Co-Designing Local Water Security: A Participatory Comparative Case Study of Perceived Climate Risks in Northeastern Thailand

Abstract

Khon Kaen Province in Northeastern Thailand is repeatedly exposed to both floods and droughts, undermining agricultural livelihoods. This study examines perceived climate risks and adaptive governance through a participatory action research (PAR) approach at four reservoir communities of the Khon Kaen Irrigation Project—Huai Sai, Huai Toei, Huai Yang, and Laloeng Wai. Using a mixed-methods design, the study combined semi-structured interviews with 12 irrigation officials, focus group discussions with Joint Management Committees, community workshops with 240 residents, and a household survey (N = 400). Perceived risk levels, evaluated using a study-specific composite index based on the IPCC AR6 framework, were moderate at Huai Sai (11.02) and low at Huai Toei (8.81), Huai Yang (7.90), and Laloeng Wai (7.68). Because perceived hazard, exposure and vulnerability showed substantially overlapping 95% confidence intervals across sites, collective response capacity was the dimension that varied most widely across sites and the dimension to which the index is structurally most sensitive. Through participatory STEEP prioritization workshops, all four communities identified economic drivers as their primary concern, reflecting seasonal income fragility alongside strong social capital. To address these economic priorities within local water constraints, a pilot agricultural prototype—cultivating Hom Thong banana under localized drip irrigation—was co-designed with provincial agricultural and irrigation agencies. The prototype was installed to specification, and the stand had established and reached full vegetative growth approximately two months after planting; no participant feedback, satisfaction or yield data were collected during the reporting period. This comparative case study documents the process of co-designing a localized, risk-informed adaptive strategy with communities and public agencies, and the feasibility of implementing it at one site; whether such strategies build community resilience remains to be tested.