Climate Risk Management for Agriculture in Peru: Focus on the Regions of Junin and Piura

Agriculture employs about a third of the population in the Peruvian regions of Junín and Piura, with the former known as the food basket of the capital, Lima.

Yet agricultural productivity is impeded by low technology and investments, as well as fragmented land tenure. Climate events, especially those related to the El Niño Southern Oscillation, already have massive impacts on the agricultural sector. While climate change is unlikely to exceed current variability in the next two decades, the gradual increase in temperature and rapidly retreating glaciers will eventually have severe consequences. Climate risk management strategies in agriculture must address current climate variability while preparing the sector for the eventual impacts of warming and glacier retreat. These include more efficient water management and irrigation; improved access to markets and finance; livelihood diversification; revival of ancestral agricultural practices, for example in frost protection; climate-proofing local infrastructure; and better management of climate and risk data. To enable these measures, key climate risk management policies and agencies must be better coordinated.