An intercultural approach to climate justice: A systematic review of Peruvian climate and food policy

Despite increasing global recognition of Indigenous knowledge and rights in climate governance, Indigenous Peoples’ initiatives are often constrained by state-centric structures. Their perspectives frequently clash with development strategies that prioritize economic growth and resource extraction, particularly in biodiversity hotspots where many Indigenous Peoples live. Despite the crucial role that nation-states play in addressing climate change, research on the incorporation of Indigenous Peoples in national climate policies is limited. This paper addresses this gap by analysing the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in Peruvian policies and the associated justice implications. We do so by developing and presenting an intercultural justice framework, through a textual and discursive analysis of 21 Peruvian policies related to food security and climate change. Our findings reveal that there is minimal inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in Peruvian national climate and food policy, highlighting their vulnerability, with limited integration of their knowledge and worldviews, thus perpetuating colonialism. However, Indigenous organisations are claiming important participatory spaces, beginning to influence Peruvian climate and food policies, albeit nominally.