Plataforma sobre Adaptación al Cambio Climático en España

You are here

Agriculture, livestock, fishing, aquaculture and food

Autonomous adaptation to droughts in an agro-silvo-pastoral system in Alentejo

Herdade do Freixo do Meio is an organic certified farm of 440 hectares located in the Alentejo region in the south of Portugal, a region characterized by the multifunctional agro-silvo-pastoral system of cork and holm oak trees, named montado. This farm employs about 20 people and produces cork, vegetables, fruit, wine and herbs, and holds animals (such as sheep, cows, pig, turkey and chicken) extensively.

Tamera water retention landscape to restore the water cycle and reduce vulnerability to droughts

Tamera, a farm of 154 ha, is located in the most arid region of Portugal (Alentejo). This area has shown significant trends of increasing erosion and desertification. Only a few decades ago, the Alentejo was a region where the streams flowed with water all year round, even in summer. Today the streams swell only during the rainy season and afterward they become dry again. The system has fallen completely out of balance and climate change is expected to exacerbate the situation.

MEDACC: innovative methodologies for adaptation to climate change in the Mediterranean area

The objective of the LIFE MEDACC project is to develop innovative solutions aimed at adapting our agroforestry and urban systems to the impacts of climate change in the Mediterranean area. A series of adaptation measures have been put into practice in the fields of agriculture, forest management and water management.

Temporary flood water storage in agricultural areas in the Middle Tisza river basin - Hungary

The increasing exposure to floods is a consequence of the river regulation and land reclamation works that shaped the landscape in the Tisza River floodplain. During the last 150 years an extensive flood defence and water management infrastructure has been constructed. Climate and land use change in the basin are increasing the frequency and magnitude of floods. The Hungarian Government has been pursuing a new flood defence strategy for the Tisza based on temporary reservoirs where peak flood-water can be released.

Room for the River Regge, Netherlands - restoring the river dynamics

Historically, the Regge was a free-flowing shallow lowland river which meandered through a landscape containing marshes, wet meadows and sandy levees. To facilitate shipping, from 1848 onwards the river was straightened by cutting off meanders, and the river channel was deepened and widened. Dams were built to better regulate the river flow, and the floodplain was embanked to protect the adjacent land from flooding. In 1935, the river was almost completely canalised, reducing its length from roughly 70 km to 50 km.

Agroforestry: agriculture of the future? The case of Montpellier

The agriculture sector in Montpellier is highly vulnerable to higher temperature and more frequent droughts associated with projected climate change. To prepare for the effects of climate change it is important that agriculture in Montpellier takes appropriate adaptation measures. The agricultural systems based on monoculture are deemed to be more vulnerable compared to alternatives such as the cultivation of a mixture of crops and species, especially a mixture of trees and crops as in agroforestry.

IRRINET: IT irrigation system for agricultural water management in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

IRRINET is an IT irrigation system aiming to advise farmers on efficient water management. This web service was developed with public funding by the CER (Canale Emiliano Romagnolo, a water consortium located in the Emilia-Romagna region) based on a 1984 project which tested the use of telematics tools in agriculture in Emilia-Romagna. In 1999, with the arrival of Internet, IRRINET started to be developed in a web form and is still active and operative in this Italian region.

Crop diversification and improved soil management for adaptation to climate change in Segovia (Spain)

The agricultural sector is affected both by negative impacts of climate change and contributes to climate change through its greenhouse-gas (GHGs) emissions. For this reason, agriculture plays a key role in defining successful adaptation and mitigation measures. In the framework of the LIFE AgriAdapt project, more than 120 pilot farms are testing sustainable adaptation measures to enhance the farm resilience to climate change, reduce GHGs emissions and improve the farm competitiveness.