Engaging in climate change adaptation strategies with farmers in the Peruvian Andes, coupled with climate records and climate change projections

There is evidence that farmers in the Peruvian Andes are already engaging in climate change adaptation, for example, moving their production areas to higher elevations or switching to new crops and cropping systems. It is unclear whether these existing adaptations actually reduce risk and also whether they could hamper future adaptation - for example, farmers are reporting that yield-damaging frost events at higher elevations are becoming more erratic (linked to reductions in cloud cover).

We have economic and production information relating to the existing diversity of farms and farming in the Peruvian Andes, coupled with climate records and climate change projections for the area. This project would involve

1) analysis of existing and newly collected data to understand how climate is impacting the productivity and economic performance of different crops and cropping systems and development of future adaptation options, a. how has production changed in recent history? b. What have impacts been for farmers?

2) fieldwork comprising farmer interviews and on-the-ground yield and yield-proxy measures to collect additional economic and production information, and insights into farmer behaviour and their preferences for future climate change adaptation options, 3) Exploring the contribution of agrobiodiverse approaches to climate resilience and their economic implications

Please be aware that this project is being full defined over the first three months of the studentship. This is part of the BAME Home Scholarship that Scenario runs.