ABSTRACT
Climate risks are not new to farmers of the lower basin of the Mekong river. For smallholder farmers of rain-fed rice, a dominant economic activity of the region, flood, drought and other climate hazards pose substantial threats to their livelihoods (Chinvanno et al, 2008). A variety of strategies and practices are employed to cope with and manage climate risks, which we document through field studies of farming villages in Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam. The strategies and specific measures for managing climate risks are broadly similar across the villages, but there are also important differences, despite the similar hazards being faced and the livelihood patterns held in common. In this chapter we examine these similarities and differences and their implications for promoting effective strategies for adapting to climate change.
