Learning resilience: Smallholder diversification in the context of Hurricanes Iota and Eta and other livelihood threats in northern Nicaragua

Keywords: agriculture, agroecology, sustainability, climate change, diversification, livelihoods, smallholders, Central America, food security
Session Type: Virtual Poster Abstract
Day: Sunday
Session Start / End Time: 2/27/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/27/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 38

Abstract

Despite converging agendas identifying diversification and other principles of agroecology as key strategies to reduce disaster risk, conserve biodiversity, reduce climate emissions, improve food security, and build resilience in agriculture and food systems, contentious debates about how to accelerate food system transformations, who should lead them, and where they are going remain. A growing voice from social movements to policy makers calls for investment in agroecology as a science, practice, and social process that recognizes the agency, context, and cultures of local farmers and eaters. Indeed, smallholders interested in this transformation– including those studied in this project– often already practice agricultural and livelihood diversification, combining subsistence and commercial agriculture with off-farm income sources to feed themselves and make a living.

This poster shares an analysis of field research in northern Nicaragua from 2014 to the present, focusing on the extent to which farmers, communities, and institutions have adopted and adapted diversification strategies, and the reasons they have done so. How can we characterize or measure diversification and other agroecological practices across time and across farm households? To what extent is diversification an adaptive response to the prospect or experience of such hazards as droughts, hurricanes, or plant pathogens? Have diversification strategies contributed to farmers’ dietary diversity, food security, women’s empowerment, and resilience? How do smallholders learn about these practices, and why do they adopt or avoid them? Toward answering these questions, we report on survey and ethnographic evidence from 2014-2017 and initial research since hurricanes Iota and Eta in 2020.