Local-scale factors and dynamics in climate adaptability among subsistence farmers

Abstract

Climate change is the primary environmental threat to subsistence farmers’ productivity in Peru. Adaptation is promoted as the best mechanism to cope with climate change in subsistence agricultural livelihoods. However, climatic adaptability depends on the resources the farmer has access to or can use, which are not always adequate to respond effectively to the speed and aggressiveness of climate change. This study explored the local factors and dynamics (assets) influencing the climate adaptability processes of subsistence farmers in Huayhuay, Peru. Twenty subsistence farmers participated in semi-structured interviews within a basic qualitative design. The results brought to light 18 local factors and dynamics that influence the coping mechanisms of climate adaptability. These findings support other investigations that demonstrate the difficulty of climate change adaptation agricultural communities face. The difficulty of climate change adaptation has rooted the interrelationships of assets of different natures within the same adaptive process. Future research and interventions should encourage the active participation of farmers in local climate action and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of farmers' adaptability mechanisms, considering the role of each local-scale factor and dynamic.