The historical trajectory of a coffee agri-food system: A case study in Oaxaca, Mexico

• Published in: Ambio Vol. 53; no. 12; pp. 1847 - 1863
• Main Authors: Ramírez-León, Alejandra, Avila-Foucat, Veronique Sophie, Ezzine de Blas, Driss
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.12.2024; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Verlag
• Subjects: Adaptive systems; Agribusiness; Agricultural production; Agricultural sciences; Agriculture - history; Agriculture, economy and politics; Agronomy; Atmospheric Sciences; Case studies; Coffee; Commercialization; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecosystems; Environment; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Environmental Management; Environmental stress; Food; Food processing; Food production; Food Supply - history; Heuristic methods; Human influences; Life Sciences; Mexico; Physical Geography; Sciences and technics of agriculture; Social-ecological systems; Trajectories of Social-Ecological Systems in the Global South; Watersheds; Mexico; Oaxaca Mexico; Adaptive cycle; Agri-food systems; Adaptive strategies; Coffee; Historical trajectory; Social–ecological systems; gouvernance; systèmes agroalimentaires; Coffea; système socio-écologique; agroforesterie; adaptation; moyens d'existence durables; services écosystémiques; choc économique; impact sur l'environnement; facteur du milieu; déboisement; diversification; Mexique
• ISSN: 0044-7447; 1654-7209; 1654-7209
• DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01893-6

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.