Socio-ecologic aspects that explain the resilience to climate change in agricultural systems of La Palma municipality, Pinar del Río, Cuba

Abstract

Pinar del Río’s agricultural systems exhibit a high diversity and heterogeneity, due to its ecological characteristics and its own socio-cultural identity. Frequent hurricanes, prolonged drought, as well as socio-political aspects, make some of the food production systems highly vulnerable. There is an urgent need to identify adaptation strategies and responses to such events and setbacks that provoke unsustainability. This study aimed at the identification of innovative agroecological practices that confer resilience to agricultural systems in facing both hurricanes and droughts. A group of farms was selected and identified according to predefined criteria. Interviews and structured surveys were conducted in each farm as well as participative workshops were organized including all local actors directly related with agriculture (farmers, university professors, students, agriculturalists, government agents) and community inhabitants. Resistance and recovery practices used by the community to face drought and hurricanes were gleaned, a Venn diagram was utilized to understand their implementation capacity at the local level. Among the practices used to enhance resiliency in farms can be mentioned: reforestation, increase of functional biodiversity, artisanal food conservation, local germplasm banks, soil conservation and improvement, access to local markets and minimal dependence of synthetic external products. It was found that more than 80% of the practices were located in the first level of application possibility. Forest cover increase and market access were mentioned as the more complex practices to be implemented, due to limited seed availability and woody staplings as well as economic regulations. Energetic independence was perceived as a priority strategy for both, hurricanes and droughts. Community cooperation and integration appeared as a conductive thread of execution and dissemination of innovative agroecological practices, as well as, intra-community social assistance. It can be concluded that knowledge, capacity and resources availability to confront external perturbations exists in the studied communities, despite low institutional support; complemented by a strong community cohesion which allows for the dissemination of new resilience strategies.