Climate change adaptation strategies for smallholder farmers in the Brazilian Sertão

The document analyzes climate vulnerability in the Bacia do Jacuípe, a poor region in the Brazilian Sertão, where temperatures have risen by approximately 2 °C and rainfall has decreased by about 350 mm since 1962. This environmental shift has led to a decline in average milk productivity, contrasting with overall increases in Bahía and Brazil. To address this, the Adapta Sertão coalition tested various farm-level interventions, finding that efficient irrigation systems and balanced animal diets can reduce production's dependence on climate, suggesting these are viable adaptation strategies for larger-scale implementation in semi-arid regions.

• Since 1962, the Bacia do Jacuípe region in the Sertão of Bahía state has experienced an average temperature increase of approximately 2 °C and a rainfall decrease of approximately 350 mm.
• While milk productivity has increased across Brazil and Bahía as a whole, average milk productivity—the primary rural economic activity in the Bacia do Jacuípe—has declined over the same period since 1962.
• Pilot projects by the Adapta Sertão coalition demonstrate that implementing efficient irrigation systems and balanced animal diets can reduce the dependence of production systems on climate, making them viable adaptation strategies for semi-arid regions.
• The project 'Promoting climate change adaptation policies – a pilot approach from semi-arid northeast Brazil' has tested and monitored 16 different arrangements with small farmers over two years to evaluate their potential for food security and adaptation.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2014). Climate change adaptation strategies for smallholder farmers in the Brazilian Sertão. https://cdkn.org/resource/climate-change-adaptation-strategies-for-smallholder-farmers-brazil-sertao

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Climate change adaptation strategies for smallholder farmers in the Brazilian Sertão. 2014. https://cdkn.org/resource/climate-change-adaptation-strategies-for-smallholder-farmers-brazil-sertao.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Climate change adaptation strategies for smallholder farmers in the Brazilian Sertão |date=30 July 2014 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/climate-change-adaptation-strategies-for-smallholder-farmers-brazil-sertao |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2014climate, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Climate change adaptation strategies for smallholder farmers in the Brazilian Sertão}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2014}, month = jul, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/climate-change-adaptation-strategies-for-smallholder-farmers-brazil-sertao}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }