Adapting and Preparing for Disasters: Participatory Mapping for Food,Energy,and Water Security in Puerto Rico

Abstract

Recurring climatic and non-climatic hazards, combined with state negligence, challenge resource security for communities already burdened by environmental injustices. Grounded in community-based participatory research (CBPR) and action research (AR) traditions, this article reports results from a 3-year partnership with local leaders in Corcovada, Puerto Rico, to understand the relationships between food, energy, and water (FEW) security and community health in the wake of compounding hazards and disasters. Here, and elsewhere in Puerto Rico, environmental deregulation and state abandonment forces local leaders and community-based organizations into becoming the first responders for community-scale FEW insecurities. We conducted a participatory mapping exercise with 16 community leaders to co-learn about local experiences and response efforts after recurring hazards and disasters between 2011 and 2021. Participatory mapping facilitated a horizontal learning process to understand and communicate the interconnections between FEW insecurities and physical and social infrastructures, developing opportunities for knowledge co-production, capacity-building, and education at these intersections. Our partnership continues to strengthen community leadership in local decision-making, disaster mitigation, and resource management and allocation—and contributes a problem-oriented AR case for supporting frontline communities.