Climate change impact and resilience in Latin America’s rural communities

By Alfredo Osorio

Climate change impact and resilience in Latin America’s rural communities

Two of the greatest issues affecting the world today are climate change and global warming but, due to its dependence on agriculture, natural resources, and traditional knowledge systems for survival, Latin America is facing some fairly unique challenges in this regard.

Local communities are becoming increasingly vulnerable to shifting climate patterns since these tend to disrupt livelihoods by endangering water resources, food security, and cultural traditions.

In fact, in recent years, the combination of the impacts of long-term climate change and cyclical weather patterns, such as El Niño, have increased those threats to a significant degree, leading to severe droughts, floods, and shifts in crop viability.

This is why it is important to consider the overall impact of climate change on agriculture, water resources, and economic resilience within rural Latin American communities while also examining local and indigenous strategies for potential solutions.

Climate change impact on Latin America’s agriculture

Agriculture has long been the backbone of many rural Latin American communities but it is also one of the sectors that is most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Shifting weather patterns such as unpredictable rainfall and heatwaves impact growing conditions and therefore the yield of staple crops.

The impact of heatwaves also negatively affects the livelihoods of those people working on farms, with heatwave-related mortalities having increased by over 140% in the last few years.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s Amazon Basin has experienced unwelcome droughts that have led to record-low water levels which is devastating for rural agriculture communities in the region. Without sufficient water, this has led to a decline in crop yields, and communities that rely on subsistence farming have started to find it almost impossible to grow sufficient food for their families and communities.

Another area that has faced a similar situation is the Andes region, home to many rural Indigenous communities, which has faced higher temperatures that have accelerated the glacial melt, a critical water source for agricultural irrigation in the Andean highlands. As the glaciers begin to recede, communities there are starting to face seasonal water shortages which affect crop viability and productivity, especially for produce such as potatoes, maize, and quinoa – the true staples of Andean diets.

This water scarcity even disrupts the traditional farming cycles because it becomes difficult for farmers to predict the optimum times for planting and harvesting.

In Central America, smallholder farmers face the same challenges and, although they have adapted by experimenting with resilient practices such as planting drought-resistant crops, the severity of the situation is outpacing the adaptive measures.

These rural communities are beginning to become increasingly vulnerable to food insecurity and water scarcity.

Scarcity of water and water resources

Frequent droughts not only affect agricultural productivity but also the hydropower sector and domestic use in rural Latin America. Climate change is putting incredible pressure on these systems and this is especially so in regions where there is a dependence on seasonal rain and glacial meltwater.

In the Andes, for example, glacier retreat is progressing alarmingly which has substanitally reduced the availability and sustainability of the water systems there. The Echaurren Norte glacier on the Chile-Argentina border, for instance, has lost over 30 meters of ice thickness over the last few decades, compromising a huge source of irrigation water for rural Andean communities.

The Amazon Basin’s droughts, exacerbated by El Niño, have also impacted water accessibility. In Brazil, the Negro River dropped to its lower level in well over a century and affected both water supply and transport routes.

In addition, in terms of hydropower, diminishing water reserves constrain power generation and have caused energy shortages in various regions.

Indeed, in the future, both restrictions on drinking water and the limited of electricity supplies could potentially become the norm for millions across rural and, possibly, urban Latin America because of climate change.

Threats to livelihoods and economic resilience

Rural Latin American communities tend to rely on natural resources, but since climate change has threatened these, livelihoods and economic systems face perilous futures.

Peru’s shifting rainfall and dry seasons, for one, have forced small-scale farmers to cut crop production which, in turn, has reduced household incomes and limited access to food.

Similarly, coastal communities in Ecuador and Peru are facing rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification which has harmed fish stocks. For coastal communities, fish are a primary protein and income source so, with dwindling fish populations, families are trying to turn to subsistence farming but that too is limited because of the climate issues which means the lost revenue and nutrition cannot be fully replaced.

To put it simply, the combined agricultural and fishing challenges have heightened rural vulnerability to poverty, migration, and instability.

Local and Indigenous resilience strategies

Despite these challenges provoked by climate change, local and Indigenous people have developed resilience strategies to face such issues.

The Andesian people, for example, use a farming system called ‘agroforestry’ which allows crops to be grown alongside native trees and shrubs. This improves soil quality and biodiversity and even helps crops to resist climate extremes.

Similarly, agroecological practices in Nicaragua are incorporating mixed cropping and natural fertilizers that can preserve soil health and sustain food production despite unpredictable weather.

Meanwhile, in Cuba, women-led cooperatives are leveraging sustainable agriculture techniques such as shade-grown coffee and solar-powered irrigation systems, which are perfect for conserving water and reducing the use of artificial fertilizers.

While conventional farming might rely on monocropping and intensive resources, traditional Indigenous practices put biodiversity, ecological balance, and sustainability first, making for better strategies to combat climate change.

The bottom line: future scenarios for Latin America

It is important to note that international aid and policy efforts have been, and still are, vital to support climate resilience in Latin America, even if the effectiveness of different approaches does vary such as programs providing climate-resilient irrigation systems and sustainable farming initiatives for rural areas.

However, critics also comment that aid can fail if it ignores local contexts and Indigenous knowledge and subsequently risks unsustainable outcomes and harms biodiversity. Therefore, to make meaningful progress, climate adaptation has to learn to integrate local input and ensure long-term sustainability.

Building on this, various policy initiatives aim to bolster resilience in rural Latin America to help to combat the negative impacts of climate change such as 12 countries that are developing Health National Adaptation Plans to prepare for climate-linked health risks such as dengue.

Simply put, expanding meteorological services and supporting farmers with climate-resilient seeds and sustainable training are essential to strengthen rural resilience which, in turn, is necessary due to the impact of climate change on rural communities in Latin America.