The Swiss Agency for Development Co-operation (SDC) in partnership with Peruvian national, regional, and local authorities, supported a project to address the challenge of climate change in the Andes region. This project supported Peru in addressing the climate change threat by promoting legislative change, developing national climate adaptation strategies to safeguard strategic ecosystem services, and ensuring that local beliefs and expertise are valued and integrated with scientific knowledge.
Switzerland’s approach to leveraging local knowledge in climate programming in Peru
Abstract
Integrating local knowledge into climate change programmes can be difficult. The Swiss Agency for Development Co-operation (SDC) addressed this challenge through the Climate Change Adaptation Programme (PACC) in the Andean highlands of Peru, a region heavily impacted by climate change.
The PACC was established to secure the livelihoods of vulnerable rural communities in Apurimac and Cusco and strengthen their resilience to the effects of a shifting climate, through the integration of local and scientific knowledge in the climate adaptation solutions and the effective partnership with public and private actors.
The two phases (Phase 1: 2008-2013 and Phase 2: 2013-2017) of the PACC Peru project were based on the following strategies:
Ensuring diverse partnerships at all levels for sustained institutional ownership. PACC emphasised reducing rural vulnerability to climate change and poverty through partnerships at the national, regional and local levels of intervention. The SDC worked in partnership with the Peruvian Ministry of Environment, the Ministry for Development and Social Inclusion, the Regional Governments of Apurímac and Cusco and the Social Development Cooperation Fund. They also worked with the Swiss and Peruvian Universities and Research institutes who brought expertise on climate research and local implementing partners Helvetas Peru, Libélula (NGO, Peru) and the Peruvian Centre for Studies and Prevention of Disasters, who developed the partnerships with local communities and helped deliver the programme.
Effectively translating and integrating scientific knowledge with local traditional beliefs. In the PACC Peru project, traditional beliefs came into tension with the technology being introduced for weather pattern analysis and monitoring. To foster understanding and integration of knowledge, collaboration between local actors and development partners was necessary to “translate” scientific knowledge into locally appropriate language and meanings.
Building on a nature and community-based solutions (NCbS) approach. The PACC Peru project supported local communities to manage resources for their long-term benefits. This NCbS approach integrates nature-based solutions, such as restoring wetlands to address flooding, with the active participation of local communities in decision making, planning and implementation.
Some of the main achievements of the PACC Peru project are:
Shaping Peru’s climate change policy and strategies at all levels: This project laid the foundations for Peru to formally recognise and tackle the climate change threat. PACC notably influenced systematic change within the Ministry for Environment, leading to the establishment of the National Framework Law for Climate Change (2014), the first of its kind in Latin America which kickstarted a nationally owned policy and legal framework. It also influenced national public policy by integrating regional and local experiences into national strategies, contributing to the national guide for regional strategies and the Second National Communication on Climate Change. At regional level, PACC influenced the regional governments of Cusco and Apurimac to approve regional and local climate change and adaptation strategies through the involvement of public and private institutions. PACC supported Peru’s positioning at the international level, especially in the preparations for COP 20 held in Lima.
New opportunities for dialogue and collective decision making: Local knowledge on the impacts of climate change was considered in dialogue opportunities at the regional and national levels, such as at InterClima events. Through dialogue the communities in Huacrahuacho were also able to identify “coincidences” between local knowledge and the scientific results, for instance relating the meteorological data with the experience of unusual sudden frost in the rainy months. Therefore, the communities embraced the new meteorological station which brough several benefits to the Andes, such as monitoring and providing meteorological information to families and municipality to adapt their farming practices accordingly. For example, the Acpitán community was part of the decision-making process on the use of their land through monthly meetings where collective decisions were taken.
Resource management: In the initial pilot project, 1 208 families in 18 communities in two water catchment areas adopted adaptive practices in natural resource management (water, pastures, soil management) and agricultural production. Fourteen communities in Huacrahuacho and Mollebamba created agreements to implement one or more adaptation measures, such as rotational grazing and temporary closure of grazing areas, with 89% of communities carrying out at least one practice. At the end of the two phases, PACC enhanced adaptive capacity among 70 000 rural families.
Involving the local population in decision making is essential for the sustainability of the project. Engaging the local population in the analysis of climate change trends and projections allows for the rapid identification of adaptation practices, drawing from traditional and local knowledge and its implementation. This can form the basis for local climate change management and trigger a process of relevant and appropriate policy formulation, from local to national level.
Well-structured phasing can give the project greater impact. A well-structured phasing, in which the first phase builds the foundational knowledge and the second leverages this knowledge through advocacy and dialogue, can help build interest and trust by showcasing a commitment to learning. In this way, partners are equipped with the necessary resources to address climate change effectively in subsequent phases.
Establishing scientific baselines and making them accessible enables a better understanding and mainstreaming of the adaptation practices. The project demonstrated that by first establishing baseline data on the effects of climate change on glaciers, water resources and agriculture, stakeholders could take informed decisions on how to assess, identify and implement agricultural adaptation measures suited to local conditions and needs.
Ministry of Environment Peru (2015), Lecciones de la tierra (Lessons from the earth), https://www.helvetas.org/Publications-PDFs/Latin-America/Peru/Cambio%20clim%C3%A1tico/lecciones_de_la_tierra__baja_.pdf.
PACCPeru (2014), Cambio climático en los Andes: encuentros y desencuentros entre ciencia y saberes locales (Climate change in the Andes: encounters and disagreements between science and local knowledge),https://www.helvetas.org/Publications-PDFs/Latin-America/Peru/Cambio%20clim%C3%A1tico/infobriefs_01_espanol.pdf.
PACCPeru (2014), Yachaykusun: Lessons on climate change from the Andes, https://www.helvetas.org/Publications-PDFs/Latin-America/Peru/Cambio%20clim%C3%A1tico/yachaykusun___version_ingles.pdf.
Particip GmbH (2022), Independent Evaluation of SDC’s Engagement in Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation 2015 – 2020 Annexe 13 Evidence from the Design and Performance Study, https://www.aramis.admin.ch/Default?DocumentID=69338&Load=true.
Pérez, J.R., et al. (2017). Final External Review, Programa De Adaptacion Al Cambio Climatico PACC 2. Final Report, SDC (Lima), https://www.aramis.admin.ch/Default?DocumentID=49421&Load=true.
SDC (2021), Climate Change in Peru – Peruvian population learning to manage the consequences of climate change, https://www.eda.admin.ch/deza/en/home/projekte/projekte.filterResults.html/content/dezaprojects/SDC/en/2007/7F05409/phase4?oldPagePath=/content/deza/en/home/projekte/projekte.html.
OECD (2024), Pathways towards effective locally led development co-operation: Learning by example, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/51079bba-en.
OECD (2024), Peer learning on Locally led development – DAC members deep dive: Switzerland, OECD ONE Members and Partners Database, https://one.oecd.org/document/DCD(2024)26/en/pdf.
OECD (2020), Common Ground Between the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework: Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/3edc8d09-en.
To learn more about Switzerland's development co-operation:
OECD, “Switzerland”, in Development Co-operation Profiles, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/00eb9f0b-en.
See more In Practice examples from Switzerland here: https://www.oecd.org/development-cooperation-learning?tag-key+partner=switzerland#search.
