Soil quality indicators related to social-ecological resilience: How to better inform climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in Maya milpa management

Keywords: soil, management, milpa, maya, Guatemala, agriculture, resiliency, climate change, vulnerability
Session Type: Virtual Poster
Day: Wednesday
Session Start / End Time: 4/7/2021 03:05 PM (Pacific Time (US & Canada)) - 4/7/2021 04:20 PM (Pacific Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 51

Abstract

Anthropogenic climate change will bring about many environmental and social impacts. Guatemala’s Maya indigenous communities are highly vulnerable to climatic changes and disturbance events because of their reliance on rainfed agriculture in the milpa cultivation system. Vulnerability assessments informing development projects generally lack quantifiable soil quality indicators that can compare soil sustainability values across agriculture types. Biological soil quality indicators like arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and glomalin concentrations are viable indicators for both short and long-term soil quality; these measurements can also identify which management practices support soil functions that store carbon in the soil. Increasing soil carbon stocks in agriculture is an important goal for regulating greenhouse gases, so soil quality assessments should include these and other biological indicators that quantify soil carbon sequestration. AMF and glomalin are sensitive to different management practices, making them powerful soil quality indicators that can identify which management practices contribute to building social-ecological resilience.