What is the importance of climate research? An innovative web-based approach to assess the influence and reach of climate research programs

Abstract

Many parts of the world are increasingly experiencing the effects of climate change, making climate adaptation of rural livelihoods crucial to secure social and economic resilience. While the past two decades have witnessed a significant evolution in climate adaptation policy, evaluating the impact of climate science on policy has remained a challenge. This study employs the Digital Methods epistemology to explore the dynamics of agriculture-focused climate science and changes in attitude towards Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) and climate change, using the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) as a case study. By considering online networks and narratives as evidence of “offline” influence, it effectively repurposes publicly available data from digital sources such as social media and websites by employing text mining and social network analysis to assess the influence and reach of the program among stakeholder at various levels. Results show that CCAFS has supported increased public awareness of CSA; that it actively engages with key actors within a network of stakeholders with more than 60 thousand members; that it has positively shifted the debate on climate adaptation among strategic partners through increased message alignment and space in the policy agenda; and that the program’s reach is potentially amplified to 5.8 M users on Twitter.