Building agricultural climate resilience through local to multi-national partnership

Authors: Elias, Emile; STEELE, CAITI - New Mexico State University

Submitted to: American Geophysical Union
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/1/2023
Publication Date: 12/11/2023
Citation: Elias, E.H., Steele, C. 2023. Building agricultural climate resilience through local to multi-national partnership. American Geophysical Union. Abstract.

Interpretive Summary: We present how partnerships build resilience in agriculture.

Technical Abstract: Agriculture is on the frontline of climate change. Extreme climate and weather events threaten food production via diverse pathways including crop failure or reduced yield, delayed planting and harvesting, expanded pest seasons and ranges, fishery collapse, and health impacts to farmworkers and livestock. Climate-driven impacts on agriculture ultimately lead to issues of food insecurity. However, interconnectedness can help minimize risk, and this can be observed at different spatial scales, from local to regional to international. At the local level, social capital is key. Connected farmers, ranchers, and producer groups are better equipped to build islands of agricultural and food security. For example, agricultural cooperatives and grass banks have emerged to build climate resilience via partnership. At the regional to international scale, connectivity to food trade networks becomes more important. The lesson of interconnectedness also translates to outreach and research efforts. Here we present collaborative solutions at a variety of scales. At a local level the Malpais Borderlands Group builds agricultural, social and ecosystem resilience. At a regional level, networks such as the Southwest Drought Learning network have led to direct support of indigenous partners via funding and requested programs, and ongoing partnerships. At a multinational level, collaborative efforts such as Procinorte, the cooperative program in agricultural research and technology of Canada, Mexico and the United States, helps identify shared priorities and opportunities. At all scales, learning from people in analogous climatic zones can prepare agricultural communities for the future. Localized examples helpful in the climate analogue context include testing desert adapted cattle from Mexico, cultivating indigenous crops in novel locations, investigating precision ranching technologies, and sharing water scarcity solutions currently used in arid environments.