Climate change impacts and adaptation options in Serbia - results from the ADAGIO project

Abstract

The ADAGIO project (adagio-eu.org) was designed to focus on regional studies in order to uncover region-specific problems. In this context, a bottom-up approach is used (along with the top-down one) that employs scientific studies involving regional experts and farmers in the evaluation of potential regional vulnerabilities and adaptation options. Results of the regional studies and gathered feedback from experts and tanners show in general that (increasing) drought and heat are the main factors of agricultural vulnerability not only in the Mediterranean region but also in Central and Eastern Europe. Another important aspect is that the increasing risk of pest and diseases may play a more important role for agricultural vulnerability than assumed before; however, till now this field has been investigated in Europe only sporadically. Another important aspect is that there are increasing regional differences in the crop production potential in Europe due to climate change and that positively or negatively impacted agricultural systems can vary in a relatively small spatial scale depending on the specific limiting environmental conditions such as climate or soil conditions (Eitzinger at al., 2008). As a partner in the ADAGIO project, the Center for Meteorology and Environmental Predictions at the Department for Physics of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Novi Sad (Serbia) had the following responsibilities: (a) to suggest measures of adaptation based on the "observed" indicators about climate change in selected regions with intensive agricultural production (Subotica, Novi Sad, Arilje and Slankamen) and (b) to lead the thematic ADAGIO group "Adaptation r--. on occurrence of pests and diseases determined by climate change".