Abstract

This research attempts to increase our understanding of the relationship between environmental risks caused by climate change and the capacity of agricultural systems to resist these disturbances and persist in time. A total of 177 agricultural units were evaluated in the Araucania Region of Chile. The ethnical origin of the owners of these units was classified as Mapuche, Chilean or descendants of European colonizers. Variables associated with the level of occurrence and intensity of droughts (threat) and the vulnerability of the agricultural systems to these events were also assessed, as well as their response capacity. This information was produced using secondary information, GIS, direct measurement, surveys, and individual and group interviews. The values of the variables measured were integrated to develop a "Socio-Ecological Risk Index" (IRSE) with values that ranged from 0 to 2. When calculating this index for each farm evaluated, 48% presented low values (0-0.7), while the rest showed intermediate values (0.7-1.3). The intermediate values may be related to higher levels of resilience. Variables related to threat, vulnerability and response capacity showed significant differences (ANDEVA) between the ethnic groups. In general, Mapuche farmers presented lower vulnerability values and higher response capacity values than Chilean and descendants of European colonizers, which was mainly related to the Mapuche's knowledge of specific management techniques and their tendency to conserve species or varieties of crops tolerant to water scarcity.