Enhancing Climate Literacy and Climate-Informed Management to Strengthen Agriculture and Forestry Sectors in the Face of a Changing Climate: Insights from the Climate-Smart Caribbean Workshops
| Authors: | Nora Alvarez-Berrios, Viviana Medina-Rodríguez, William A. Gould, Gabriela Cotto-Santos, Paloma S. Rodríguez-Serrano, Guillermo Ortiz-Colón |
| Year: | 2025 |
| Type: | Magazines or Trade Publications |
| Station: | International Institute of Tropical Forestry |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-24-0262.1 |
| Source: | Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |
Abstract
The agricultural and forestry sectors of the Caribbean are increasingly vulnerable to the challenges posed by climate change. Less predictable rainfall, more intense extreme climate events, and more days of extreme heat threaten crop and livestock productivity intensify pest and disease pressures, degrade soil health, and lead to significant social and economic challenges (Méndez-Lazaro et al. 2023; Gould et al. 2018). Although climate scenarios can help assess the detrimental implications of climate change in the Caribbean, substantial gaps persist in public knowledge regarding climate change, its regional effects, and potential adaptation mechanisms (Méndez-Lazaro et al. 2023).
Delivery of climate services can be thought of as an iterative, adaptive process where service providers understand needs, deliver services, and assess the outcomes of that delivery, informing a new round of development and delivery. In Puerto Rico, we understand that 92% of the population is aware of the concept of climate change, and it is among the countries and territories most worried about its impacts (Leiserowitz et al. 2023). Nonetheless, recent climate change reports indicate there is a lack of understanding of other basic climate literacy concepts like greenhouse gases, adaptation, and mitigation [Méndez-Lazaro et al. 2023; Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA) 2018]. This knowledge gap implies that there is room for additional education and outreach efforts to raise climate literacy and promote climate-smart decision-making.
Agriculture and forestry service providers, farmers, and land managers have expressed the need for actionable, sector-specific information and guidance on adaptation and mitigation strategies relevant to where they live and work (McGinley et al. 2022). For instance, studies have found that agricultural and forestry advisors working in the public sector in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands feel they would be better equipped to support producers and landowners if they had access to tailored information on climate change impacts in the region (Álvarez-Berríos et al. 2021; McGinley et al. 2022; Wiener et al. 2020). They also indicated that workshops focused on disaster recovery and climate preparedness would be useful. In the case of Puerto Rican farmers, while the majority recognize global climate change and express a desire to adapt their agricultural practices for future extreme events, they frequently are constrained financially, technologically, and otherwise in fully implementing the necessary strategies. The challenges include knowledge gaps, limited resources, and challenges in accessing government resources and support (Rodríguez-Cruz and Niles 2021; McGinley et al. 2022).
In response to the need for actionable information, the USDA Caribbean Climate Hub developed and delivered a series of climate change workshops for farmers and forest managers (known as climate-smart workshops or OneUSDA workshops), focusing on the demonstrated need for education in climate adaptation and mitigation. Developed in collaboration with the USDA agency representatives and extension staff, these workshops highlighted regional examples, key tools, and educational resources to support sustainable land management in the context of a changing climate. By focusing on increasing access to science-based climate information, these workshops aim to better equip farmers, ranchers, and forest land managers to understand the causes and long-term consequences of climate change. Ultimately, the goal is to enhance support for and implementation of adaptation and mitigation practices on agricultural and forest lands via the climate-smart workshops held in strategic locations in Puerto Rico. Here, we present an overview of the evaluation outcomes of the first set of climate-smart workshops.