Comparing peasants' perceptions of precipitation change with precipitation records in the tropical Callejón de Huaylas, Peru
Wolfgang Gurgiser1,Irmgard Juen1,Katrin Singer2,Martina Neuburger2,Simone Schauwecker3,4,Marlis Hofer1,and Georg Kaser1Wolfgang Gurgiser et al.Wolfgang Gurgiser1,Irmgard Juen1,Katrin Singer2,Martina Neuburger2,Simone Schauwecker3,4,Marlis Hofer1,and Georg Kaser1
Received: 19 Aug 2015 – Discussion started: 09 Oct 2015 – Revised: 25 Apr 2016 – Accepted: 06 May 2016 – Published: 26 May 2016
Abstract. Pronounced hygric seasonality determines the regional climate and, thus, the characteristics of rain-fed agriculture in the Peruvian Callejón de Huaylas (Cordillera Blanca). Peasants in the Cuenca Auqui on the eastern slopes above the city of Huaraz attribute recently experienced challenges in agricultural production mainly to perceived changes in precipitation patterns. Statistical analyses of daily precipitation records at nearby Recuay (1964 to 2013) and Huaraz (1996 to 2013) stations do not corroborate the perceived changes. Either insufficient temporal resolution of available precipitation records or other environmental and sociopolitical factors impacting traditional farming methods may be the reason for the lack of concordance between the two information sources investigated in this study.
Working on the interface of water availability and water demand in a small Andean catchment, peasants’ reports on detrimental precipitation changes during the last decades have attracted our scientific interest. We could not confirm any precipitation trends in this period with nearby precipitation records, but we found precipitation patterns that very likely pose challenges for rain-fed farming – in addition to potential other stresses by environmental and sociopolitical changes.
Working on the interface of water availability and water demand in a small Andean catchment,...
