Joint-knowledge Production and the Barriers to Successful Knowledge Sharing: A Case Study Concerning Community-based Climate Change Adaptation in Kenya

Climate change adaptation is complex, involving disparate entities, across social and political scales. Robust community-based adaptation requires that an iterative dialogue exists between the actors involved, ensuring that adaptation strategy is informed by scientific knowledge, rooted in the local context. This paper documents the role of the key actors in climate change adaptation in Kenya, from the national to the local level, identifying the barriers to joint-knowledge production using an evaluative framework. The KACP community-based climate change adaptation project, run by Vi Agroforestry in Western Kenya, is used as a locus of research at the community level.
 
The main barriers to joint-knowledge production are found to be: (i) weak and informal links between the major actors; (ii) disagreement on the preferred adaptation solutions; (iii) poorly defined roles of actors at the local scale; and (iv) a notable lack of resources available for knowledge-exchange between the community and external actors. It is recommended that government take the lead in establishing clear roles for actors in adaptation, and in the creation of forums for knowledge exchange at all levels of government. It is also suggested that more research be conducted into efficient boundary objects for communication with the farming community.
 
Woolley, R. (2012). Joint-knowledge Production and the Barriers to Successful Knowledge Sharing: A Case Study Concerning Community-based Climate Change Adaptation in Kenya. Master’s Thesis. Faculty of Natural Sciences. Imperial College London.
 
Link to publication