CATIE graduate develops methodology to measure farm resilience to climate variability

• Research by Lauren Karina Luján Barcus, a graduate of the Master’s Program in Watershed Management, provides a tool to assess how water infrastructure strengthens farms’ capacity to cope with droughts, floods, and other climate-related events.

Through the training of professionals capable of developing science-based solutions for sustainable water management, CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) promotes applied research that addresses the challenges facing territories. One example is the work conducted by Lauren Karina Luján Barcus, a 2026 graduate who studied the resilience of agricultural farms in the Reventazón River watershed in Costa Rica.

Her research emerged from her involvement with the Commission for the Management and Planning of the Reventazón River Watershed (COMCURE), where she learned about water infrastructure projects designed to support agricultural producers. Based on this experience, she set out to determine how these investments actually contribute to making farms better prepared to cope with climate variability.

The study evaluated 60 farms in Cartago and Limón that had different water management solutions, including modules incorporating various technologies, storage tanks, and reservoirs.

The results showed that resilience does not depend solely on water availability. The combination of infrastructure, access to information, and the capacity to respond in a timely manner proved essential. In addition, farms with technologies used on a daily basis performed better than those where water remained stored without regular use or complementary infrastructure.

The methodology developed was able to explain nearly 84% of the resilience observed in the farms studied. It could therefore help institutions and organizations assess their investments and direct resources toward evidence-based climate adaptation actions.

For Luján, the process also confirmed the importance of connecting research with the needs of territories.

“Getting to know the farmers, seeing where our food comes from, and realizing that the interest in generating knowledge is a shared value throughout the watershed reaffirmed for me the true purpose of research: putting science at the service of water management and our communities.”

The graduate highlighted that her training at CATIE was fundamental to developing the research, particularly the knowledge she gained in integrated water resources management and the use of tools such as R and QGIS. She is currently working on publishing a scientific article based on her study and sharing knowledge about rainwater harvesting and water management in her community.

Lauren Karina Luján Barcus currently works as a Program Administrator and STEM Professor at The Pathway Initiative, where she combines teaching with the management of academic projects. Her professional career focuses on STEM education and applied research in water resources management.

CATIE offers virtual and blended learning options in watershed managementfor professionals interested in strengthening their skills in water management, data science, programming, geographic information systems, and hydrological modeling. The professional master’s program is 100% virtual, while the blended academic master’s program combines virtual learning, an academic residency at CATIE, and the development of a research thesis.