Enhancing Local Adaptive Capacities of Selected Upland Farming Communities in Southeast Asia: Lessons and Experiences

This article highlights the experiences and lessons generated by the project collaborators in enhancing the adaptive capacities of selected upland farming communities in Southeast Asia. The project collaborators employed capability building programs, such as farmers' and technicians' training, local climate change awareness programs, cross-farm visits, demonstration plots showcasing agroforestry technologies as climate change adaptation (CCA) strategies, and linking science with policies. The outcomes of the project indicate that this program was able to enhance the local adaptive capacities of the upland farming communities by building their key community assets, creating knowledge and information, initiating innovations, strengthening institutions, and initiating forward-looking decision making and governance. The lessons and experiences generated from these initiatives could serve as important reference for scaling up the project. The outputs and outcomes of the capacity development initiatives have generated lessons that could contribute to the body of knowledge in CCA, particularly on enhancing the adaptive capacities for CCA.