Climate Crowd on the ground

Seaweed farming and beekeeping for livelihood diversification in Madagascar

Purpose

Create sustainable alternative livelihoods for coastal communities that build resilience to changing rainfall patterns and reduce pressure on fisheries.

Ankoba community members report the following impacts:

• Reduced abundance of fish
• Increased reliance on destructive fishing practices and equipment
• Crop failure due to insufficient or unreliable rainfall
• Reduced availability of freshwater
• Livelihood loss due to crop loss and fish declines

Project design

With agricultural production declining due to drought, people rely more heavily on fishing, placing greater pressure on already-strained fisheries. This project establishes seaweed farming and beekeeping to help households diversify their income and lessen the burden on marine ecosystems. Seaweed farming will be primarily driven by local women, helping to reduce existing gender inequities by facilitating women's involvement in income-generating activities.

Activities

• Identification of seaweed and beekeeping sites
• Training of local communities on seaweed production and beekeeping techniques
• Purchase and installation of materials for seaweed and beekeeping production. Beekeeping requires recycled wooden boards to serve as frames, safety equipment to protect against bee stings, relief wax, stainless steel wire, and a queen grill. Seaweed farming requires buoys and ropes of various sizes and lengths.
• Provide market access for the sale of products to the private sector

Project outcomes

• Increased household income from alternative livelihoods
• Reduced pressure on fisheries
• 32 households involved in beekeeping
• 42 households involved in seaweed farming
• Increased involvement of women in income-generating activities

Improving water security and reducing deforestation in Zimbabwe

Purpose

Support community water and food security during prolonged drought, and combat widespread deforestation.

Community members from the Hwange District report the following impacts:

• Widespread water insecurity
• Crop loss from prolonged drought and increasing pest prevalence
• Increased human-wildlife conflicts, particularly involving elephants
• Poor livestock health due to sparse and degraded grazing area and decreased water availability
• An increase in resource-intensive livelihoods, such as brick-making, due to farming losses from drought

Project design

In Hwange district, a shift to hotter, drier conditions has decimated crops and livestock and reduced access to freshwater. Some have found alternative sources of income through brick-making and wood carving, placing greater pressure on local forests. In partnership with Greenline Africa, a local non-governmental organization, this project improves water security by installing a rainwater harvesting system, upgrading a borehole pump to solar power, installing improved irrigation, and reducing pressure on forests through the installation of clean cookstoves. Additionally, the project set a goal of 60/40 female to male participation, established a women’s cooperative to help scale up project activities, and is monitoring changes in time spent collecting water (currently 2-3 hours), a responsibility primarily shouldered by women.

Activities

• Installation of a rainwater harvesting system at a local primary school. Community members were trained in system maintenance and management.
• Upgrading of a hand-pump borehole to a solar-powered borehole pump.
• Installation of drip irrigation.
• Installation of an automated weather station connected to the National Meteorological Authority in Zimbabwe.
• Provision of fuel-efficient cookstoves to reduce firewood collection.

Project outcomes

• Rainwater harvesting system installed with a 5,000-liter capacity
• One borehole pump upgraded to solar power
• 15 clean cookstoves installed
• Drip irrigation installed in a community garden
• Automated weather station installed

Improving water access for communities and wildlife in Kenya

Purpose

Decrease human-wildlife conflict over access to water and pasture during periods of drought.

Community members from the Mara Siana Conservancy report the following impacts:

• Reduced availability of freshwater pasture
• Death and malnourishment of livestock due to water scarcity and reduced pasture availability
• Increased prevalence of diseases in people and livestock
• Increased human-wildlife conflict, especially involving elephants

Project design

Intensifying drought has increased competition over water resources among community members, livestock, and wildlife in the Mara Siana Conservancy, resulting in frequent instances of human-wildlife conflict. To improve water access for wildlife, especially elephants that frequently venture into villages searching for water, Climate Crowd and WWF Kenya collaborated to rehabilitate a key water pan. Additionally, through the installation of two rainwater harvesting systems constructed at two primary schools, the project will enhance community access to water and decrease the need to travel long distances into core wildlife areas where human-wildlife conflict often occurs.

Activities

• Rehabilitation of a water pan: Project partners widened and deepened a local water pan and reinforced its walls.
• Installation of four rainwater harvesting systems in two primary schools.
• Creation of a community water committee: The committee will keep track of water source users and wildlife sightings.
• Installation of a weather station: In Entumuto tented camp, the station allows local community members to collect and use weather information to better inform decision-making.

Project outcomes

• Watering pan rehabilitated for livestock and wildlife
• Four rainwater harvesting systems installed with 2,500+ gallon holding capacity each
• 1,500 people with improved water access
• Water committees and fee collection systems established
• Automated weather station installed

Read the full report, Climate Crowd on the Ground.