Anticipatory capacity in response to global change across an extreme elevation gradient in the Ica Basin, Peru

This research paper examines the 'anticipatory capacity' of farmers in Peru's Ica Basin to respond to global change across an extreme elevation gradient. The study finds that a lack of access to weather forecasts and market information, exacerbated by poor infrastructure maintenance and telecommunication gaps, undermines the resilience of smallholders and upstream producers compared to the coastal agro-export sector.

• Farmers in the Ica Basin generally lack access to modern weather forecasts and market conditions, despite the presence of weather stations and the availability of cellphones, television, and internet services. This gap is attributed to the poor maintenance of meteorological and hydrologic stations due to physical access challenges, as well as the impact of extreme elevation gradients on the cost, reliability, and reach of telecommunication networks.
• There is a significant disparity in information access based on location and sector: farmers in the coastal lowland agro-export sector have reliable advance information on climate, markets, and extension services, while smallholders in the lowlands and upstream producers have significantly less access.
• Rapid shifts in social, political, and environmental conditions have eroded traditional knowledge and information networks, and existing informal social networks are unable to keep pace with these changing scenarios.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2025). Anticipatory capacity in response to global change across an extreme elevation gradient in the Ica Basin, Peru. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/anticipatory-capacity-in-response-to-global-change-across-an-extreme-elevation-gradient-in-the-ica-basin-peru/

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Anticipatory capacity in response to global change across an extreme elevation gradient in the Ica Basin, Peru. 2025. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/anticipatory-capacity-in-response-to-global-change-across-an-extreme-elevation-gradient-in-the-ica-basin-peru/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Anticipatory capacity in response to global change across an extreme elevation gradient in the Ica Basin, Peru |date=13 January 2025 |url=https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/anticipatory-capacity-in-response-to-global-change-across-an-extreme-elevation-gradient-in-the-ica-basin-peru/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2025anticipatory, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Anticipatory capacity in response to global change across an extreme elevation gradient in the Ica Basin, Peru}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/anticipatory-capacity-in-response-to-global-change-across-an-extreme-elevation-gradient-in-the-ica-basin-peru/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }