documenting best practice case studies of community initiated adaptation and/or mitigation in Kenya

This consultancy falls under the “Improving Climate Change Adaptive Capacity and Mitigation in Kenya” project funded by SIDA and DFID through ACT CRM project. This project aims at strengthening response to climate change at the national and local level. The project is implemented by Oxfam in partnership with Act! Changieni Rasilimali Facility and the Kenya Climate Change Working Group to achieve the following objectives: 1) To strengthen understanding, knowledge and awareness of Climate Change at all levels 2) to improve Climate Change framework of engagement at the county and national levels and 3) to strengthen engagement framework for formulation and implementation of pro-poor Climate Change policy and legislative measures in Kenya. The project supports communities in the ASAL counties of Kitui, Kajiado, Wajir, Isiolo, Turkana, Tana River, and West Pokot to advocate for pro-poor climate change policies that would also respond to their needs and enhance their capacity to identify and engage in climate change adaptation and mitigation practices that would reduce the life threatening impacts of Climate change.

Background Note From early 1960s, Kenya has been experiencing climate change impacts and the situation is worsening. The meteorological department has reported the lowest level of precipitation in the last 60 years in most ASAL regions. The department attributes this partly to the changing climate. The existing conditions of increasing temperatures, more frequent & prolonged droughts and rainfall variability will remain so for the next 10-15 years according to the IPCC projections. Beyond this period it is projected that some of the Kenya’s ASALs might register some increased precipitation. However, the same areas will also warm significantly thus cancelling any benefits of the anticipated increase in rainfall.

Oxfam has worked in Kenya’s ASALs since 1963 and has implemented programmes on climate change mitigation and adaptation at the grassroots and national levels. To support its programming and policy advocacy work on climate change, Oxfam has conducted researches on the impact of climate change on pastoral and urban livelihoods. To implement climate change advocacy work as articulated by the research work, Oxfam has partnered with the Kenya climate change working group to carry further research and conduct joint climate advocacy.

KCCWG is a national climate change network composed of 270 agencies working on climate change and drawn from local, national and international CSOs, research institutes and universities, private sector, media and other stakeholders. The working group is composed of 9 thematic areas: urbanisation-, housing and infrastruc¬ture; water; forestry; energy; tourism trade and industry; pastoralism and conflict over natural resources; health; agriculture, livestock and fisheries; and education. In collaboration with Oxfam and other partners, the network has conducted thematic research on the impact of climate change on the nine themes. This has helped identify climate change needs at the local, county and national level. Communities on realising the severity of these changes, over time have worked towards adapting and mitigating against the impacts of the ensuing climate change shocks and realities.

Communities have been adapting to climate change and variability in their own ways unique and practical ways. Government research stations as well as NGOs have developed new adaptation technologies and practices and some of these are being used in production systems at the community level. Despite their existence, the level of spread/adoption and knowledge of these practices remain low and its not very clear on how far actors can scale-up or replicate some of these practices. It is paramount to document some scalable good practices particularly in the area of green energy, crop farming and livestock farming thus the importance of this research. The aim is to promote what is scalable and avoid small, isolated adaptation practices with little impact. This research must capture information that can be used by county and national level actors to adopt or lobby for appropriate adaptation and mitigation measures in national and county level development planning/budgeting. Communities are also targeted as users of this information to the extent of lobbying for support from devolved funds at the constituency level to leverage their ongoing best practices. Aims of the case studies The case studies are primarily aimed at including community driven and based adaptation and/or mitigation practices from the ASALs in Kenya (Wajir, West pokot, Kajiado, Kitui and Isiolo). These studies shall be published as a working document entitled “Community initiated adaptation and/or mitigation practices, Case Studies in the Kenya ASALs" to be used at an expert consultation. Objective The objective of the case studies is to describe the design of practices and approaches that have been initiated by communities to adapt to and/ or mitigate against the impacts of climate change. The aim is to identify lessons learned from these practices in order to provide examples and guidance on how communities have the capacity to tailor adaptation and mitigation pathways to meet their present and future needs. The case studies should critically analyse and compare the different approaches taken by the community(s) towards ensuring a practical and effective adaptation and/or mitigation practice for their community(s). The Task OXFAM is looking for a qualified consultant(s) who has extensive experience working in the ASALs on climate change and related subjects and knowledge in development of case studies, to develop Climate change adaptation and mitigation community initiated and driven practices; putting the purpose and objective above in mind. It would be important to have someone with a strong background in natural resource management (e.g. in relation to ASAL’s development, pastoralism, water resource management etc). Key elements Each case study must include: • A brief description of the geographical location and the people in the location as well as the surrounding environment (social, political, economic, etc.); • A description of the reasons and motivations behind the adaptation and /or mitigation practice showcased; • A detailed description and analysis of the strategy, methodology and approach (cognitive and/or behaviourism) and means used by the community in the showcased adaptation and/or mitigation practice, including the organisation of the practices, as well as local structures, and institutions involved where applicable; • Identification and rationale of the key sets of parameters on which the adaptation and/ or mitigation practice is based (policy, legislation, available skills, available knowledge, community needs etc.); • Identification and assessment of the role and involvement of stakeholders in the adaptation and/mitigation process; • A description and analysis of the mechanisms put in place to assure community stakeholder participation; • A description of the process and mechanisms for assuring quality and relevance of the adaptation and mitigation practice; • An analysis of the key constraints to pursuing the adaptation and /or mitigation practice and how these were overcome; • Interview community residents including all gender , community leaders/elders, government officers working in the community, private sector, NGOs/ CBO’s and assess their views on the advantages and disadvantages, and strength and weaknesses of the adaptation and /or mitigation approach by the community; • Other important issues in the community experience with the adaptation and/mitigation approach; • Recommendations Outputs 1. A well-structured paper on the approach and practices used and experiences gained in the specific cases of thriving community initiated and based adaptation and/or mitigation practices. 2. Demonstrated linkages of the findings of the report from the ground as informed by a similar work being done by the Climate change innovation centre

How to apply: 

Interested consultants are requested to submit their proposals including a work plan and budget (covering letter, proposal and CV with two referees) to the following email: kenyajobs@oxfam.org.uk and cc: kkinusu@oxfam.org.uk by 21st Nov 2012 closing of business by 5:00 PM