Communities in Kusapín Establish Local Committees to Promote Climate Adaptation and Livelihood Management

• The initiative, promoted by the Kusapín Se Adapta project in Panama, enabled the creation of community structures in the district’s five corregimientos to strengthen resilience, food security, and the sustainable management of natural resources.

Community leaders from the five corregimientos of the Kusapín district, located in the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca of Panama, established Adaptation and Livelihood Committees with the aim of strengthening local organization in the face of climate change challenges and promoting actions that contribute to community resilience.

The process was led by the Kusapín Se Adapta project, implemented by CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) in Panama, with funding from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), in coordination with the Ministry of Environment (MiAMBIENTE). The initiative also received support from the National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC).

La conformación de las comisiones se desarrolló entre mayo y junio de 2026 en los corregimientos de Río Chiriquí, Cañaveral, Tobobe, Kusapín y Bahía Azul. A través de talleres participativos, las personas participantes organizaron sus comisiones con secretarias; adaptación al cambio climático, gestión comunitaria del riesgo, seguridad alimentaria, seguridad hídrica y Nature-based solutions.

Each corregimiento now has an Adaptation and Livelihood Committee integrated into the District Committee for Local Risk Management, a structure promoted by SINAPROC to strengthen community preparedness, prevention, and response to adverse events.

As a result of the process, five committees were formed, each composed of at least ten members, with women representing nearly 40% of participants. In addition, five areas of work, or secretariats, were established: coordination, climate adaptation, food security, water and sanitation, and knowledge management. Each committee also developed a three-month community action plan aimed at advancing priority initiatives for the benefit of their communities.

“This project is important because it helps strengthen capacities and identify actions that enable the most vulnerable communities to prepare for adverse events, while promoting more resilient and sustainable development processes,” said Sandra Blake, Regional Director of SINAPROC in Bocas del Toro.

For his part, Elvin Britton, CATIE Representative in Panama, highlighted the participatory nature of the initiative.

“These committees seek to ensure that communities actively engage in monitoring the actions promoted by the project and in identifying new development opportunities. In addition to strengthening local organization, they help improve community management and facilitate coordination with institutions and other stakeholders working in the territory,” he explained.

Eric Trotman, Head of Coastal and Marine Affairs for MiAMBIENTE in the comarca, emphasized the importance of these spaces in ensuring the continuity of the project’s actions.

“The committees will be key partners in supporting and monitoring the initiatives implemented within the communities. Their participation strengthens environmental education processes, the sustainable use of natural resources, and coordination with institutions working in the territory,” he noted.

The creation of these committees represents an important step toward consolidating community-based organizational mechanisms capable of leading climate adaptation processes from within the territory. It also lays the foundation for communities in Kusapín to actively participate in the planning and management of actions aimed at improving livelihoods and more effectively addressing the environmental and climate challenges facing the region.