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Abstract

Agriculture in the Andes is subject to multiple climate-related risks, typical of complex mountain ecosystems. Most of the strategies used to confront or reduce these risks are based on the adaptive capital of the farm households, such as the availability of labor, extension, and distribution of agricultural land, access to markets, among others. In order to increase the adaptive capacity of farm households, it is first necessary to understand the heterogeneity of the factors that explain their vulnerability. This article presents an analysis of archetypes (patterns) of climate vulnerability based on empirical data of farm household systems in the central Andes of Peru. The study uses mixed methods, combining qualitative tools and quantitative techniques, including cluster analysis. The results demonstrate the suitability of the methodology for explaining the vulnerability of farm household systems to climate-related hazards. For the case study, seven factors explain differences in vulnerability between five archetypes of agricultural households, including agricultural area, availability of irrigation, use of different agro-ecological zones, and access to non-agricultural employment.