Broadening understandings of drought – The climate vulnerability of farmworkers and rural communities in California (USA).

Highlights • Research on socioeconomic experiences of drought identifies new vulnerabilities. • Drought affects employment, health, water and food security of farmworkers. • Drought adaptation in agriculture can increase vulnerability of farmworkers. • Increased representation of farmworkers is needed in drought planning. Abstract The vulnerability of food and agricultural systems to climate variability and change is extensively studied. However, the vulnerability of agricultural labor is largely ignored in climate vulnerability and adaptation studies, especially in the context of developed countries. This research examines the drought vulnerability of farmworkers both in the fields and in their communities by analyzing how changes in water resources and agricultural practices impact socioeconomic drought. A combination of surveys and semi-structured interviews with farmworkers, farmers, and social service providers in California's San Joaquin Valley is used to identify the impacts of drought on agricultural labor, water security, food security, and health. Findings demonstrate that drought impacts and vulnerabilities are multi-scalar and uneven. Agricultural drought adaptations, including increase in groundwater pumping and changes in crops, reshapes the vulnerability of farmworkers and rural communities. There is a need for continued interdisciplinary research on the socioeconomic dimensions of drought as well as increased representation of needs and vulnerabilities of farmworkers and rural communities in drought and climate change adaptation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]