This publication is only available in Indonesian.

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Climate change poses a growing threat to the livelihoods of rural communities that depend on agriculture and fisheries. Dryland farmers, capture fishers, and seaweed farmers face the risk of losing income and productive assets due to recurring climate shocks. However, Indonesia’s social protection system is not yet fully equipped to anticipate and respond to climate-related vulnerabilities.

A SMERU study in East Sumba (East Nusa Tenggara) and Mamuju (West Sulawesi) identified three key shortcomings in the current social protection system. First, social protection targeting and response mechanisms do not adequately account for vulnerability to climate risks. Second, economic empowerment support remains limited in its ability to strengthen communities’ adaptive capacity. Third, social protection, economic empowerment, and climate change adaptation programs continue to operate in isolation.

To build rural communities’ resilience to climate change, this policy brief recommends adopting an adaptive social protection (ASP) approach through three key measures:

1. incorporating climate vulnerability into the targeting and response mechanisms of social assistance and social insurance programs to make support better targeted and more anticipatory;
2. linking social assistance to economic empowerment programs that strengthen communities’ adaptive capacity and help them diversify their livelihoods; and
3. strengthening cross-sectoral coordination by integrating the roles of social assistance facilitators, sector-specific facilitators, and local institutions so that different forms of support complement one another.
    

Suggested Citation:

Warda, Nila (2026) ‘Strengthening Adaptive Social Protection to Enhance Rural Communities’ Resilience to Climate Change.’ Policy Brief. Jakarta: The SMERU Research Institute. <URL> [access date].