Behavioural insights on climate information uptake in Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Malawi

The use of weather and climate information, or data and insights relating to both short- and long-term weather patterns in a specific region, has been encouraged to better understand, address, and mitigate the impacts and challenges presented by climate change. However, despite ongoing efforts to improve the development and availability of climate information, it is not well understood whether this information is made obvious to relevant users, and the extent to which climate information is utilised for improved decision-making. Further, addressing the knowledge gap of why the uptake and use of climate information is low or not done despite being made available to users would be a valuable new contribution and a space for behavioural science, as it would question the notion that the provision of knowledge automatically leads to action. 

This research shares insights from the Behavioural Adaptation for Water Security and Inclusion (BASIN) project, which is funded by UK aid from the UK government and by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada, as part of the Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE) research programme. This project underscores how more inclusive water security and equitable adaptation can be supported, and one of its core research questions focuses on examining community perceptions of climate information, whether and how actions are taken as a response of available information, and reasons why climate information was not used. This presentation summarises these findings based on responses to a series of focus group discussions and key informant interviews undertaken in Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Malawi. For instance, it underscores barrier and enabling factors affecting climate information use and highlights how climate information could be better packaged for increased use in crop planning and enhanced agricultural production as well as flood and drought management. Such insights thus offer a context for the need for behavioural interventions that could be helpful to assist improved decision-making and community practices on water security and climate adaptation.