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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Uneven Influence Of Climate Trends And Agricultural Policies On Maize Production In The Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, Sofia Mardero, Bridgit Schmook, Jorge Omar Lopez-Martinez, Lizette Cicero, Claudia Radel, Zachary Christman
The Uneven Influence Of Climate Trends And Agricultural Policies On Maize Production In The Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, Sofia Mardero, Bridgit Schmook, Jorge Omar Lopez-Martinez, Lizette Cicero, Claudia Radel, Zachary Christman
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
Maize is an important staple crop in Mexico, and the recent intensification of climate variability, in combination with non-climatic forces, has hindered increases in production, especially for smallholder farmers. This article demonstrates the influence of these drivers on maize production trends in the three states of the Yucatan Peninsula using a mixed methods approach of climatic analysis and semi-structured interviews. Climate trend analysis and generalized additive models (GAMs) demonstrate relationships between production and climatic variability, using 1980–2010 precipitation and temperature data. Data from forty interviews with government officials and representatives of farmers' associations (gathered in 2015 and 2016) highlight the …