Do Small Livestock Producers Adapt to Climate Variability? An Approach to the Case of the Upper Fonce River Páramo in Santander, Colombia

This article presents the changes in the climatic variables of precipitation and temperature, the perceptions of producers regarding these variables, and the strategies and social, economic, and political factors that affect adaptations of small livestock producers in the páramo ecosystem at the upper Rio Fonce region. Data from 33 questionnaires, 12 interviews, and two workshops with key actors and producers were analyzed. A workshop resulted in a traffic light table assessing indicators from Bergamini related to vulnerability and adaptive capacity. Survey results helped identify adaptation strategies, while public policy documents underwent deductive content analysis. The findings revealed that changes in precipitation and temperature affect livestock systems. Farms with silvopastoral systems implement more adaptation strategies than conventional farms, even when not anticipated. Additionally, the ambiguity of the concept of adaptation hinders the development of policies that would enable livestock producers to transition towards more adaptive livestock systems.