Abstract
Climate change intensifies vulnerabilities in semi-arid regions, underscoring the need for community-driven solutions that strengthen civic resilience. A living lab used a participatory modelling framework to co-design adaptation strategies with farmers in Sadivayal, India. Through mind mapping, sketching and storytelling, local experiential knowledge was translated into modelling parameters and scenario design. Early sowing emerged as the most context-appropriate solution, shaped by the community’s socio-environmental constraints and adaptive capacity. Comparative simulations, informed by participants’ insights, identified the 38th Standard Meteorological Week (SMW) as the most effective window, reflected in substantially lower water-stress levels and the highest resilience values across future climate scenarios. Strong community ownership was reflected in the 60% adoption of the resilient sowing strategy. The co-design process also supported peer learning and enhanced farmers’ adaptive decision-making. Modelling-enabled living labs can bridge scientific tools with experiential knowledge. It provides a policy-relevant pathway for enhancing civic resilience in climate-vulnerable agricultural systems.
POLICY RELEVANCE
This case study demonstrates the value of living labs as participatory platforms for co-designing climate adaptation strategies in semi-arid agricultural systems. Leveraging experiential learning and participatory modelling, early sowing (the 38th SMW) emerged as a community-driven adaptation strategy. The approach strengthened local ownership, reduced exposure to climate-induced water stress and enhanced resilience across projected climate scenarios. The findings highlight several policy priorities. These include integrating Indigenous knowledge into formal adaptation planning, investing in rainwater-harvesting infrastructure and strengthening institutional support for farmers through capacity-building programmes. Embedding iterative participatory modelling within extension services can further support continuous learning, transparent scenario evaluation and locally grounded crop-calendar decisions. Encouraging participatory approaches in agricultural policy can enhance the scalability, inclusivity and long-term success of adaptation strategies. This study underscores the need for context-specific, collaborative policies that integrate Indigenous knowledge with scientific modelling to enhance civic resilience and facilitate sustainable transitions in climate-vulnerable agroecosystems.