30 Mar Lessons from Kerala on Migration and Climate Resilience
Written by Rosmita Chhetri
Edited by Sofia Juliet Rajan
Design & Layout: Midhun Mohan, Satybrat Sukla
In January 2026, the Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID)organised a three-day learning visit to Kerala as part of Project SUCCESS/CLAPS, in collaboration with Royal Thimphu College. This multi-country project between Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, is designed to explore successful intervention pathways of migration as an adaptation strategy. This visit brought together government stakeholders, including planning officers and Gewog (Block) officials, with the main objective of strengthening understanding of migration management, and climate adaptation practices.Â
The visit was insightful and enriching, offering practical exposure to innovative local approaches in these areas. It provided opportunities to interact with key institutions and communities, leading to a deeper understanding of the close interlinkages between climate change, migration, and development planning.
The initial briefing at the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) emphasised Kerala’s strong decentralised system of governance and the seminal role played by local governments in promoting inclusion and sustainable development. Interactions with officials of the National Health Mission and representatives of local governments provided valuable insights into climate-responsive planning, migrant welfare programmes, and community-based adaptation initiatives at the state, district, and grassroots levels.Â
The discussions underlined the importance of integrating climate risk assessments into local development plans under the framework of People’s Plan Campaign, enabling panchayats to allocate resources for flood mitigation and water conservation. Participants also learned about specific migrant welfare initiatives, such as health insurance coverage, special migrant facilitation centres as well as community-based adaptation initiatives like women-led self-help groups on livelihood diversification in climate-vulnerable areas. These examples helped make the learning more concrete and how policy frameworks are translated into action at the local level.
Field visits to Kadamakkudy Gram Panchayat and coastal areas such as Alappuzha provided a first-hand understanding of climate-related vulnerabilities and demonstrated how decentralised institutions are strengthening climate resilience, livelihood support, and disaster preparedness in highly vulnerable contexts. Participants observed specific risks, including recurrent flooding, coastal erosion affecting homes and infrastructure, and livelihood instability among fishing communities due to changing weather patterns.
These visits provided good examples of community-based adaptation and locally led climate action. One notable example was the mangrove restoration efforts in coastal areas. These mangroves serve as natural buffers against coastal erosion and storm surges, while also supporting local biodiversity and livelihoods. This initiative illustrated how ecosystem-based approaches, combined with community engagement, can enhance resilience in vulnerable regions.Â
Engagements with civil society organisations, especially CMID, yielded useful perspectives on migrant inclusion, women’s leadership, and inclusive service delivery. Initiatives like migrant resource centres, outreach programmes, and mobile medical vans showed Kerala’s people-centred and decentralised approach towards migrant welfare.
Experiences and lessons from the Kudumbashree women’s empowerment programme underscored the importance of locally led and community-focused interventions. The role of migrant link workers stood out as a strong example of effective grassroots engagement, as they play a crucial role in connecting migrants with essential services and building trust between migrant communities and public institutions.Â
Overall, the visit reinforced my understanding of migration as both a development process and a strategy for adapting to changing socio-economic and environmental conditions. The lessons from Kerala provide important and transferable lessons for strengthening decentralised programmes, migrant inclusion, and climate-responsive local governance practices in Bhutan. Â
For Bhutan, some of the most relevant lessons include the systematic integration of climate considerations into local development planning, structured community participation in decision-making and institutionalised mechanisms for migrant inclusion at the local level. However, differences in institutional and context settings will determine the ease with which these approaches can be adapted.Â
Unlike Kerala, which has a highly devolved and resource-enabled local government, the decentralisation framework in Bhutan operates within a smaller administrative structure with different fiscal and human resource capacities. Additionally, migration flows in Bhutan are mostly internal and seasonal, and may require special approaches that differ from Kerala’s experience with interstate migrant workers. Therefore, while the principles of decentralised planning, community mobilisation and ecosystem-based adaptation are transferable, their application must be aligned with Bhutan’s governance structures and socio-economic context.
On a personal note, what was especially impressive was the strong sense of community ownership over development efforts, particularly the close collaboration between women’s collectives and local governments. The powerful combination of institutional support of grassroots action implementation was both inspiring and instructive.
Rosmita Chhetri is a Research Associate with the SUCCESS Project Bhutan at Royal Thimphu College. Her work focuses on climate change, migration, and gender, with particular interest in how climate impacts communities differently. She is committed to advancing inclusive and sustainable development in Bhutan.