Defining and Assessing Transformational Climate Change Adaptation: A Framework for Application to Agri-Food Projects
The international community is increasingly calling for greater emphasis on transformational adaptation in response to climate change. This call has been particularly acute in agriculture, food systems, nutrition, and agro-ecological systems in low-income countries. There is, however, a lack of clarity in the literature and among the climate change community on how to define, operationalize, or measure transformational adaptation.
To address this gap, this paper proposes a framework of four indicators of transformation – the breadth and depth of change, the intention to achieve transformation, scale, and sustainability. The paper also identifies specific types of transformational adaptation in agri-food systems, including:
- Strengthening the public enabling environment, institutions and market systems
- Diversification and relocation of production (geographically)
- New or improved agri-food technologies, practices or systems
- Addressing the root causes of vulnerability, marginalization and power inequality
Published December 2024
