Data from: 'Drowning in Drought': County-level drought vulnerability and adaptive capacity of New Mexico Ranchers

To capture the nuances of drought experiences across New Mexico, semi-structured interviews were conducted with New Mexico State University (NMSU) Cooperative Extension Service (CES) agents (livestock, 4-H, Tribal) across the state in June-September 2020. The interviews were guided by the questions “does region matter [for drought adaptation differences], and on what?” Interview questions were phrased to gauge county ranch and rancher characteristics; clientele perceptions of climate change and drought; ranchers’ relationships with agents; challenges posed by drought, climate, and climate change; adaptation strategies; informational sources and other resources; and climate/drought solution visions for the future. Upon the conclusion of data collection, 15 Extension professionals were interviewed. The purpose of collecting this data is to understand sources of variability that influence vulnerability at more localized scales. With this understanding, the ability to withstand drought impacts across heterogeneous landscapes can be improved.