The impact of climate variability on agricultural employment in Mexico from 1980–2017

(15 and 20%) correspond to the driest years on record, 1982 and 1987. Interestingly, we found that 31% of individuals who abandoned agricultural occupations, whether in rainfed agricul- ture or cattle ranching, became unemployed. Fig 4. Occupied population quarter. Seasonal variability of the employed population in agrarian occupations was examined by quarter from 2005 to 2017. The third quarter, which aligns with the peak of the rainy season, recorded the highest employment rate at 9.8%. In contrast, the first quarter, coinciding with the peak of the dry season, exhibited the lowest employment rate at 9%. Although the difference of 0.8% may seem small, it translates to approximately 10.5 million people. The precipitation and standard deviation for each quarter are shown below the whisker boxes. (Source of data: Calculations by the authors using ENOE 2005–2017 [56]). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313891.g004 Fig 5. Rainfed agriculture next planting season. Correlation between mean precipitation and rainfed agriculture occupation during the next planting season. The Pearson correlation coefficient and significance test are presented in the top left part of the figure. (Source of data: Calculations by the authors using EDER 2017 [50]). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313891.g005 PLOS ONE Agrarian abandonment and extreme events PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313891 February 10, 2025 10 / 22