Specific Support Action - Organization Structure - Work Packages - Support Activities

Improving awareness and user-orientation of adaptation strategies:

Historically, agricultural management options have been improved according to economic and environmental conditions. This has been achieved by adopting new technologies and production
strategies. Hence, future agricultural policy should be adapted to the new climate conditions.
To increase awareness of these potential consequences regional courses, meetings with local experts and farmers will be launched and published in relevant media. Furthermore, the interaction with
stakeholders and agricultural decision-makers will point out which other relevant policies, as CAP, WFD, etc. could interact with the foreseen agricultural climate risks.

Improving local representation:

The selected participants of the SSA are coming from various, most vulnerable countries (regarding to climate change impacts on agriculture) in Europe, covering most relevant agricultural production system in Europe. Each of these participants has considerable Know-How on the local agricultural systems, their socio-economic conditions, limitations and problems. Furthermore, the local partners have established contacts to other regional experts, advisers, farmer organizations and local decision-makers which can be involved by study assessments, meetings, courses etc.. This procedure will ensure the feedback from the practice to the expert level on the national as well as European level in order to evaluate and develop representative appropriate potential adaptation measures for the relevant agricultural production systems on the sites (locations, regions).

Main vulnerable regions to Climate Change in Europe will be considered:

Significance for Southern Europe (Mediterranean area):
Extreme events as heat waves and droughts (WMO, 1997) could be more frequent in the next years in the Mediterranean area, as a global-change consequence (IPCC, 2001)..

Significance for Central and Eastern Europe:
Agricultural production in the large landplanes of the EU and EU-associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe means not only an important percent of the total EU cropping production, but also an important contribution to the countries' national income.