In ever larger areas of the world, climate change is increasing water demand while shrinking water supplies. As a result, many efforts are underway to define whether any given water project decreases or further increases water users' vulnerability to climate change, especially in the agricultural sector. A number of challenges in making these assessments have been routinely discussed, including a lack of yardsticks, varying local circumstances, and the role of subjective judgment. However, their common assumption is that maladaptation constitutes, at least in theory, a phenomenon that can ultimately be fully objectified and agreed upon through scientific data. By contrast, our qualitative comparative analysis advances a non-positivist conception of maladaptation. By comparing three water projects aiming at climate change adaptation in South Africa (Western Cape), Spain (Andalusia) and France (Occitanie), we argue that qualifying (mal)adaptation is an inescapably political process as much as a scientific endeavour. As a consequence, we advocate for putting more scholarly emphasis on the governance of adaptation projects, especially the capacity of governance arrangements to produce legitimate compromises between multiple policy domains and actors; to enhance higher level conflict management when necessary; and to ensure regular policy evaluation with an effective bearing on subsequent policy decisions.
The politics of defining maladaptation: enduring contestations over three (mal)adaptive water projects in France, Spain and South Africa
Résumé
en
In ever larger areas of the world, climate change is increasing water demand while shrinking water supplies. As a result, many efforts are underway to define whether any given water project decreases or further increases water users' vulnerability to climate change, especially in the agricultural sector. A number of challenges in making these assessments have been routinely discussed, including a lack of yardsticks, varying local circumstances, and the role of subjective judgment. However, their common assumption is that maladaptation constitutes, at least in theory, a phenomenon that can ultimately be fully objectified and agreed upon through scientific data. By contrast, our qualitative comparative analysis advances a non-positivist conception of maladaptation. By comparing three water projects aiming at climate change adaptation in South Africa (Western Cape), Spain (Andalusia) and France (Occitanie), we argue that qualifying (mal)adaptation is an inescapably political process as much as a scientific endeavour. As a consequence, we advocate for putting more scholarly emphasis on the governance of adaptation projects, especially the capacity of governance arrangements to produce legitimate compromises between multiple policy domains and actors; to enhance higher level conflict management when necessary; and to ensure regular policy evaluation with an effective bearing on subsequent policy decisions.
Auteur(s)
Bétina Boutroue1, 2
, Magalie Bourblanc3, 2
, Pierre-Louis Mayaux3, 2
, S Ghiotti3, 2
, M Hrabanski1, 2
1
UMR ART-Dev -
Acteurs, Ressources et Territoires dans le Développement
( 1100676 )
- Université Paul-Valéry - Site de Saint-Charles - Route de Mende - 34 199 Montpellier Cedex 5
- France
Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement UMR113 ( 11574 )
;
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR5281 / FRE3027 ( 441569 )
;
Université de Montpellier ( 1100589 )
2
Cirad-ES -
Département Environnements et Sociétés
( 420902 )
- Campus international de Baillarguet TA C-DIR / B 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5 France
- France
Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement ( 11574 )
3
UMR G-EAU -
Gestion de l'Eau, Acteurs, Usages
( 1096421 )
- 361 rue J.F. Breton - BP 5095 34196 Montpellier Cedex 5
- France
Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement UMR90 ( 11574 )
;
Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières ( 18404 )
;
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement ( 67872 )
;
AgroParisTech ( 148117 )
;
Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement UMR1458 ( 577435 )
;
Institut Agro Montpellier ( 1096330 )
;
Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement ( 1042499 )
Date de publication
2022
Date de publication électronique
2022-01-01
Numéro
5
Page/Identifiant
892-910
Public visé
Scientifique
Langue du document
Anglais
Nom de la revue
International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability
(ISSN : 1473-5903)
Publié par Taylor & Francis
Revue non référencée dans Sherpa-Romeo
Vulgarisation
Non
Comité de lecture
Oui
Audience
Internationale
Volume
20
Domaine(s)
Sciences de l'environnement/Environnement et Société
Sciences de l'environnement/Environnement et Société
Sciences de l'Homme et Société/Science politique
Sciences de l'Homme et Société/Science politique
Sciences de l'Homme et Société/Sociologie
Sciences de l'Homme et Société/Sociologie
Sciences de l'Homme et Société/Etudes de l'environnement
Sciences de l'Homme et Société/Etudes de l'environnement
This article is supported by the TYPOCLIM Project -`Typology and assessment of policy instruments to promote agricultural adaptation to climate change', funded by MUSE (Montpellier University of Excellence) and the French National Research Agency under the Investments for the Future Programme (ANR-16-IDEX-0006).
This article is supported by the TYPOCLIM Project -`Typology and assessment of policy instruments to promote agricultural adaptation to climate change', funded by MUSE (Montpellier University of Excellence) and the French National Research Agency under the Investments for the Future Programme (ANR-16-IDEX-0006).
Mots-clés
en
Adaptation to climate change, maladaptation, water policies, politics, controversies
The politics of defining maladaptation enduring contestations over three (mal)adaptive water projects in France, Spain and South Africa.pdf ( 3.12 Mo
)Télécharger
Bétina Boutroue, Magalie Bourblanc, Pierre-Louis Mayaux, S Ghiotti, M Hrabanski. The politics of defining maladaptation: enduring contestations over three (mal)adaptive water projects in France, Spain and South Africa. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 2022, 20 (5), pp.892-910. ⟨10.1080/14735903.2021.2015085⟩. ⟨hal-03810046⟩