ABSTRACT
In watersheds, which function as social-ecological systems (SESs), hydrological ecosystem services (HESs) are crucial flows connecting natural and social components. The internal and external drivers that shape HESs and watershed SES trajectories create complexities in watershed management. In this study, the adaptive cycle framework was adopted, and a qualitative method is proposed to analyze the impacts of drivers on the HES and the watershed SES trajectory. Empirical evidence from the Copalita-Huatulco watershed in Mexico was used to study the relationships between drivers and HESs. The results reveal changes in regional hydrodynamics due to natural shocks, cumulative social stressors, and SES-related human trajectories. The SES trajectory was in a growth phase when stressors dominated, a collapse when shocks occurred, and a conservation phase when human agency was strong. Understanding the impact of drivers on HESs and their integration into SES trajectories is a key element of HES resilience.
ABSTRACT
Approaches to the estimation of shadow prices generally assume that all but one market function correctly. However, multiple market failures are common in developing countries. We present a theoretical model and an empirical strategy to estimate the shadow price of a subsistence good in an economy where labor markets fail. Our results show that: 1) among subsistence producers, the shadow price of this good must be greater than or equal to the market price, and equal to it for surplus growers; and 2) current methods create biases when the otherwise-perfect-markets assumption is violated. The propositions are tested using a representative survey for rural Mexico. We find that the shadow wage is below that of the market (MXN $93.2/day vs. MXN $132.3/day), and that the shadow price for subsistence corn is over ten times greater than its market price (MXN $32.37/kg vs. MXN $3.19/kg). Unbiased shadow price estimates for subsistence goods help to overcome the limitations of current income poverty measures: their overestimation of the purchasing power of subsistence households and their underestimation of the value of subsistence goods. In rural Mexico, current practice underestimates the population in food poverty by 2%; an additional 9% has income above the poverty line yet fail to meet the utilization dimension of food security.
Subject(s)
Income , Poverty , Humans , Family Characteristics , Rural Population , Salaries and Fringe BenefitsABSTRACT
Agri-food social-ecological systems (AFSES) embrace complex interactions and processes of food production, processing, and commercialization that are subject to constant changes. This study develops a heuristic approach using the adaptive cycle (AC) and a transformation potential measure to identify the historical trajectory of a coffee AFSES at a watershed scale in Copalita, Mexico, over 40 years from 1980 to 2020. Primary information was collected through semistructured interviews. The results show that the system interactions depend on economic, social, and environmental stressors and shocks affecting different temporal and spatial scales. The cumulative effects of driving forces and adaptive strategies have influenced the system to not complete the AC phases. Additionally, the results show that some adaptive strategies can become new stressors with time. Driving forces, adaptive strategies, tipping points, trade-offs and interactions within the AFSES could be identified as the main aspects defining system resilience.