Adaptation Measures to Climate Change as Perceived by Smallholder Farmers in the Andes

Abstract

Events related to the global effects of climate change (CC) have impacted smallholder farmers from developing countries more severely than any other group. This paper presents the case of Colombian Andean Altiplano farmers who are increasingly exposed to the impacts of a highly variable climate, yet have developed adaptation and coping strategies in their farms to reduce it. Semi-structured and structured interviews were held with 27 smallholders at the beginning and at the end of one year; over this period, two participant-observation sessions were also conducted on each farm. According to smallholders, CC is manifested by a modification in the seasons and the amount and frequency of night frosts, droughts, and rainfall. Smallholders utilized 13 on-farm strategies, the most reported of which were polyculture, water management, and soil conservation. Our research also found a high diversity of crops (47 species and 79 varieties), and mixed smallholder perceptions of these crops to climate variability vulnerability. Notably, most of their important species were vulnerable cash crops. The relevant off-farm strategies were: land tenure, whereby more adaptation strategies were applied by owners than tenants; membership in smallholder associations that promoted shared strategies; and off-farm work to diversify their incomes. Altiplano smallholders are adapting to CC by employing the tools that are available to them; those practices have helped to ensure Colombia's food security, largely without public institutional and private sector participation.