Browsing by Subject "rural livelihoods"

A plant disease called coffee rust, caused by a fungus (Hemileia vastatrix), swept across coffee lands of Central America and Mexico in 2012. It turned into the most severe coffee rust epidemic ever experienced in the region, having serious impacts on coffee farmers livelihoods. The aim of this Master s thesis was to gain knowledge of small-scale coffee farmers perceptions of coffee rust and their responses to it. These farmers belong to Maya Vinic coffee cooperative of indigenous smallholders operating in Chiapas, Mexico. This case study applied an ethnographically-oriented livelihoods approach, influenced by Participatory Action Research (PAR). The data was gathered between March and May 2014, and consists of 24 semi- structured interviews, informal discussions, and observations. In analyzing the data, a modified version of Frank Ellis Framework for Livelihood Analysis was utilized. This study found that all the farmers had some knowledge about coffee rust, and they perceived the epidemic as a major livelihood shock. Coffee rust was causing damage to farmer households central livelihood asset, coffee trees, leading to crop losses and a decline in the annual income. A drop in income compelled many households to cut back on consumption goods and basic food expenditure, and was likely to affect their capacity to invest in productive assets. The situation caused anxiety and confusion among farmers. The results show that despite of the heightened risk of crop losses in the forthcoming production cycles, coffee farmers were determined to continue with coffee production. The control methods they were applying, such as different cultural methods, aimed at securing the role of coffee farming as a key livelihood activity also in the future. Alternative livelihood activities seemed to have less importance in coping with the epidemic. These findings suggest that not only economic but also cultural and social factors play an important role in livelihood construction. The findings further show that certain forms of capital may either hinder or facilitate households efforts to cope with coffee rust. In particular, limited landholdings ( natural capital ), and constrained access to different sources of information and education ( human capital ) proved to be limiting factors, while membership in Maya Vinic ( social capital ) helped to buffer negative impacts of the epidemic, and prepare for the future. This study suggests that stakeholders perceptions and the notion of social capital deserve more attention in different livelihood approaches. It also calls for more research and cross-sectoral initiatives which would aim at assisting small-scale coffee farmers in coping with coffee rust. These efforts should be keyed to work on climate change adaptation.