Adaptation to climate change in the tropical mountains? Effects of intraseasonal climate variability on crop diversification strategies in the Peruvian Andes

Crop diversification, selection of tolerant crops, and intercropping are some of the strategies that Andean farmers, as well as farmers in other mountain regions, have historically used to cope with climate-related risks and take advantage of heterogeneous agricultural land (with plots located at different altitudes, facing different environmental conditions). This study analyzes the role of climate variability - during the growing season - in the use of these strategies, in a context of climate change in the Andean region. Using agrarian census data from 1994 and 2012 (district panel), the author finds that - controlling for other climate conditions and socio-economic factors - , an increase in intraseasonal climate variability leads farmers in colder areas (<11˚C during the growing season) to concentrate their crop portfolio into more tolerant crops and reduce intercropping (a practice potentially efficient at controlling pest and disease). This effect is especially strong in the Southern region. Given that Andean farmers received little to no help to adapt to climate change during the period under analysis, this study informs about farmers’ autonomous adaptation to climate changes and some specific issues that need to be part of the public intervention agenda. ; La diversificación de cultivos, la selección de cultivos tolerantes y el cultivo intercalado son algunas de las estrategias que los agricultores andinos, al igual que los agricultores de otras regiones montañosas, han utilizado históricamente para enfrentar los riesgos relacionados con el clima y para aprovechar las tierras agrícolas heterogéneas (con parcelas ubicadas en distintas altitudes, enfrentando diferentes condiciones ambientales). Este estudio analiza el papel de la variabilidad climática - durante el período de crecimiento - en el uso de estas estrategias, en un contexto de cambio climático en la región andina. Utilizando datos censales agrarios de 1994 y 2012 (panel distrital), la autora encuentra que - controlando por otras condiciones ...