Climate Change Dynamics in the High-Andean Communities of Peru: Social Imaginaries and Adaptation Practices of Agricultural Producers

Climate change constitutes a growing challenge for high-Andean communities worldwide, whose livelihoods depend directly on agriculture, livestock farming, and the stability of local ecosystems. In this context, the study seeks to understand the construction of social imaginaries among agricultural producers regarding the dynamics of climate variability, with the aim of analyzing both the vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities that emerge in their everyday practices. Based on a qualitative approach, supported by 32 interviews with key informants from 16 communities, 04 focus groups, and documentary analysis, field data were collected and processed using Atlas.ti software. The testimonies of community members from Cojata, Puno–Peru, revealed social imaginaries and collective responses linked to this phenomenon. The findings show feelings of concern and uncertainty, diverse interpretations of climate change dynamics, reconfiguration of cultural meanings, and the deployment of hybrid adaptation strategies that combine ancestral knowledge with contemporary resources. Overall, these findings show that social imaginaries play a central role in how communities face the climate crisis, revealing both the persistence of structural inequalities and the need to strengthen intercultural territorial policies that recognize local knowledge, promote communal cooperation, and foster a horizon of resilience and climate justice.