Paper short abstract:

This research analyses an initiative carried out by 10 women labouring in subsistence agriculture. The measurement of 5 microclimatic variables correlated with the presence of agroforestry systems reveals how this agroecological practice can be implemented as an adaptation measure to climate change

Paper long abstract:

The following research was developed within one of the pilot initiatives of the Andean Community Project "Adaptation to the impact of the accelerated process of glacier retreat in the Andean Tropics". The objective was to monitor climate variables in agroecological gardens where an agroforestry system (SAF) was implemented for determining the variability of its microclimatic conditions. Community based Monitoring was chosen as an inclusive method which integrates local, experience based and background knowledge with scientific methods to produce it. Therefore, measurements were taken by a committee of 10 women who labour in subsistence agriculture in Papallacta, a rural settlement in Ecuador. Two types of cases are analysed: the presence and absence of agroforestry systems in high altitude gardens. Specific characteristics of each agroforestry system are compared with the measurement of 5 variables which define different microclimatic environments. The results approach to validate the agroforestry system as an effective practice for adaptation to Climate Change in mountainous regions. Additionally, the experience of women involved in the acquisition of technical and social skills throughout the whole process is highlighted. Complementary data about soil management, labour and social conditions of each family is presented to demonstrate the particularity of such means of subsistence that are permanently exposed to weather variability and extreme climatic events such as frosts. The paper concludes that gardens with SAFs are certainly more resilient than the ones who lack it, but that the main measure to manage weather uncertainty is diversity.