Adaptability of Cattle-Raising to Multiple Stressors in the Dry Tropics of Chiapas, Mexico

José Roberto Aguilar-Jiménez, José Nahed-Toral, Manuel Roberto Parra-Vázquez, Francisco Guevara-Hernández and Lucio Alberto Pat-Fernández
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José Roberto Aguilar-Jiménez: El Colegio de La Frontera Sur. Carretera Panamericana y Periférico Sur s/n. Barrio de María Auxiliadora, pc. 29290 San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico
José Nahed-Toral: El Colegio de La Frontera Sur. Carretera Panamericana y Periférico Sur s/n. Barrio de María Auxiliadora, pc. 29290 San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico
Manuel Roberto Parra-Vázquez: El Colegio de La Frontera Sur. Carretera Panamericana y Periférico Sur s/n. Barrio de María Auxiliadora, pc. 29290 San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico
Francisco Guevara-Hernández: Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas, México, Carretera Ocozocoautla-Villaflores km. 84.5, pc. 30470 Villaflores, Mexico
Lucio Alberto Pat-Fernández: El Colegio de La Frontera Sur. Carretera Panamericana y Periférico Sur s/n. Barrio de María Auxiliadora, pc. 29290 San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 7, 1-21

Abstract: Using the sustainable livelihoods analytical framework, the adaptability of cattle-raising to multiple stressors (e.g., climate change and market conditions) in the dry tropics of Chiapas, Mexico, was evaluated. Three case studies located in the Frailesca region of Chiapas were analyzed: (I) peasant cattle raising in a rural village in the Frailesca Valley; (II) peasant cattle raising in a rural village in a natural protected area in the Frailesca Highlands; and (III) holistic cattle raising by farmers with private land ownership in the Frailesca Valley. Three livelihood strategies were identified: a cattle raising-crop cultivation strategy with high use of purchased inputs (case 1); (II) a diversified strategy including extensive livestock raising (case 2); and (III) a strategy specialized in holistic cattle raising (case III). Adaptability was evaluated using an index on a scale of 1 to 100; average values were: case I = 20.9 ± 1.4; case II = 32.1 ± 1.8; and case III = 63.6 ± 3.5. In order to increase farms’ adaptability and reduce the vulnerability of cattle-raising families, there is a need to modify public policy to take into account the conditions of the most vulnerable farmers (cases I and II). Given the economic, environmental, and social context of Mexico’s dry tropics, establishing ecological or organic cattle raising and silvopastoral systems may reduce farm families’ vulnerability and increase the level of adaptability of their farms to multiple stressors.

Keywords: adaptive capacity; multiple stressors; sustainable livelihoods; silvopastoral systems; organic cattle raising (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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