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Abstract:
The Andean-Amazon foothills region, one of the richest biodiversity eco-regions on
earth, is threatened by climate change, in combination with unsustainable agricultural
and extensive livestock farming. These land-use practices tend to reduce the
diversification of rural farming, which in turn decreases households’ livelihood
alternatives, rendering them more vulnerable to climate change. We studied the
relationship between rural livelihood diversification and household-level vulnerability to
climate change, in a sample of Andean-Amazon foothills households in Colombia and
Peru. Firstly, we determined typologies of households, based on their rural livelihood
diversification, including farming diversification (agrobiodiversity and farming activities)
and agroecological management practices. Secondly, we evaluated each household
typology’s vulnerability to climate change by assessing two components -sensitivity
and adaptive capacity- based on the ‘livelihood assets pentagon’, which encompasses
the five human ‘capitals’: natural; social; human; physical; and financial. We concluded
that households with higher rural livelihood diversification are less vulnerable to climate
change. However, it is not possible to draw major conclusions about the relationship
between the factors of ‘diversification of management practices’ and ‘vulnerability to
climate change’, because most households had few agroecological practices. Results
may inform future interventions that aim to decrease Andean-Amazon foothills
households’ sensitivity and strengthen their adaptive capacity to climate change.
