Climate Change and the European Water Dimension - Agri ...

Chapter V.D. Climate Change and Water Use in Agriculture
V.D.1. Introduction
Agriculture is one of the economic activities that largely depend on climatic and
weather conditions. From the climate point of view, day length, incoming radiation,
temperature and water availability are the most important factors determining the
yield of agricultural crops. Over the centuries a delicate balance has emerged
between climatic conditions and agricultural practices, resulting in a large variety of
agricultural activities and cropping patterns across Europe (see, for example, Olesen
and Bindi, 2002). Terrain form and soil type are other important natural factors in this
balance.
Modern cultivation techniques (including irrigation) could alleviate some of the natural
limitations and agricultural policies (national and EU) have largely shaped the
cultivation patterns in Europe over the last century. However, climate and weather
conditions remain a basic boundary condition for the cultivation of agricultural crops.
Water availability is certainly among the most important factors in this respect. It is
strongly varying across the European continent, with pronounced gradients in both
North-South and East-West direction.
Agriculture is one of the main water users, especially in southern and eastern
Europe. While the expansion of the irrigated areas, mainly in the Mediterranean, has
raised concern about the overuse and depletion of water resources in the past,
possible changes in climate and weather patterns as a consequence of increasing
levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are at the focus of the discussion in
recent years. It is expected that climate change will lead to major shifts in the spatial
and temporal patterns of precipitation and temperature across Europe, including a
higher frequency of pronounced dry and wet periods leading to drought and flood
events (McCarthy et al., 2001; Lehner et al., 2001). Flood hazard is likely to increase
generally across the continent while the risk of water shortage is projected to
increase particularly in southern and eastern Europe. In general, climate change is
likely to exaggerate the water resource differences between northern and southern
Europe (Parry, 2000)
As a consequence, the already existing pressures on water resources and their
management in Europe are likely to increase over the next decades. This situation
calls for long-term planning and pro-active management in order to ensure a
sustainable use of water resources across Europe (Vogt and Somma 2000).
The purpose of this chapter is to review the present situation, the trends and current
and future critical areas with respect to agriculture and water use in Europe.
However, it should be noted that agricultural water use might not be seen isolated
from domestic and industrial withdrawals, which in many areas of Europe are the
largest consumers of water. It is the total of all withdrawals that finally determines
whether a region is or will be under water stress (Lehner et al. 2001).
V.D.2. European Agricultural Regions
Kostrowicki (1991) divided Europe into five major agricultural regions based on
environmental and socio-economic factors. Olesen and Bindi (2002) further
subdivided these regions to arrive at the eight agricultural regions as shown in Figure
V.D.1.
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