Talking About the Weather in Chiapas, Mexico: Rural Women's Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation

Abstract

Climate change is a global phenomenon with effects that reverberate throughout the world at individual, local, and national scales. Individuals, communities, organizations, states, nations, and regions often have different capacities and strategies to adapt to changing environmental realities, and those nuanced experiences can contribute to a global conversation about climate change. Through semi-structured interviews with women in 2 local development organizations, La Red de Productores y Cosumidores Responsables Comida Sana y Cercana and Mujeres y Maiz, in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, this paper analyzes local development programs and their contribution to climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies for members. I argue that the missions, visions, and practices of each organization are rooted in experience and knowledge of the past and present and alternative visions for the future. Specifically, the paper situates pathways to development created by local organizations into their socioeconomic context, discussing niche markets created by EZLN solidarity tourism, the implementation of NAFTA, and the cultural significance of both maize and the milpa.