The use of Ecosystem-based Adaptation practices by smallholder farmers in Central America

Harvey, Célia A.; Martínez‐Rodríguez, M. Ruth; Cárdenas, José Mario; Avelino, Jacques; Rapidel, Bruno; Vignola, Raffaele; Donatti, Camila I.; Vílchez-Mendoza, Sergio

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2017.04.018

Cited by 68 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…The higher vulnerability of basic grain farmers probably reflects the fact that these farmers tend to cultivate slightly smaller plots of land, are directly dependent on their plot for food security, are less likely to own the land they cultivate, and are often much poorer than their coffee counterparts [41,64]. It also reflects the differential vulnerability of the agroecosystems: in the landscapes we studied, coffee is traditionally planted in agroforestry systems [53], which are more likely to endure climate change impacts than non-agroforestry systems such as basic grains [65,66]. Basic grain farmers are also less likely to have access to technical support than coffee farmers: only 13.1% of basic grain farmers had been visited by agronomists in the last 2 years, compared to 31.3% of coffee farmers.…”

Section: Differences In Climate Change Impacts and Responses Across Smentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In addition, some smallholder farmers (particularly maize and bean farmers in Honduras and Guatemala) have insecure land tenure and either rent the land that that they cultivate, use communal land, or share land with other farmers. Our parallel field survey of farm practices used by these smallholder farmers [53] found that smallholder farmers with insecure land tenure were less likely to have implemented adaptation strategies than those farmers who owned their land, because they were unwilling to make long-term investments in practices that yield longterm benefits. Insecure land tenure, limited capital, low education, and lack of access to financial and technical support have also been identified as key constraints to adaptation elsewhere [e.g., 6,16,54,55].…”

Section: (244)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, many of the technological adaptation strategies (such as the planting of new varieties, establishment of irrigation systems, or an increased use of fertilizers and agrochemicals) are resource-intensive and are often beyond the reach of smallholder farmers who have limited capital, family labor, and access to credit or finance [51]. Ecosystem-based Adaptation measures, such as adding trees to coffee systems to buffer the impacts of extreme weather events or diversifying crop production to reduce the risk of crop losses, may be more accessible to smallholder farmers as they are based on the management of existing resources [53,57]. Adaptation plans should therefore support a diverse menu of adaptation practices that farmers can select from and modify based on their contexts, needs, and experiences.…”

Section: Conclusion and Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Climate change is already having significant adverse impacts on smallholder coffee and basic grain farmers across the region and could undermine national and regional efforts to alleviate poverty, achieve food security, and enhance economic development. Facilitating smallholder farmer adaptation to climate change will require a combination of policy, technical, and research solutions, including the development of adaptation policies and programs targeted at smallholder farmers, the creation of incentives, credits, and other financing mechanisms to support farmer adaptation efforts, the development of research to identify the most effective adaptation options, and the strengthening of extension services to provide technical support to farmers on how to enhance their resilience to climate change [10,52,53], among other activities. As Central American countries develop their national climate adaptation strategies and plans for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the adaptation needs of smallholder farmers merit special attention.…”

Section: Conclusion and Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate change impacts and adaptation among smallholder farmers in Central America

et al. 2018

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Background: Smallholder farmers are one of the most vulnerable groups to climate change, yet efforts to support farmer adaptation are hindered by the lack of information on how they are experiencing and responding to climate change. More information is needed on how different types of smallholder farmers vary in their perceptions and responses to climate change, and how to tailor adaptation programs to different smallholder farmer contexts. We surveyed 860 smallholder coffee and basic grain (maize/bean) farmers across six Central American landscapes to understand farmer perceptions of climate change and the impacts they are experiencing, how they are changing their agricultural systems in response to climate change, and their adaptation needs.Results: Almost all (95%) of the surveyed smallholder farmers have observed climate change, and most are already experiencing impacts of rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall and extreme weather events on crop yields, pest and disease incidence, income generation and, in some cases, food security. For example, 87% of maize farmers and 66% of coffee farmers reported negative impacts of climate change on crop production, and 32% of all smallholder farmers reported food insecurity following extreme weather events. Of the farmers perceiving changes in climate, 46% indicated that they had changed their farming practices in response to climate change, with the most common adaptation measure being the planting of trees. There was significant heterogeneity among farmers in the severity of climate change impacts, their responses to these impacts, and their adaptation needs. This heterogeneity likely reflects the wide diversity of socioeconomic and biophysical contexts across smallholder farms and landscapes. Conclusions:Our study demonstrates that climate change is already having significant adverse impacts on smallholder coffee and basic grain farmers across the Central American region. There is an urgent need for governments, donors and practitioners to ramp up efforts to help smallholder farmers cope with existing climate impacts and build resiliency to future changes. Our results also highlight the importance of tailoring of climate adaptation policies and programs to the diverse socioeconomic conditions, biophysical contexts, and climatic stresses that smallholder farmers face.

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Section: Differences In Climate Change Impacts and Responses Across Smentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: (244)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conclusion and Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conclusion and Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate change impacts and adaptation among smallholder farmers in Central America

et al. 2018

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“…La información recolectada se describe por medio de tablas e indicadores estadísticos. Los resultados obtenidos se discuten con base en investigaciones realizadas a nivel regional (Cruz-Bello et al, 2011;Eakin et al, 2014;Ruiz-Meza, 2015;Zuluaga et al, 2015;Bacon et al, 2017;Harvey et al, 2017), y se plantean ideas clave para promover la adaptación del sector cafetalero costarricense al cambio climático.…”

Section: Información Recolectada Y Análisis Realizadosunclassified

Percepciones de cambio climático y respuestas adaptativas de caficultores costarricenses de pequeña escala

Viguera¹,

Alpízar²,

Harvey³

et al. 2019

Agron. Mesoam.

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Introducción. El cambio climático afectará la distribución, productividad y rentabilidad del cultivo de café en América Central, perjudicando las economías nacionales y los medios de vida de los pequeños productores. Es necesario entender cómo el cambio climático está afectando a los pequeños caficultores en la región para promover medidas que permitan enfrentar estos cambios y adaptarse a ellos. Objetivo. El objetivo de este trabajo fue describir los sistemas cafetaleros costarricenses de pequeña escala en dos zonas productivas y explorar los esfuerzos de adaptación al cambio climático que realizan los productores. Materiales y métodos. Entre marzo y mayo de 2014, se realizaron encuestas estructuradas en hogares cafetaleros de dos paisajes vulnerables al cambio climático: Turrialba y Los Santos. El estudio se centró en las percepciones de los productores sobre los cambios en temperatura y lluvia, los impactos reportados como consecuencia de dichos cambios y las acciones de adaptación implementadas en las fincas. Resultados. Los resultados indicaron que el 98 % de los productores percibió cambios en el clima, gran parte de ellos los asociaron con impactos sobre su producción de café, y el 60 % de los encuestados realizó cambios en el manejo de sus cafetales para reducir los efectos del cambio climático. Las prácticas de adaptación más frecuentes fueron sembrar árboles e incrementar el uso de agroquímicos, en mayor medida en respuesta al incremento de temperatura. Conclusión. Este estudio destaca la necesidad de incrementar el apoyo técnico, financiero y político orientado a fomentar y diversificar la implementación de prácticas de adaptación entre pequeños caficultores e incrementar su resiliencia ante el cambio climático.

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Perceptions of Extreme Weather Events and Adaptation Decisions

Saborío-Rodríguez

Rodríguez

Aguilar-Solano³

et al. 2021

Extreme Events and Climate Change

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The use of Ecosystem-based Adaptation practices by smallholder farmers in Central America

Cited by 68 publications

References 49 publications

Climate change impacts and adaptation among smallholder farmers in Central America

Climate change impacts and adaptation among smallholder farmers in Central America

Percepciones de cambio climático y respuestas adaptativas de caficultores costarricenses de pequeña escala

Perceptions of Extreme Weather Events and Adaptation Decisions

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