Farmers' vulnerability to global change in Navarre, Spain : large-scale irrigation as maladaptation
Albizua, Amaia (Basque Centre for Climate Change (Bilbao))
Corbera, Esteve (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Pascual, Unai 1973- (Basque Centre for Climate Change (Bilbao))

Date:	2019
Abstract:	Agricultural landscapes are dynamic environments which change in response to cropping and trade opportunities, available technologies and climatic conditions. In this article, we investigate farmers' vulnerability to climate-related stressors and crop price volatility in rural Navarre, Spain. Specifically, we analyse the extent to which livelihood differences and vulnerability can be partly explained by the development of a large-scale irrigation project promoted by the Spanish and regional governments. Grounded on qualitative and quantitative data gathered across 22 villages, we demonstrate that small-scale diversified farmers appear the most vulnerable and least able to adapt to climate-related stressors and crop price volatility. In contrast, more market-driven, large-scale intensive farmers, who participate in the irrigation project, are the least vulnerable to these stressors. We argue that the irrigation project has increased the short-term adaptive capacity of irrigation adopters while establishing the institutional conditions for the displacement of small-scale farming. Therefore, we suggest that farmers' vulnerability in Navarre can be explained by maladaptive irrigation policies designed to favour large-scale and market-driven agriculture.
Grants:	European Commission 264465 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MDM-2017-0714 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MDM-2015-0552
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552
Rights:	Tots els drets reservats.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Subject:	Social vulnerability ; Large-scale irrigation ; Global change ; Sensitivity ; Adaptive capacity ; Exposure
Published in:	Regional environmental change, Vol. 19, issue 4 (April 2019) , p. 1147-1158, ISSN 1436-378X

DOI: 10.1007/s10113-019-01462-2

Postprint 17 p, 1.1 MB

Material adicional 43 p, 286.4 KB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles