CLIMATE CHANGES IN EL SALVADOR: IMPACTS OF ‘LA CANÍCULA’ (MIDSUMMER DROUGHT) ON AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES AND DECISION-MAKING IN RURAL COMMUNITIES

The Central American Dry Corridor (CADC), a tropical, dry-forest region, is characterized by distinct rainy and dry seasons, which influence the local agricultural calendar and planting decisions in rural communities. La canícula is a period of decreased precipitation during the rainy season, which occurs during the corn-planting season in El Salvador. La canícula is expected to change in intensity and duration in the next decades, which would impact small-scale farmers and their livelihoods. Climate variability and uncertainty has led to crop loss, water scarcity, and food insecurity in rural communities dependent on subsistence farming. Farmers’ experiences with a changing climate led to reformed decision-making and agricultural processes (e.g., agricultural calendar, seed type usage, crop rotation) to optimize their harvest and adapt to a variable climate. Studying the local perception and adaptation practices provides a global value to understand natural hazard impacts on society and the local dynamics of how farmers identify their main challenges and improve local resilience to a changing climate