Milieu Ltd, October 2016

DRAFT CLIMATE-ADAPT SECTORAL FACTSHEET: AGRICULTURE

Agricultural practices, products and productivity are closely linked with and dependent on climatic conditions. On the
one hand, the sector contributes to climate change through the release of greenhouse gases and it will inevitably be
affected by the projected climate change impacts and, on the other hand, it can have a significant positive effect on
mitigating these changes through carbon storage. The sectors capacity to adapt to climate change effectively and
efficiently presents one of the key challenges to ensure the future sustainability and competitiveness of Agriculture in
Europe. This factsheet presents an overview of the main climate change impacts and adaptation options available to
policy-makers and practitioners in the agriculture sector.
Climate-ADAPT: The one-stop information hub for climate change adaptation in the EU
Climate-ADAPT is the European Climate Adaptation Platform. It contains a vast database of sources and
information about: climate change impacts, vulnerabilities and risks in different countries, regions and sectors;
adaptation options, national strategies and case studies. It also allows users to share their own information and find
useful links to other adaptation networks and databases. Climate-ADAPT has a dedicated Agriculture sectoral page
which contains the most relevant information about climate change and adaptation in the sector including the
relevant EU policies, research initiatives and funding.
CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON AGRICULTURE
Rising atmospheric concentration of CO2, higher temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns and an increase in
frequency of extreme weather events will shape the future of the agricultural sector both positively and negatively,
depending on the range and severity of impacts in the different regions of Europe. Some of the main risks and impacts
resulting from these climatic changes are:
Figure 1: Projected change in the length of dry spells (days) in Europe,
Disruption of zoning areas and
from 1971-2000 to 20712100
decreased crop productivity;
Increased risk of floods;
Increased risk of drought and
water scarcity (see figure 1);
Increased area with need of
supplementary irrigation;
Deterioration of water quality;
Deterioration of soil quality and
desertification;
Loss of glaciers and alteration of
permafrost;
Sea level rise intrusion in coastal
agricultural areas;
Increased risk of agricultural
pests, diseases, weeds;
Deterioration of livestock
conditions.
Source: EEA (2012) Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2012, An indicator-based
report

ADAPTATION RESPONSES AND OPTIONS FOR THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR

Generally, adaptation in agriculture should
be based on four pillars reflecting the
synergies with other ecosystem services:
Increasing soil fertility and biodiversity,
providing information and extension
services to support sustainable agriculture
practices as well as creating a level playing
field for sustainable agriculture at the
global level. In practice, adaptation
measures available in the agriculture sector
can be categorized as technical,
management or infrastructural as shown in
the figure. The type of measure largely

Milieu Ltd, October 2016

determines the extent to which farmers can adopt them without additional assistance. Farmers are likely to be able to
implement some management and technical measures without support. Infrastructural measures, in contrast, are likely
to require significant capital investment. Many adaptation measures may be carried out relatively quickly by
individual farmers in response to observed impacts. In these cases, timescale for action is likely to be governed mainly
by cost and technical feasibility of making such a change. However, some adaptation measures such as research on
new crop varieties, policy changes or large scale infrastructure investments will require sector-wide cooperation.
The table below lists adaptation measures that can be undertaken to address the particular climate change risks and
impacts faced by the sector. Some of these options can also be mitigation measures offering significant synergies
between GHG emission reduction and adaptation:
Climate change impact
Adaptation measures
Disruption of zoning
Changing crop sowing schedules; introducing new cultivars; developing new crop
areas and decreased crop
varieties; devising infrastructural and socio-economic initiatives to maintain
productivity
production.
Increased risk of floods
Improving soil structure; contour ploughing; providing breaks such as hedges;
infrastructural adaptation including hard defences and drainage systems.
Increased risk of drought
Changing land use in drought-risk areas; switching to less water intensive crops;
and water scarcity
investing in rain water harvesting equipment; increasing the water-holding capacity of
soils; improving irrigation system efficiency and practice; contoured cultivations;
contoured hedge planting; introducing economic instruments; stimulating water
efficiency (direct water pricing, charging/tradable permit schemes); crop husbandry
including intercropping; altering row and plant spacing; introducing and changing
fallow and mulching practices to retain soil moisture and organic matter; introducing
firebreaks with access to water for firefighting.
Deterioration of water
Improving fertilizer efficiency and application methods; dissemination of best
quality
practices regarding the application of manures and fertilizers and the control of soil
erosion; using buffer strips (hedgerows, vegetative rows) beside water courses to
reduce nutrient leaching.
Increased risk of
Introducing resistant or less-susceptible varieties; using of thermostats and rapid
agricultural pests, weeds
cooling systems in greenhouses to reduce pest and disease infestation; vaccinating both
and diseases
domestic and wild livestock populations; increasing financial support to research
institutes and extension services to increase capacity to identify potential risks and
appropriate strategies to deal with them.
Deterioration of livestock Extending grazing season into autumn/early winter to compensate for reduced grazing
conditions
opportunities in early spring/late summer; changing to forage which can grow during
early spring/late autumn; increasing drought and heat resistant forage varieties.
Supporting adaptation measures:
Investment in research to better distinguish between the impacts of uncontrollable natural processes and those
derived from anthropogenic activities with the aim of reducing uncertainties related to current monitoring and
accounting rules for land-use, land-use change and forestry activities.
Provision of advice and vocational training to improve the adaptive capacity of farmers and forest producers.
Incentives and reward mechanisms to compensate farmers and forest producers for their adaptation efforts in
the face of climate change uncertainties.
Strong focus on eco-system based adaptation addressing the crucial links between climate change,
biodiversity, ecosystem services and sustainable resource management.
FURTHER INFORMATION
EU climate change policy - DG Climate Action: http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/adaptation/index_en.htm
Data services Copernicus Climate Change Services: https://climate.copernicus.eu/
European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Agriculture: http://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/