Adaptive Strategies Building Resilience to Climate Variability in Argentina, Canada and Colombia

Abstract

Many regions of the world are experiencing the impacts of climate change, which include the increasing variability of weather as well as increased drought and flood. Although many areas have had a long history of this variability and have a strong historic practice of adaptation, increasing variability has had a significant impact on adaptive strategies of agricultural producers over the last several years. Drawing on comparative vulnerability studies of agricultural producers in dryland river basins in Argentina, Canada, and Colombia, this paper presents an analysis of the adaptive strategies employed by agricultural producers in responding to climate change impacts and an analysis of how these adaptive strategies have built resilience and improved producers’ living conditions. Common exposures and sensitivities, linked with increasing variability, isolate important new adaptive strategies. Particular attention to the connection of these strategies to social, economic and institutional capital and the inter-relationship of these provides important insight for future adaptation. These research findings will be useful for governments, policymakers, and organizations assisting with adaptation.