Drought adaptation in rural eastern Oklahoma in the 1930s: lessons for climate change adaptation research |
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Authors: | Robert McLeman Dick Mayo Earl Strebeck Barry Smit |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Geography, University of Ottawa, Room 031 Simard Hall, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1N 6N5;(2) Sequoyah County Times, Sallisaw, OK, USA;(3) Sequoyah County Historical Society, Sallisaw, OK, USA;(4) Department of Geography, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada |
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Abstract: | In the mid-1930s, eastern Oklahoma, USA, suffered an unusually harsh mixture of droughts and extreme rainfall events that
led to widespread crop failure over several years. These climatic conditions coincided with low commodity prices, agricultural
restructuring and general economic collapse, creating tremendous hardship in rural and agriculturally dependent areas. Using
a previously developed typology of agricultural adaptation, this paper reports empirical research conducted to identify the
ways by which the rural population of Sequoyah County adapted to such conditions. Particular attention is given to categorizing
the scale at which adaptation occurred, the actors involved and the constraints to implementation. The findings identify successes
and opportunities missed by public policy makers, and suggest possible entry points for developing adaptation strategies for
current and future, analogous situations that may arise as a result of climate change. |
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Keywords: | Climate adaptation Drought adaptation Historical adaptation Oklahoma droughts |
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