By: Olamide John Oladele
September 21, 2024
Climate change is a pressing issue that is impacting rural communities in various ways, even more so when compared to urban settlements. These impacts for rural communities tend to be extreme weather events and shifts in agricultural practices, which can seriously affect their livelihoods. Rural areas are locations that contribute very little to the overall carbon footprint yet bear the brunt of its consequences.
The rural areas and their distinctive nature are characterized by their lower levels of human development, high rates of poverty, marginalization and neglect by politicians, and reliance on agriculture and natural resources (Atkinson, 2019). The specific features of rural areas, such as their increased reliance on natural resources and agriculture, render them particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change (i.e., extreme weather effect). Further exacerbating the effects of climate change on them are their pre-existing vulnerabilities stemming from poverty, low educational attainment, social isolation, and governments’ negligence.
The climate issues in rural areas include change on rural settlement patterns, livelihoods, and incomes; extreme weather events like storms and floods, causing problems with access to basic services, communication, and transportation. Food insecurity and unstable economic conditions could result from the impact on agribusiness and the other ecosystems (wildlife areas, rangelands, and fisheries) that are vital to rural community members, worsen the economic downturn of these communities, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and hardship.
The climate adaptation planning and activities are not often inclusive of rural areas such thatrural residents use their own networks, resources, and expertise to adapt to climate change. Other adaptation techniques include the use of new species, varieties, and production methods; alternative approaches to managing water resources; diversification of livelihoods; infrastructure modification; and the implementation of formal and informal risk-sharing mechanisms. The adaptation choices in rural areas are hindered by social system constraints, lack of physical resources and financial resources (financing), and lack of access to market (Dasgupta et al., 2014).
The neglect of rural areas reveal that much adaptation planning and activities are not locally led which canbe attributed to the lack of access to funding and modality, inclusion of marginalized individuals in decision making, investment in local institutions (i.e., improves understanding and ability to deal with climate risks without relying on project-based donor funding), integration of rural culture into adaptation plans to ensure success of adaptation efforts and decrease climate risk and uncertainty, and collaboration, which can foster top-down methods that do not align with the specific needs and cultural practices of rural communities, leading to ineffective or unsustainable adaptation strategies.
In order to make rural areas the hub of climate adaptation, it is essential that the collaboration between rural communities and various stakeholders prioritize addressing the key issue at hand – such as water scarcity or soil erosion. As well, it is crucial to consider the prioritization of climate innovation that increases adaptability and resilience to the effects of present climate change and fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility among all parties involved. Similarly, community-based education programs should focus on climate change awareness, and locally driven solutions should be promoted, enabling communities to take charge of resilience-building programs and sustainable practices that will benefit them in the long run. Government priorities when it comes to resource allocation across rural areas need to be re-evaluated to ensure that marginalized populations are not left behind in the face of climate change. This will aid and prompt capacity building for rural interests, ensuring that rural communities have the ability to enable better risk-informed decisions through climate adoption information programs, awareness campaigns, and holistic farm planning programs (Ministry for the Environment, 2022).
References
Atkinson, A. B., Bourguignon, F., & Stern, N. (2019). Measuring Poverty around the World (J. Micklewright & A. Brandolini, Eds.). Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvc77fd6
Dasgupta, P., Morton, J.F., Dodman, D., Karapinar, B., Meza, F., Rivera-Ferre, M.G., Toure Sarr, A., & Vincent, K.E. (2014). Rural areas. In: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Field, C.B., Barros, V.R., Dokken, D.J., Mach, K.J., Mastrandrea, M.D., Bilir, T.E., Chatterjee, M., Ebi, K.L., Estrada, Y.O., Genova, R.C., Girma, B., Kissel, E.S., Levy, A.N., MacCracken, S., Mastrandrea, P.R., & White, L.L. (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp. 613-657.
Ministry for the Environment. (2022). Adapt and thrive: Building a climate-resilient New Zealand. Wellington: Ministry for the Environment. Retrieved from: https://environment.govt.nz/assets/publications/climate-change/MFE-AoG-20664-GF-National-Adaptation-Plan-2022-WEB.pdf, accessed 10 September 2024.