Sign up for Climate at the Border.
Hola, welcome to Climate at the Border! We’re here to help you cover the most pressing climate issues in the region. In each edition, we’ll bring you what you need to know to get started and make recommendations for localizing, humanizing, and reporting solutions on the topic.
Inscribirse para recibir El Clima en la Frontera en español.
What You Need to Know
- Globally: Climate change is not only transforming how we grow food, it’s redrawing the map of where people can live, work, and survive. Climate change is pushing farmers to the brink. In East Africa, after enduring three consecutive rainy seasons from 2020 to 2022, the region faced severe droughts that pushed millions into food insecurity. And across Central America’s Dry Corridor, 2.7 million people required food assistance due to the impacts of El Niño.
- At the Border: As of May 2025, approximately 38% of Mexico is experiencing drought conditions, with 16% of those classified as abnormally dry. In states like Chihuahua and Sonora, small farmers are being pushed out as crops fail and aquifers dry up. Rising temperatures have also accelerated pest reproduction in Mexico and Central America. On the US side, the Colorado River has lost 27.8 million acre-feet of groundwater since 2003, a volume nearly equivalent to Lake Mead’s full capacity. This depletion has led to significant water cutbacks. Arizona faces an 18% reduction in its Colorado River allocation. As the water supply is shrinking, heat is rising. In California’s Central Valley, crews now start working at 4am to avoid the most dangerous hours, though hospitalizations for heat stress are rising. In Mexicali and Baja California, similar scenes play out under a burning sun with even fewer protections.
- Migration: For many rural families, climate-driven agricultural collapse is a migration driver. Researchers have linked worsening droughts in Central America to increased migration to the US. Farmers in Guatemala, Honduras, and southern Mexico cite crop failure and hunger as key reasons they head north. Now, as climate shocks intensify in northern Mexico and the US Southwest, a similar pattern may be emerging.
Localize: Agriculture Along the Border
Key Reporting Angles
- How are water cuts from the Colorado River affecting farms in the Rio Grande Valley and southern Arizona?
- Are Mexican states like Chihuahua and Sonora seeing rising farm bankruptcies or land sales due to drought?
- How are farmers dealing with the increase in pests?
- What role are US state governments playing in responding to droughts in border counties like Hidalgo, Texas;, Yuma, Ari.; and Imperial, Calif.?
Stories to Inspire Your Coverage
- “Colorado River basin has lost nearly the equivalent of an underground Lake Mead” by Lois Beckett, The Guardian
- “Pests on crops increase due to climate change, researchers warn” by Sofia Galaviz, Newsweek
Ask an Expert & Find Resources
- “Heat related rest-break recommendations for farmworkers in California based on wet-bulb globe temperature” by Sagar P. Parajuli et al., Nature
- National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research (INIFAP)
Humanize: Who Is Most Affected?
Talk to the Communities on the Frontlines
- How are climate shocks disrupting Indigenous or rural communities whose lives are deeply tied to the land?
- What happens to small family farmers in Baja California or South Texas when aquifers dry up?
- How are farmers coping with extreme heat and unpredictable weather?
Stories & Studies to Inspire Your Coverage
- “Northern Mexico farmers fight drought amid water dispute with the US” by Jose Luis Gonzalez, Reuters
- “Should we be farming in the desert?” by Nina Elkadi, Civil Eats
Ask an Expert & Find Resources
- Mikael Wolfe, Associate Professor of History, Stanford University. His first book was An Environmental and Technological History of Agrarian Reform in Mexico.
- UTEP Team to investigate climate change impact on pecan orchards, The University of Texas at El Paso
Solutions: What Can Be Done?
Highlight What’s Working & What’s Not
- What regenerative or drought resilient farming methods are producers testing on both sides of the border?
- Are US or Mexican local governments investing in heat protections or emergency aid for agricultural workers?
- What binational efforts are in place to coordinate water use and climate adaptation in agriculture?
Stories & Studies to Inspire Your Coverage
- “Agricultural approach to restore soil health” by Gabriela Dellan, Ahora Planeta Tierra, Telemundo
- “USDA designates 15 Arizona counties as primary natural disaster areas for drought,” USDA Farm Service Agency
Ask an Expert & Find Resources
- Robert K. Kaufmann, Professor in the Department of Earth and Environment at Boston University
- American Farmanland Trust
What’s Next?
- Have a story about this week’s agriculture theme? We’d love to amplify it. You can send it here: editors@coveringclimatenow.org.
- Want more on climate? Sign up for our other newsletters.
- Any questions? Send them to training@coveringclimatenow.org.
Nos vemos pronto, see you in soon!
– CCNow’s Climate at the Border team
Support Covering Climate Now
We’re working to help journalists worldwide improve and expand their climate coverage. Meet our staff and learn more about CCNow.