The report shows that climate variability can have a real and lasting impact on how people manage their water resources and that the dynamics of changing patterns of water availability have knock-on effects that reach far beyond just water. Traditional cultural norms, agricultural methods and wider livelihood approaches are also affected.
Despite the challenges faced, communities have demonstrated resilience and are adapting to the variable climate with a number of water- and economic-related responses. Communities are beginning to diversify their income streams, moving away from traditional methods of farming. The model of collective action is a key thread running through many community responses.
The interface between local-level issues and national policy and planning, shows the need for communities to be able to access and engage with the political systems that affect their water rights. In Niger, national land tenure policies appear to be undermining the pastoralists’ ability to manage their land and water resources sustainably.
In Brazil, there is growing evidence that, despite increased participation with the adoption of ‘water user commissions’, many smallholders still perceive water management as an exclusionary process.
At the national level, climate risk considerations are not being factored into water sectoral planning and implementation in a systematic way. Furthermore, the institutional structures required for this to happen are currently inadequate.
