Social–Ecological Memory, Agroecological Diversity and Resilience: A Comparative Analysis After a 10-Year Megadrought Affecting Mapuche and Non-Mapuche Farming Systems in Chile

Prolonged drought and rapid land-use transformation are reshaping peasant farming systems worldwide, particularly in regions exposed to extractive agribusiness expansion. This study examines how socio-ecological resilience varies across farming systems differentiated by ethno-cultural background under Chile’s megadrought (2009–2019) in the Araucanía Region. We conducted a longitudinal assessment of 78 smallholder farms (30 Mapuche, 30 Chilean, 18 European descent) using a resilience index integrating vulnerability (water access, proximity to exotic forest plantations, cultivated homogeneity) and response capacity (drought-resistant crops, knowledge and preventive practices for dealing with water deficit, social networks). The results show that Mapuche farming systems consistently exhibited higher resilience, associated with greater cultivated diversity, a lower presence of neighboring forest plantations, and greater knowledge of how to deal with drought events. In contrast, non-Mapuche systems displayed higher vulnerability indicators linked to increased cultivated homogeneity. Over the 10-year period, 32% of the farms included in this study collapsed, primarily due to conversion to exotic forest plantations, disproportionately affecting European-descent and Chilean farms. The higher permanence of Mapuche farms demonstrates that resilience is not solely determined by climatic exposure but is strongly mediated by ethno-cultural land-use practices and socio-ecological memory. The interaction between the megadrought and exotic forest plantations-driven landscape homogenization accelerates differential system persistence. Strengthening agroecological diversity and recognizing culturally embedded agricultural management practices are critical for sustaining resilient farm systems under climate change.