Seasonal Livelihoods and Adaptation Strategies for an Uncertain Environmental Future: Results from Participatory Research in Kratie Province, Cambodia
Climate-Induced Disasters in the Asia-Pacific Region: Response, Recovery, Adaptation
ISBN: 978-1-83909-987-8, eISBN: 978-1-83909-986-1
Publication date: 9 November 2020
Abstract
The effects of environmental change are becoming more noticeable in the Lower Mekong Basin, where there is growing pressure on the agriculture-based livelihoods of communities living along the mainstream of the Mekong River. This chapter presents an investigation of temporal seasonal variability in four communities of Kratie Province, Cambodia, including identification of locally developed strategies to adapt to temporal changes in weather patterns. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining historical hydrometeorological data with participatory seasonal calendars and daily routine diaries. Seasonal calendars were compiled from nine workshops across four villages in Kratie Province, and daily diaries were collected from seven individuals across three villages. The results indicate that patterns in rainfall, flooding and drought have become more variable due to the impacts of environmental change; a phenomenon that will likely continue into the future. Without effective, locally appropriate adaptation measures, changing weather patterns will likely continue to have adverse impacts on communities in the region due to their reliance on reliable seasonal rainfall and flooding events for crop cultivation. Households and communities in the study region have already developed a number of approaches to mitigate the adverse impacts of environmental change. This research also reiterated the importance of incorporating both local knowledge and scientific data to gain the most accurate understanding of the impacts of environmental change in a given region.
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Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the communities of Thma Reab, Ou Lung, Dei Doh Kraom and Kbal Kaoh for participating in this research and hosting the authors. The authors thank the Kratie Provincial Government, Prek Prasob District Governor, commune leaders and village heads who allowed and assisted in the organisation of the fieldwork and accommodated the research team. We thank our two research assistants and translators from the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), Ms Hak Thidameas and Mr Eom Nakhem, and acknowledge the support and constructive advice from Dr Kimlong Ly and Dr Nyda Chhinh (both RUPP), Mr Touch Siphat (Ministry of Rural Development, Cambodia), Dr Chanrith Ngin and Prof. Andreas Neef (both University of Auckland), Dr Bryan Boruff (University of Western Australia), and Floris van Ogtrop (University of Sydney). The research was made possible through funding and support provided by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (CAF2017-RR01-NMY-Neef, ‘Climate Change Adaptation in Post-Disaster Recovery Processes: Flood-Affected Communities in Cambodia and Fiji’) and the UWA School of Agriculture and Environment at the University of Western Australia.
Citation
Henningsen, S., Pauli, N. and Chhom, C. (2020), "Seasonal Livelihoods and Adaptation Strategies for an Uncertain Environmental Future: Results from Participatory Research in Kratie Province, Cambodia", Neef, A. and Pauli, N. (Ed.) Climate-Induced Disasters in the Asia-Pacific Region: Response, Recovery, Adaptation (Community, Environment and Disaster Risk Management, Vol. 22), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 135-165. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2040-726220200000022006
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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