Purpose:

To determine the influence of drought on the levels of coffee productivity, and to identify the perceptions of coffee growers in Huasteca Potosina.

Methodological design:

The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was determined for 12 months with data from five pluviometric stations located in the coffee growing area within Huasteca Potosina for the period 1961-2018. It was compared with the seasonal behavior of the sown area, the harvested area, and the volume of production for the period 1985-2020. The annual precipitation from those five pluviometric stations was correlated with the sown area and production by determining the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). Additionally, 25 structured interviews were applied to coffee growers.

Results:

Slightly dry seasons have an influence over the harvested area as well as on the volume of production, with values close to the average value. The values of r of Pearson show a very low correlation between rainfall precipitation and the volume of production. 60% of the interviewees point out that climate variability has an impact on coffee production.

Research limitations:

Determination of the standardized precipitation index with which dry and wet periods are estimated only considers the values of rainfall measured at each meteorological station.

Findings:

The comparison of the standardized precipitation index with the annual behavior of the harvested area and the volume of coffee production show that rainfall is relevant in coffee production which coincides with the perception of coffee producers.

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