Human adaptation to global change in rural communities of Mexico

摘要

Mexico is a global change hotspot highly integrated into international trade related to a petroleum, agro-export and tourism-based economy; human migration; and climate adaptation processes. Institutional and economic liberalization during the late twentieth century enhanced these dynamics, challenging human adaptation especially in rural settings. To date, there is a lack of systematic empirical analysis characterizing adaptation across the diverse rural communities of the country. In addressing this gap, this article reviews 50 empirical studies of adaptation in rural Mexico published between 1990 and 2019. The analysis identifies adaptive responses and contextual factors enabling or constraining adaptation at different scales and dimensions within rural social-ecological systems. Findings indicate: a) a decreasing frequency and variety of responses as they require more resources; b) an atomistic view of rural systems, excluding factors impacting adaptation, such as deagrarianization and water institutional centralization; and c) a gap in the evaluation of long-term sustainability of adaptation.