Climate variability imposes greater challenges on family farming and especially on rural communities in vulnerable mountainous regions such as the Andes in Latin America. Changes in rainfall patterns and fluctuations in temperatures cause a greater frequency of extreme events, increased pests, and crop diseases, which even lead to food insecurity in communities that depend on self-production for survival. This is why strategies need to be developed to face this new scenario. Two cases of adaptation experiences to the effects of climate variability in rural communities in Chile (Araucanía Region) and Colombia (Cauca Department) were analyzed on this paper. For this, a mixed methodological approach was adopted that included the analysis of climate data, socioeconomic, and productive characterization of the communities, and a characterization of adaptation practices for both cases. The results show various ways of adapting mainly to changes in the availability and access of water for the development of agriculture and for domestic use. Likewise, it is shown that in order to be successful, the measures for facing climate variability must be part of coordinated strategies under a community-based adaptation approach and not developed in isolation.

Rural livelihoods are under threat, not only from climate change and soil erosion but also because young people in rural areas are increasingly moving to urbanized areas, seeking employment and education opportunities. In the Valparaiso region of Chile, megadrought, soil degradation, and industrialization are driving young people to leave agricultural and livestock activities. In this study, our main objective was to identify the factors influencing young people living in two rural agricultural communities (Valle Hermoso and La Vega). We conducted 90 online surveys of young people aged 13–24 to evaluate their interest in living in the countryside (ILC). We assessed the effect of community satisfaction, connectedness to nature, and social valuation of rural livelihoods on the ILC. The results show that young people were more likely to stay living in the countryside when they felt satisfied and safe in their community, felt a connection with nature, and were surrounded by people who enjoyed the countryside. These results highlight the relevance of promoting place attachment and the feeling of belonging within the rural community. Chilean rural management and local policies need to focus on rural youth and highlight the opportunities that the countryside provides for them.

Valdivia, en el sur de Chile, posee privilegiadas características naturales y paisajísticas por sus ríos y humedales, que la transforman en una ciudad intermedia especialmente atractiva para vivir. Esto ha generado presiones en el periurbano, espacio de alto interés para nuevos residentes y agentes inmobiliarios, quienes, a través de loteos y parcelaciones de agrado transadas a elevados precios, propician procesos de especulación del suelo y fragmentación urbana. Este trabajo analiza el proceso de periurbanización en Valdivia a partir del estudio de tres sectores: Quitacalzón, Torobayo-Estancilla y Cabo Blanco. Estos evidencian distintas etapas de la dinámica de desarrollo inmobiliario de la ciudad, configurando nuevas formas de habitar y relacionarse con la naturaleza. A través de una metodología mixta, que consideró fotointerpretación de imágenes satelitales, catastro de precios de suelo y entrevistas semiestructuradas a informantes clave, se caracterizan y describen las trayectorias de cambio en cada sector.

Small-scale farming is highly vulnerable to climate variability due to the increased uncertainty in production processes caused by short-term changes in precipitation and temperatures. We investigated the key factors behind the social-ecological vulnerability to climate variability of small-scale farming in the southern Chilean Andes. We adopted a mixed methods approach that included climate variability data at the basin level, semi-structured interviews, characterization data sheets and participant observation. The data was analyzed according to three dimensions of vulnerability: exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Our results reveal the significant interannual variation in accumulated seasonal precipitation and the frequency and intensity of drought events in the basin. Also, we found that small-scale farmers perceive social-ecological vulnerability through the impact on their daily practices and experiences. They view water as a common resource that depends not only on climatic conditions, but also on treatment of the ecosystem that maintains it. We observe that collective adaptation strategies, such as fairs, traditional festivals, and cooperatives organized by small-scale farmers, enhance adaptive capacity by increasing income, which enables investment in equipment, technology, and inputs for adapting production systems to climate variability. We conclude that individual adaptive capacity does not suffice to address the exposures and sensitivities that produce social-ecological vulnerability. It is, therefore, key to design collective adaptation strategies of a local and participatory nature that incorporate Indigenous and Local Ecological Knowledge.

Las huertas de montaña son sistemas socio-ecológicos clave para la producción agrícola destinada al consumo familiar. El cuidado y gestión de ellas recae principalmente en manos de mujeres que desarrollan diversas prácticas agrícolas que han aprendido y cultivado gracias a la transmisión de los saberes locales. Con un enfoque metodológico mixto, que incluyó fichas de caracterización predial, entrevistas semiestructuradas y grupos focales, este trabajo recopiló y sistematizó los principales saberes locales, asociados a conocimientos, prácticas y creencias, de un grupo de mujeres mapuche pewenche en una comuna cordillerana del sur de Chile. Los resultados permitieron distinguir tres categorías de saberes asociados al manejo de la huerta: i) control de organismos patógenos, ii) manejo y fertilidad del suelo, y iii) diseño y gestión de sistemas productivos. Estos saberes participan en la construcción de una memoria biocultural asociada a la huerta que ha perdurado en el tiempo y se ha transmitido entre generaciones. Evocar esta memoria permite mantener vivo el pasado, comprender el presente y planificar de manera sustentable el futuro de la agricultura a pequeña escala en territorio ancestral mapuche pewenche del sur de los Andes.

Amenity and lifestyle migration is a global phenomenon that may be considered an agent of transformation of the local dynamics of rural areas. This new migratory trend has been observed in the last few years in the Andean Araucanía in southern Chile, an area rich in natural and cultural attractions. Migrants to the region who are proponents of agroecology—considered in the broad sense of the term as practice, theory, and social movement—have sought to contribute to local economic, environmental, cultural, and social development. Taking a qualitative methodological approach, including in-depth interviews of migrants and key local informants, this study sought to identify the motivations for the development of agroecological practices and to analyze their impact on the sustainability of local development.