Adaptation strategies for agricultural water management under climate change in Europe

TLDR

Climate change is expected to intensify water scarcity risks in already vulnerable regions and create new opportunities, making it essential to understand existing adaptation strategies to prioritize irrigation water resource adaptation. The study aims to characterise European regional risks and evaluate adaptation strategies by reviewing over 168 relevant publications from the past 15 years. Using this database, the authors assess the effort and benefit of agronomic and policy measures to develop concrete adaptation plans tailored to regional challenges. The study finds that enhancing adaptive capacity and adjusting water demand responses offer the greatest action scope, but require policy overhaul, farmer training, and viable financial instruments, thereby guiding stakeholders to reduce sector vulnerability to climate change.

Abstract

Climate change is expected to intensify the existing risks, particularly in regions where water scarcity is already a concern, as well as create new opportunities in some areas. Efforts to develop adaptation strategies for agricultural water management can benefit from understanding the risks and adaptation strategies proposed to date. This understanding may assist in developing priorities for the adaptation of water resources for irrigation. Here we characterise the main risks across European regions and evaluate adaptation strategies by reviewing over 168 highly relevant publications that appeared in the last 15 years. Based on this extensive database we characterise the effort and benefit of a number of agronomic and policy measures, aiming to develop concrete adaptation plans and responding to concrete regional challenges. The adaptation choices consider current technological perspectives and do not project future technological change; we are certain that technological change will shape some choices for adaptation in the coming decades. The greatest scope for action is in improving adaptive capacity and responding to changes in water demands, however the implementation requires revamping current water policy, adequate training to farmers and viable financial instruments. These results aim to assist stakeholders as they take up the adaptation challenge and develop measures to reduce the vulnerability of the sector to climate change.