Ecosystem-based Adaptation by smallholder basic grain farms in Guatemala and Honduras
In Central America maize and beans are usually cultivated by farmers who have small landholdings and live in vulnerable situations. Climate change is an important threat to these smallholder basic grain farmers, putting at risk their production systems and their livelihoods. The use of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) can help them to adapt to climate change, however there is limited information on the use of EbA. The objective of the present work was to characterize the EbA strategies that smallholder basic grain farmers of four landscapes in Guatemala and Honduras use to increase their resilience to climate change. Using interviews and field measurements in 160 farms, between July 2014 and June 2015, we 1) explored how common the use of different EbA practices is, 2) documented the biophysical characteristics of these practices, and 3) explored if the implementation and characteristics of EbA practices differed among landscapes. Our results indicate that even though they own small land areas (mean maize plot area of ~0.68 ha), have low education levels and low access to technical training and advice, many smallholder basic grain farmers are using EbA practices in their farms. The most common EbA practices were the use of dispersed trees, home gardens and live fences. An ANOVA anlysis indicated significant differences in the use of different EbA practices among farmers, which suggests that farmers adapt practices in response to the social and biophysical conditions where they live. Our study suggests that smallholder basic grain farmers have the experience and the knowledge to use EbA practices and recognize the benefits derived from the implementation of such practices. However, in order to increase use of EbA practices, more technical, financial and political support is needed.
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Universidad de Costa Rica
2018
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Chain-Guadarrama, Adina Martínez-Rodríguez, M. R. Cárdenas, José Mario Vílchez-Mendoza, Sergio Harvey, C. A. |
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Chain-Guadarrama, Adina Martínez-Rodríguez, M. R. Cárdenas, José Mario Vílchez-Mendoza, Sergio Harvey, C. A. Ecosystem-based Adaptation by smallholder basic grain farms in Guatemala and Honduras |
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Chain-Guadarrama, Adina Martínez-Rodríguez, M. R. Cárdenas, José Mario Vílchez-Mendoza, Sergio Harvey, C. A. |
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Chain-Guadarrama, Adina |
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Ecosystem-based Adaptation by smallholder basic grain farms in Guatemala and Honduras |
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Ecosystem-based Adaptation by smallholder basic grain farms in Guatemala and Honduras |
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Ecosystem-based Adaptation by smallholder basic grain farms in Guatemala and Honduras |
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Ecosystem-based Adaptation by smallholder basic grain farms in Guatemala and Honduras |
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Ecosystem-based Adaptation by smallholder basic grain farms in Guatemala and Honduras |
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ecosystem-based adaptation by smallholder basic grain farms in guatemala and honduras |
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In Central America maize and beans are usually cultivated by farmers who have small landholdings and live in vulnerable situations. Climate change is an important threat to these smallholder basic grain farmers, putting at risk their production systems and their livelihoods. The use of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) can help them to adapt to climate change, however there is limited information on the use of EbA. The objective of the present work was to characterize the EbA strategies that smallholder basic grain farmers of four landscapes in Guatemala and Honduras use to increase their resilience to climate change. Using interviews and field measurements in 160 farms, between July 2014 and June 2015, we 1) explored how common the use of different EbA practices is, 2) documented the biophysical characteristics of these practices, and 3) explored if the implementation and characteristics of EbA practices differed among landscapes. Our results indicate that even though they own small land areas (mean maize plot area of ~0.68 ha), have low education levels and low access to technical training and advice, many smallholder basic grain farmers are using EbA practices in their farms. The most common EbA practices were the use of dispersed trees, home gardens and live fences. An ANOVA anlysis indicated significant differences in the use of different EbA practices among farmers, which suggests that farmers adapt practices in response to the social and biophysical conditions where they live. Our study suggests that smallholder basic grain farmers have the experience and the knowledge to use EbA practices and recognize the benefits derived from the implementation of such practices. However, in order to increase use of EbA practices, more technical, financial and political support is needed. |
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Universidad de Costa Rica |
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2018 |
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https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/agromeso/article/view/32678 |
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oai:portal.ucr.ac.cr:article326782023-06-16T13:47:27Z Ecosystem-based Adaptation by smallholder basic grain farms in Guatemala and Honduras Adaptación basada en Ecosistemas en pequeñas fincas de granos básicos en Guatemala y Honduras Chain-Guadarrama, Adina Martínez-Rodríguez, M. R. Cárdenas, José Mario Vílchez-Mendoza, Sergio Harvey, C. A. beans climate change home gardens live fences maize. cambio climático cercos vivos frijol huertos caseros maíz. Adaptación al cambio climático In Central America maize and beans are usually cultivated by farmers who have small landholdings and live in vulnerable situations. Climate change is an important threat to these smallholder basic grain farmers, putting at risk their production systems and their livelihoods. The use of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) can help them to adapt to climate change, however there is limited information on the use of EbA. The objective of the present work was to characterize the EbA strategies that smallholder basic grain farmers of four landscapes in Guatemala and Honduras use to increase their resilience to climate change. Using interviews and field measurements in 160 farms, between July 2014 and June 2015, we 1) explored how common the use of different EbA practices is, 2) documented the biophysical characteristics of these practices, and 3) explored if the implementation and characteristics of EbA practices differed among landscapes. Our results indicate that even though they own small land areas (mean maize plot area of ~0.68 ha), have low education levels and low access to technical training and advice, many smallholder basic grain farmers are using EbA practices in their farms. The most common EbA practices were the use of dispersed trees, home gardens and live fences. An ANOVA anlysis indicated significant differences in the use of different EbA practices among farmers, which suggests that farmers adapt practices in response to the social and biophysical conditions where they live. Our study suggests that smallholder basic grain farmers have the experience and the knowledge to use EbA practices and recognize the benefits derived from the implementation of such practices. However, in order to increase use of EbA practices, more technical, financial and political support is needed. En Centroamérica, el maíz y el frijol son usualmente cultivados por agricultores que tienen pequeñas áreas de tierra y viven en situación de vulnerabilidad. El cambio climático representa una importante amenaza para estos pequeños agricultores de granos básicos, poniendo en peligro sus sistemas de producción y medios de vida. El uso de Adaptación basada en Ecosistemas (AbE) puede ayudarlos a enfrentar el cambio climático, pero existe poca información sobre el tema. El objetivo de este trabajo fue caracterizar las estrategias de AbE que los pequeños agricultores de granos básicos de cuatro paisajes de Guatemala y Honduras utilizan para aumentar su resiliencia frente al cambio climático. A través de entrevistas y mediciones en campo en 160 fincas, entre julio 2014 y junio 2015, 1) se exploró qué tan común es el uso de las diferentes prácticas de AbE, 2) se documentaron las características biofísicas de estas prácticas, y 3) se determinó si la implementación y características de las prácticas difieren entre paisajes. Los resultados indican que muchos de los pequeños agricultores de granos básicos usan prácticas de AbE, aun cuando cultivan áreas pequeñas (parcelas de maíz de ~0,68 ha), tienen un bajo nivel de educación y bajo acceso a capacitaciones o consejos técnicos. Las prácticas más comunes fueron el uso de árboles dispersos, huertos caseros y cercas vivas. Resultados de un análisis de ANDEVA indican que hubo diferencias significativas en el uso de diferentes prácticas entre agricultores, que sugiere que las adoptan en respuesta a sus medios de vida y condiciones biofísicas. El estudio sugiere que los pequeños agricultores de granos básicos tienen la experiencia y el conocimiento para utilizar prácticas de AbE, y que ven beneficios derivados de su implementación; sin embargo, para ampliar el uso de estas prácticas, se necesita más apoyo técnico, financiero y político. Universidad de Costa Rica 2018-09-01 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Article application/pdf text/html application/epub+zip https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/agromeso/article/view/32678 10.15517/ma.v29i3.32678 Agronomía Mesoamericana; 2018: Agronomía Mesoamericana: Vol. 29, Issue 3 (September-December); 571-583 Agronomía Mesoamericana; 2018: Agronomía Mesoamericana: Vol. 29, Nº 3 (Setiembre-diciembre); 571-583 Agronomía Mesoamericana; 2018: Agronomía Mesoamericana: Vol. 29, Issue 3 (September-December); 571-583 2215-3608 1021-7444 spa https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/agromeso/article/view/32678/33990 https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/agromeso/article/view/32678/33991 https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/agromeso/article/view/32678/34163 |