Globally, rural conditions are in states of change. They are often highly vulnerable to climate and environmental change, extreme weather events, conflict, socio-economic changes, inequalities, and demographic changes. These changes are putting stress on rural areas, which rely upon agriculture and natural resources for their livelihoods and are often the foundation of national economies. Communication for development (C4D) has played an important role in addressing these challenges. Its thinking is broadly consistent with rural development goals—indeed, the roots of C4D come in part from rural development and agricultural extension. Communication for development (C4D) was defined by the World Congress on Communication for Development as “…a social process based on dialogue using a broad range of tools and methods. It also seeks change at different levels, including listening, building trust, sharing knowledge and skills, building policies, debating, and learning for sustained and meaningful change. It is not public relations or corporate communications”. However, after decades of action to address these interrelated rural development challenges, much remains to be done. This paper critically considers the following: What does inclusive rural development mean now, in light of environmental change, and how does this affect the conceptualisation and practice of C4D? This was done by using three countries as case studies: Malawi, Ukraine, and the Philippines. Each of these countries represented contrasting challenges and opportunities for rural development and environmental change, with lessons from their experiences shedding insight into the communication for development thinking.

Farming is the main livelihood of the people of Benguet Province. This makes them highly vulnerable to climate change hazards as their security and safety depend on unstable agro-climatic conditions. Thus, the climate change vulnerabilities of upland farmers must be assessed to better aid them in coping with the worsening scenes. The study aims to identify such vulnerabilities and determine climate change adaptation and coping measures practiced by upland farmers. Policy interventions that may be relevant to eliminate or lessen vulnerability will also be identified. The typical exposure factors identified in Benguet are landslides, erosion, extreme temperatures, and climate events. The province has a sloping, rugged topography, and intensive land tillage or cropping system. This indicates that the area is sensitive to soil erosion and landslides. The area's soil and water conservation practices are not enough to address heavy rains and drought. The adaptive strategies practiced by upland farmers are using drought and water-resistant crops; water-impounding facilities; greenhouse or crop shelter; tree planting; and planting high-value crops, such as coffee, cacao, lemon, and other fruit trees. Through policy review, comprehensive policy actions were recommended and instituted to address identified vulnerabilities, such as tree planting, information drive, and deputization of barangay officials and volunteers to perform environmental functions. Further, it is recommended that the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Sangguniang Pambayan, and Sangguniang Pambarangay develop forestry policies with the technical assistance of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. These recommendations are expected to avert disasters while maximizing the usefulness of the lands and, ultimately, support the upland farmers in their livelihood.