The Mesoamerican region is considered to be one of the areas in the world most vulnerable to climate change. We developed a framework for quantifying the vulnerability of the livelihoods of coffee growers in Mesoamerica at regional and local levels and identify adaptation strategies. Following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concepts, vulnerability was defined as the combination of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. To quantify exposure, changes in the climatic suitability for coffee and other crops were predicted through niche modelling based on historical climate data and locations of coffee growing areas from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Future climate projections were generated from 19 Global Circulation Models. Focus groups were used to identify nine indicators of sensitivity and eleven indicators of adaptive capacity, which were evaluated through semi-structured interviews with 558 coffee producers. Exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity were then condensed into an index of vulnerability, and adaptation strategies were identified in participatory workshops. Models predict that all target countries will experience a decrease in climatic suitability for growing Arabica coffee, with highest suitability loss for El Salvador and lowest loss for Mexico. High vulnerability resulted from loss in climatic suitability for coffee production and high sensitivity through variability of yields and out-migration of the work force. This was combined with low adaptation capacity as evidenced by poor post harvest infrastructure and in some cases poor access to credit and low levels of social organization. Nevertheless, the specific contributors to vulnerability varied strongly among countries, municipalities and families making general trends difficult to identify. Flexible strategies for adaption are therefore needed. Families need the support of government and institutions specialized in impacts of climate change and strengthening of farmer organizations to enable the adjustment of adaptation strategies to local needs and conditions.
There are worldwide approximately 4.3 million coffee (Coffea arabica) producing smallholders generating a large share of tropical developing countries' gross domestic product, notably in Central America. Their livelihoods and coffee production are facing
Coffee is a major global commodity whose production is sustained by and provides livelihoods for millions of smallholder families in the tropics. However, it is highly sensitive to climate change and the climate risk family farmer's face from direct impacts on coffee production are often compounded by further impacts on the physical and social landscapes and infrastructure. We examine the vulnerability (sensitivity and adaptive capacity) of smallholder coffee farmers in northeastern Peru via the lens of their central participation in a value chain that mediates access to livelihood assets, affecting their adaptive capacity and aspects of their sensitivity. Using a staged and participatory, mixed-methods approach, we sought to understand the territorial climate exposure, the structure of the regional value chain and role of different actors in supporting farmer adaptive capacity, and assess the vulnerability of the entire value chain (including other actors in addition to farmers). We found heterogeneity not only in the potential impact of climate change on coffee production, future adaptation needs and vulnerability of farmers across the territory (among elevational zones and regions), but in the distribution of vulnerability among value chain actors. Farmers are the most vulnerable actors, simultaneously the most sensitive and with the lowest adaptive capacity, issues stemming from their strong territorial dependence and pre-existing social and economic asymmetries with actors in the coffee value chain who are not as territorially dependent (e.g., private companies). We make the case that supporting the adaptation of smallholder farmers in the study region requires moving beyond a value-chain approach to a territorial systems perspective that more intentionally involves those actors with stronger, locally vested interests (e.g., local governments and institutions) in their adaptation and requires the strengthening capacities of these actors in various areas.
El confinamiento social en México secundario a la pandemia de COVID-19 provocó un aumento en la prevalencia de ansiedad en personas mayores, así como de las complicaciones de sus enfermedades preexistentes por falta de atención. En el área de la salud, como en diferentes campos, se recurrió al uso de las tecnologías de la información para continuar con la atención de los pacientes. El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar la utilidad de la telemedicina para disminuir los niveles de ansiedad en adultos mayores mediante la implementación de un Programa gerontológico. Para ello se realizó un estudio cuasiexperimental con 5 personas mayores de 60 años que asistieron a consulta en una unidad de primer nivel de atención en el periodo comprendido del 25 al 31 de marzo de 2021 (previo al confinamiento en México), que contaban con un dispositivo (celular, computadora o Tablet) e internet. se les aplicó una escala para detectar su ansiedad; posteriormente, se incluyeron en un programa gerontológico de tres sesiones de 30 minutos en tres semanas, a través de una plataforma gratuita de videollamada (Zoom). En cada sesión se alternaron cinco actividades: autoconciencia emocional, respiración profunda, meditación, relajación muscular progresiva de Jacobson e imaginación guiada. De las 5 personas que iniciaron, sólo 4 cumplieron el programa, en el total de éstas se observó una disminución de los niveles de ansiedad, con lo que se concluye que la telemedicina es útil para aplicar programas gerontológicos dirigidos a disminuir los niveles de atención en personas mayores.
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