Determinant Indicators for Assessing the Adaptive Capacity of Agricultural Producers to Climate Change

Abstract

Assessing adaptive capacity to climate change is a complex task since it is a multidimensional component. There has been considerable discrepancy between the dimensions or elements that compose it. This study aimed to analyze the relevant dimensions and indicators that allow estimation of the adaptive capacity to climate change and to propose a set of indicators that will enable their application to assessment at the level of agricultural producers. A systematic review of scientific literature on evaluating or measuring adaptive capacity to climate change was carried out. Subsequently, the indicators were analyzed and selected through a coincidence analysis and were calibrated through a multicriteria evaluation with relevant actors in the southern Mexico, state of Chiapas. In total, 329 indicators were identified and analyzed. As a result, 19 indicators were selected and then grouped into six dimensions: economic resources, human resources, infrastructure for production and marketing, institutionality, social capital, and natural resources. These represent the 14 specific dimensions with the greatest potential to contribute to the estimation of adaptive capacity to climate change. The dimensions and indicators can be applied to assess the adaptive capacity of farmers in Mexico at a national or regional scale and specifically by producer types.