Climate change
adaptation in the
agriculture sector in
Europekey messages from the report
Blaž Kurnik
Climate change adaptation and
LULUCF group
Four key messages from the report
Climate change impacts:
• Climate change will have some positive effects on the sector due to longer growing seasons and CO2 fertilisation. However, the negative effects will prevail due to the increased number of extreme weather and climate events.
• Climate change inside and outside Europe will affect the price, quantity and quality of products, and consequently trade patterns, which in turn will affect agricultural income in Europe. If proper adaptation measures are applied the agriculture income in Europe will increase.
Four key messages from the report (cont.)
Climate change adaptation:
• The EU strategy on adaptation to climate change and the common agriculture policy have (to some degree) provide framework for adaptation actions in the agriculture sector at EU level. The EU Member States have defined the agriculture sector as a priority in their national adaptation strategies or national adaptation plans.
• Adaptation measures need to be presented not as additional requirements but as solutions to enable farming in Europe to be sustainable in the long run. There are opportunities for implementing a wide variety of existing and proven measures at farm level that aim to improve the management of soils and water, which can provide benefits for adaptation, mitigation, the environment and the economy.
Change in agro-climatic zones
• Northward movement of agro-climatic zones will accelerate in the future
Climate change impacts
Weather and climate extreme events and yields
example 1: frost in 2017
Apples production in Slovenia between 1991 and 2018
Climate change impacts
Weather and climate extreme events and yields
example 2 drought in 2018
Climate change impacts
• Weather and climate extreme events can influence total yield significantly – example 2 drought in 2018
Investments in adaptation increase the agriculture income
• If proper adaptation measures are applied the agriculture income in Europe will increase by up to 5 % under 2 oC scenario by 2050
Adaptation measures at farm level
• Proposed adaptation measures need to be beneficial for mitigation, the environment and the economy
Field margins
Adaptation effect:
reduce wind and water erosion
Mitigation effect:
Increase carbon storage through
retention of sediments and increase
carbon storage in biomass
Biodiversity:
Support fauna and vegetative composition
of margins support pest control
Adaptation measures at farm level
• Proposed adaptation measures need to be beneficial for mitigation, the environment and the economy
Improving pasture and grazing management
Adaptation effect: to reduce soil degradation,
wind and water erosion, increase biomass on
grassland and improve animal conditions
(e.g. heat stress)
Mitigation effect: Introducing grass species
with higher productivity
accelerate atmospheric carbon sequestration
in soils
Biodiversity: impacts on soil ecosystem
services and above-ground and soil biodiversity
Adaptation measures at farm level
• Proposed adaptation measures need to be beneficial for mitigation, the environment and the economy
Precision farming:
Adaptation effect:
decrease the impacts of weather and
climate extremes by optimising the
timing of input applications, for example
fertilisers, pesticides and water.
Mitigation effect: significant reductions in
GHG emissions due to optimisation
Biodiversity: confining all machinery loads
to the smallest possible area
of permanent traffic lanes
The report
• in the final layout stage, publication in Q3/2019
• 18 months of work (inputs from ETC/CCA and FWC)
• 3 rounds of review/consultations
• Approx. 1000 comments from the EIONET consultations