Adapting maize systems to climate change in Mexico
Meha Jain, University of Michigan, mehajain@umich.edu (Presenter)
Victor Hugo Rohden Prudente, University of Michigan, victorrp@umich.edu
Climate change is projected to negatively impact maize systems across Mexico, particularly in rainfed and low-irrigated systems. Farmers may be able to adapt by changing their management strategies to better align with new experienced weather. Using data from a household survey with over 700 farmers across multiple regions in Mexico, we find that farmers are adapting their farm management practices in response to climate change. Specifically, farmers report that they are shifting the timing of when they sow maize and planting more drought-tolerant maize varieties in response to an increased frequency of drought. Using Sentinel-2 satellite data, we map sow dates and crop variety length at the field scale across multiple regions of Mexico. These data show that farmers are shifting planting time, with more delayed planting in years with delayed rainfall start dates and reduced early season rainfall. By combining these data with yield estimates provided by the government of Mexico, we quantify the adaptive potential of shifting sowing dates and changing maize varieties in response to reduced rainfall and drought. Our results provide important insights into how farmers are altering management strategies in response to weather variability in Mexico, and whether these strategies are adaptive in reducing the negative impacts of climate change on maize yield.
Associated Project(s):
Poster Location ID: 1-5
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Poster Session 1
Session Date: Tue (May 9) 5:00-7:00 PM
CCE Program: LCLUC