Stakeholders have called for community engagement by
partners and funders in the fight against the adverse impacts of climate change
on public health.
In a stakeholder engagement summit co-hosted in Nairobi by
the African Population Health Research Centre (APHRC) and Enhancing Learning and Research for Humanitarian
Assistance (ELRHA), the panellists acknowledged the significant role community
partners play in advocating solutions.
They said that
climate change has had significant adverse impacts on food security, mental
health burdens, water scarcity, temperature changes, among other effects that
the community continue to experience.
In her keynote speech at the event, Fatuma Kinsi Abass, the
Executive Director of the Pastoral Girls Initiative, said that community
engagement plays a pivotal role in addressing the adverse impacts of climate
change on public health, especially in vulnerable and indigenous populations
“The most important thing is listening and learning from the community and acting together with them to create that effective and inclusive solution. From shifting weather patterns affecting livestock to water scarcity and the rise of climate-induced illnesses, community members are the first to observe and respond to these challenges," she noted.
Their insights, rooted in daily lived experience and traditional knowledge, are crucial in shaping responsive interventions. By involving communities directly, particularly through trusted local partners, climate-health strategies become more resilient, culturally relevant, and ultimately more impactful."
Alice Karanja, Scientist at APHRC, called for the strengthening
of climate resilience in food, livelihood and land tenure policies by giving
people ownership of land, making them able to do long-term projects to ensure
there is enough food produced. They also called for agroecological farming to
support household-level climate resilience.
“We appreciate some opportunities in terms of policy and practice when it comes to adoption of agroecology, agroforestry and other nature-based solutions as climate action steps or initiatives to adapt and cope with climate change in especially in the dry lands," she said.
The panellists called for the incorporation of community-led
solutions that are geared towards combating climate change by piloting programs
initiated at the community level by researchers.
