Autonomous Adaptation to Extreme Hydrometeorological Events: A Case Study of the Coexistence of an Indigenous Territory with Climate Risk at the Sixaola Basin, Costa Rica
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15359/rca.50-2.2Keywords:
Adaptability, agriculture, climate, indigenous, traditional knowledge.Abstract
Autonomous adaptation refers to the measures taken by a specific population as a self-managed response to an adverse climate event. The absence of government help or large-scale investments determines the local-scale nature of those initiatives. Observation and traditional knowledge are the basis of this kind of adaptation measures. In this text; we analyzed the process that led the indigenous community; dedicated to agriculture in Sixaola River’s Basin; to take actions for increasing their resilience and adaptation to continuous extreme climate events. A qualitative ethnographic method was used on the basis of a record research on databases and other secondary sources to develop participatory observations; two discussion groups; and a workshop. It was found that women producers of cocoa and their families took measures such as crops diversification; farmer’s associations; community organizations; and village relocation without governmental support. This case offers inputs and lessons learned relevant to the current topic; the adaptation and resilience measures in rural territories.
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