Rising Above the Flood: Modifications in Agricultural Practices and Livelihood Systems in Central Amazonia – Perspectives from Ribeirinho and Indigenous Communities

Adaptive Management Strategies of Local Communities in Two Amazonian Floodplain Ecosystems in the Face of Extreme Climate Events

“…Our results contribute to the recognition that local Amazonian communities have a detailed understanding of climatic patterns and changes, developed through an intimate long-term interaction with their environment, and is finely tuned with their livelihood activities. Elsewhere in Amazonia, local communities also rely on seasonal river and/or rainfall regimes to identify seasonal patterns and plan subsistence practices (Funatsu et al 2019; Harris 2019; Orlove 2003; Pinho et al 2015; Steward et al 2021), and in regions of the Peruvian Amazon, water entering homes is also the most common way of classifying floods as extreme (Langill and Abizaid 2020). Ribeirinhos in the Manaus region also predict the timing and intensity of seasonal changes by assessing the behavior of animals, fruits, and river water level during the year (Pereira 2007).…”

“…Ongoing and future climate change can weaken food security and compromise livelihood options for many rural Amazonian inhabitants (Brondizio and Moran 2008; Guimarães et al 2018; Harris 2019; Langill and Abizaid 2020; Marengo et al 2013; Steward et al 2021; Tregidgo et al 2020), particularly those that inhabit vulnerable areas, such as the várzeas and paleovárzeas. In this context, strong social networks and reciprocity ties are crucial in the response to resource shortages (Brondizio and Moran 2008), which also emerged as a unanimous understanding from the ribeirinhos themselves.…”

“…During annual floods, the areas of várzea , where ribeirinhos live and cultivate, is often covered by water for at least one to two months (Steward et al 2021). Paleovárzea communities rarely have their houses and cultivation areas flooded, except during extreme floods.…”