Mr Md Masud All Kamal¹

¹The University Of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia

The community-based participatory approach has long been applied in diverse areas of development. Though the effectiveness of such bottom-up approach is contested, this approach has been adopted in managing the risks associated with climate change that labelled as a community-based adaptation (CBA). The proponents of this approach hold that it has the potential to build adaptive capacity of the most vulnerable of a community to deal with climate change. In so doing, advocates of the CBA approach claim that it incorporates local knowledge and preferences in planning and implementation of CBA projects. In addition, such adaptation initiatives mobilise the local community to build capacity for collective action and self-reliance. In Bangladesh and other developing societies, numerous community-based adaption projects are being implemented mostly by non-governmental organisations. This research explores why and how individuals and communities respond to externally induced collective action efforts induced by community-based adaptation projects in rural coastal areas of Bangladesh that intend to build adaptive capacity. This paper uses a qualitative research approach, and concludes that there is a deep disconnection between objectives of CBA projects and agendas of local community members who directly and indirectly participate in those projects.

Biography:

I am currently a PhD candidate and have published several articles/book chapters in the field of climate change and disaster risk management. My current research focuses on the influence of planned community-based adaptation in strengthening the adaptive capacity of communities vulnerable to climate variability and change.