Education on climate change in rural communities in the municipality of la Calera (Cundinamarca, Colombia)

Abstract

With the “National strategy for Education, Training and Public Awareness on Climate Change” launched in 2010 as a joint initiative of IDEAM and the Ministry of Environment, Housing and Territorial Development with the support of UNDP, Colombia seeks to establish guidelines for the implementation of programs and projects that promote access to information, public awareness, training, education, research and participation, to contribute to the creation of capacities at the local, regional and national levels in the issue of climate change (IDEAM et al., 2010). As a result of the approach to this strategy, there is an interest in analyzing its progress mainly in rural groups. This article seeks to identify some aspects of education for climate change in the rural community of the Municipality of La Calera in Cundinamarca, mainly from the perception of small producers. Additionally, the article intends to identify the degree of knowledge about the “National Strategy for Education, Training and Public Awarness on Climate Change”. Social cartography, participatory workshops, surveys and other complementary instruments were used to achieve this objective. The activities were developed with communities of small beekeepers, ranchers and farmers. In general, it was found that, despite the fact that the community says they know what climate change is, they do not know exactly what the causes and effects of it are. Additionally, they do not know the national education, training and awareness strategy. This shows a deficiency in the dissemination of the issue, and the absence of an approach to rural communities focused on climate change education. The groups participating in this research identified that activities related to the management of climate change, such as reforestation and some talks in schools and universities, have been carried out in this municipality. It is concluded that it is of great importance to establish information and awareness actions in the population regarding mitigation and adaptation to climate change.