Collaborative change: a communication framework for climate change adaptation and food security

Compelling issues such as climate change and food security require multidisciplinary approaches and multistakeholder action in the process of social learning for adaptive livelihoods. This entails an increasing demand for information, knowledge and participation that puts the need for planned communication activities at the centre of development initiatives. The paper provides a conceptual framework to participatory communication applied to climate change adaptation and food security. It demonstrates the need to fully integrate Communication for Development (ComDev) in community-based adaptation approaches. Integration of ComDev can provide the most vulnerable groups a chance to generate their own coping strategies, thanks to an equitable access to knowledge and information, and enhanced local decision-making. This document was prepared within the context of the Communication for Sustainable Development Initiative (CSDI), an FAO programme supported by the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Territory that promotes the use of communication methods and tools to meet today’s rural development challenges.