Identifying adaptive capacity strategies for hurricane events: A scoping literature review for rural farming communities in Puerto Rico

Climate change is a threat to food security and food system stability, especially towards small islands. Climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, further putting island rural farming communities at greater risk for reduced crop yields and food insecurity. Puerto Rico’s dependence on food imports exacerbates vulnerabilities during natural disasters including reduced food quality, rural impoverishment, and periodic food insecurity. Despite these vulnerabilities, Puerto Rican farmers serve as cultural emblems within their community, providing fresh foods in times of disaster when federal aid was not available. There is very limited research focusing on how the informal social structures of these rural communities contribute to community-level disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies. Since the devastating Hurricane Maria in 2017, there has been little literature focusing on increasing rural farming community resilience against natural disasters like hurricanes in Puerto Rico. Using literature mapping software, this scoping review identifies a very limited existing set of research concerning adaptive capacity strategies in rural farming communities in Puerto Rico since 2017, discusses the strengths and weaknesses of aid organizations like the Southern Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education grant in Utuado, Puerto Rico, and suggests value in additional focused research specific to identifying how communities implement disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies.