “TAKE-HOMES”
• Locally-elected bodies act as “brokers”
– Management of information flows
– Horizontal and vertical articulation
– Regulatory enforcement
– Local level problem-solving arena
• External support of climate-smart development has been
necessary for local climate adaptation
4/3/2017
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RECOMMENDATIONS
• Improve the participatory process in local-level
development planning
• Systematize climate change adaptation into communal
development planning through the PDSEC process
• Encourage articulated action among GOM, NGOs and
donors to support the climate focus in the local
development planning process
• Articulate a common external funding approach to
support adaptation
4/3/2017
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THANK YOU
COMMENTS/DISCUSSION
ATLAS
Climate Change Adaptation,
Thought Leadership and Assessments
4/3/2017
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