Operationalizing Upland Climate Adaptation in Southeast Asia Through Training and Local Pilots

Challenge

Upland farmers face climate impacts and limited capacity to implement site-specific adaptation in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

Solution

Train farmers, convene policy forums, pilot community projects, and produce local-language guides to embed site-specific adaptation.

Overview

Upland communities across Southeast Asia are exposed to shifting rainfall patterns, pests and diseases, storms, landslides, and soil erosion that affect farms and forests. With support from the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN), Roberto G. Visco (Philippine Agroforestry Education and Research Network, Philippines; then at Philippine Agroforestry Education and Research Network, Philippines during project implementation; now at University of the Philippines Los Baños) and partners in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam worked to translate site-specific climate change adaptation strategies into practice.

The project focused on building farmer capacity, engaging local governments, and demonstrating workable measures on real farms, while producing locally tailored information materials to aid adoption.

Training farmers on site-specific strategies

National farmer training was held in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. A total of 75 upland farmers participated. Activities covered recognizing local signals of climate change, assessing farm-level risks, and selecting adaptation options suited to each production system and community context.

Participants reported delayed rainy seasons and erratic rainfall, longer dry periods, pest outbreaks that damaged crops, and reduced yields in major crops including rice, corn, vegetables, coffee, and fruit trees. Women’s participation was documented in Indonesia, where 30% of trainees were members of women’s farmer groups.

Policy forums with local government

Three policy forums were conducted with local government units to help institutionalize localized adaptation. Each forum invited at least 20 participants from environment, agriculture, planning, and the local executive offices.

Sessions presented farmer-identified impacts on the farming sector, then moved to workshops to map mechanisms and strategies for strengthening community adaptive capacities. Draft policies and program options were compiled to guide follow-up at municipal and district levels.

Community demonstration projects

To translate plans into practice, one community project was established in each country to showcase workable farm‑level strategies.

In Lampung, Indonesia, farmer groups implemented agrisilvipasture (combining crops, trees, and livestock on the same land to create a multi-functional farming system) and agrisilvifishery (combining crops, trees, and fish farming) systems and developed tree nurseries to support rehabilitation and diversified livelihoods. Community project sites were selected using agreed criteria, farmer willingness, strategic location, and representativeness of the farming system.

All sites carried out farm planning with the farmer and facilitators, and in Vietnam, an action and monitoring plan was drafted.

Producing local information materials

The project produced detailed information materials in local languages to support wider diffusion of climate adaptation strategies. In Indonesia and the Philippines, best-practice guides were translated into local languages, making technical concepts more accessible to farmers and extension workers.

Vietnam prepared its own documentation of local adaptation strategies, which would be translated into the local language for distribution. The materials included illustrated manuals, step-by-step guides, and simple checklists to support farm-level implementation.

Information materials on best practices were produced in local versions to aid dissemination to farmers and extension workers. These resources were designed not only to inform, but also to provide a practical reference that farmers and officials could consult during planning and fieldwork.

Outcomes and results

• Capacity was built among 75 farmer participants across 3 countries, improving skills to recognize local climate signals and select farm-level responses.
• Women’s participation was strengthened in Indonesia, where 30% of trainees came from farmer women’s groups.
• Policy engagement deepened through 3 forums that gathered around 20 local officials per site to identify mechanisms, strategies, and draft policy options for localized adaptation.
• Demonstration farms in each country showcased practices such as agrisilvipasture, agrisilvifishery, agroforestry diversification, windbreaks, vegetable plots, and enrichment planting.
• After each farmer training, 1 farm per country was selected using agreed criteria, and farm planning was conducted with active participation of the farmer and facilitators.
• Locally adapted information materials were produced and disseminated to support wider adoption.

Project details

Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) under its Scientific Capacity Development Programme (CAPaBLE). Acknowledgements also go to the Philippine Agroforestry Education and Research Network, Indonesia Network for Agroforestry Education, and Vietnam Network for Agroforestry Education, as well as partner institutions that hosted activities, including Kalinga Apayao State College, Lampung University, and Tay Nguyen University. The participating farmer groups and local government units are also acknowledged for their engagement.