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Ferrise, R., Moriondo, M., Pasqui, M., Primicerio, J., Toscano, P., Semenov, M., et al. (2014). Within-season predictions of durum wheat yield over the Mediterranean Basin. FACCE MACSUR Mid-term Scientific Conference, 3(S) Sassari, Italy.
Abstract: Crop yield is the result of the interactions between weather in the incoming season and how farmers decide to manage and protect their crops. According to Jones et al. (2000), uncertainties in the weather of the forthcoming season leads farmers to lose some productivity by taking management decisions based on their own experience of the climate or by adopting conservative strategies aimed at reducing the risks. Accordingly, predicting crop yield in advance, in response to different managements, environments and weathers would assist farm-management decisions(Lawless and Semenov, 2005). Following the approach described by Semenov and Doblas-Reyes (2007), this study aimed at assessing the utility of different seasonal forecasting methodologies in predicting durum wheat yield at 10 different sites across the Mediterranean Basin. The crop model, SiriusQuality (Martre et al., 2006), was used to compute wheat yield over a 10-years period. First, the model was run with a set of observed weather data to calculate the reference yield distributions. Then, starting from 1st January, yield predictions were produced at a monthly time-step using seasonal forecasts. The results were compared with the reference yields to assess the efficacy of the forecasting methodologies to estimate within-season yields. The results indicate that durum wheat phenology and yield can be accurately predicted under Mediterranean conditions well before crop maturity, although some differences between the sites and the forecasting methodologies were revealed. Useful information can be thus provided for helping farmers to reduce negative impacts or take advantage from favorable conditions.
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Pasqui, M., & Di Giuseppe, E. (2019). Climate change, future warming, and adaptation in Europe. Animal Frontiers, 9(1), 6–11.
Abstract: In recent decades, the increased temperatures reported in Europe and in the Mediterranean basin represent one of the clearest footprints of climate change along with increased frequency of heat waves. These climate modifications put the environment and human activities under strong pressure with a resulting need for designing new adaptation and mitigation strategies. The climate change challenge is unprecedented for humanity and is recognized as a priority topic for future research. Changes in the way we think and behave are critical challenges at the global and regional levels.
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Nguyen, T., Mula, L., Cortignani, R., Seddaiu, G., Dono, G., Virdis, S., et al. (2016). Perceptions of present and future climate change impacts on water availability for agricultural systems in the western Mediterranean region. Water, 8(11), 523 (18 pp).
Abstract: Many Mediterranean countries have experienced water shortages during the last 20 years and future climate change projections foresee further pressure on water resources. This will have significant implications for irrigation water management in agricultural systems in the future. Through qualitative and quantitative empirical research methods carried out on a case study on four Mediterranean farming systems located in Oristano, Italy, we sought to understand the relationship between farmers’ perceptions of climate change (i.e., increased temperature and decreased precipitation) and of present and future water availability for agriculture as forecasted by climatic and crop models. We also explored asymmetries between farmers’ perceptions and present and future climate change and water scenarios as well as factors influencing perceptions. Our hypotheses were that farmers’ perceptions are the main drivers of actual water management practices and that sustainable practices can emerge from learning spaces designed from the understanding of the gaps between perceptions and scientific evidences. Results showed that most farmers perceived that climate change is occurring or will occur in their area. They also perceived that there has been an increased temperature trend, but also increased precipitation. Therefore, they are convinced that they have and will have enough irrigation water for agriculture in the near future, while climate change projections foresee an increasing pressure on water resources in the Mediterranean region. Such results suggest the need for (i) irrigation management policies that take into account farmers’ perceptions in order to promote virtuous behaviors and improve irrigation water use efficiency; (ii) new, well-designed learning spaces to improve the understanding on climate change expectations in the near future in order to support effective adaptive responses at the farm and catchment scales.
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Tomozeiu, R., Pasqui, M., & Quaresima, S. (2017). Future changes of air temperature over Italian agricultural areas: a statistical downscaling technique applied to 2021–2050 and 2071–2100 periods. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics, in press.
Abstract: Climate change scenarios of seasonal minimum and maximum temperature over different Italian agricultural areas, during the periods 2021–2050 and 2071–2100 against 1961–1990, are assessed. The areas are those selected in the framework of the Agroscenari project and are represented by: Padano–Veneta plain, Marche, Beneventano, Destra Sele, Oristano, Puglia and Sicilia, all areas of prominent agricultural vocation with excellence productions. A statistical downscaling technique applied to ENSEMBLES global climate simulations, emission scenario A1B, is used to achieve this objective. The statistical scheme consists of a multivariate regression based on Canonical Correlation Analysis. The scheme is constructed using large-scale fields derived from ECMWF reanalysis and seasonal mean minimum, maximum temperature derived from national observed daily gridded data that cover 1959–2008 period. Once the most skillful model has been selected for each season and variable, this is then applied to GCMs of ENSEMBLES runs. The statistical downscaling method developed reveals good skill over the case studies of the present work, underlying the possibility to apply the scheme over whole Italian peninsula. In addition, the results emphasize that the temperature at 850 hPa is the best predictor for surface air temperature. The future projections show that an increase could be expected to occur under A1B scenario conditions in all seasons, both in minimum and maximum temperatures. The projected increases are about 2 °C during 2021–2050 and between 2.5 and 4.5 °C during 2071–2100, respect to 1961–1990. The spatial distribution of warming is projected to be quite uniform over the territory to the end of the century, while some spatial differences are noted over 2021–2050 period. For example, the increase in minimum temperature is projected to be slightly higher in areas from northern and central part than those situated in the southern part of Italian peninsula, during 2021–2050 period. The peak of changes is projected to appear during summer season, for both minimum and maximum temperature. The probability density function tends to shift to warmer values during both periods, with increases more intense during summer and to the end of the century, when the lower tail is projected to shift up to 3 °C and the upper tail up to 6 °C. All these projected changes have important impacts on viticulture, intensive fruit and tomatoes, some of the main agricultural systems analyzed in the Agroscenari project.
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Dono, G., Cortignani, R., Dell’Unto, D., Doro, L., Lacetera, N., Mula, L., et al. (2014). Productive and economic adaptation of Mediterranean agriculture to climate change (Produktive und wirtschaftliche Anpassung der mediterranen Landwirtschaft an den Klimawandel). In Jahrbuch der ÖGA (Vol. 24, pp. 213–222).
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