The increasing variability of climate is having a dramatic impact on people in some of the poorest countries. Areas of change may include unpredictable rainfall patterns, increased frequency and intensity of storms, or sea level rise. Communities are being forced to change their ways of living in order to adapt: growing different crops, making better use of scarce water resources, using different production methods, or preparing for more frequent weather-related disasters. The technologies that will be useful to one community may not apply to another: adaptation to climate change must be rooted in the local context and people's knowledge culture and values, as these will determine how they can best cope with change. The few technologies described offer some relevant solutions to the challenges that communities will increasingly find themselves having to face.

Also of relevance is the book Understanding Climate Change Adaptation: Lessons from community-based approaches by Practical Action publishing.