Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Strategies of Agriculture in Mediterranean-Climate Regions (MCRs)

Alejandro del Pozo, Nidia Brunel-Saldias, Alejandra Engler (), Samuel Ortega-Farias, Cesar Acevedo-Opazo, Gustavo A. Lobos, Roberto Jara-Rojas () and Marco A. Molina-Montenegro
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Alejandro del Pozo: Plant Breeding and Phenomic Center, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile
Nidia Brunel-Saldias: Plant Breeding and Phenomic Center, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile
Samuel Ortega-Farias: Research and Extension Center for Irrigation and Agroclimatology (CITRA), University of Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile
Cesar Acevedo-Opazo: Research and Extension Center for Irrigation and Agroclimatology (CITRA), University of Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile
Gustavo A. Lobos: Plant Breeding and Phenomic Center, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile
Marco A. Molina-Montenegro: Molecular and Functional Ecology Center, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 10, 1-16

Abstract: The world’s five Mediterranean-climate regions (MCRs) share unique climatic regimes of mild, wet winters and warm and dry summers. Agriculture in these regions is threatened by increases in the occurrence of drought and high temperature events associated with climate change (CC). In this review we analyze what would be the effects of CC on crops (including orchards and vineyards), how crops and cropping and farming systems could adapt to CC, and what are the social and economic impacts, as well as the strategies used by producers to adapt to CC. In rainfed areas, water deficit occurs mostly during the flowering and grain filling stages (terminal drought stress), which has large detrimental effects on the productivity of crops. Orchards and vineyards, which are mostly cultivated in irrigated areas, will also be vulnerable to water deficit due to a reduction in water available for irrigation and an increase in evapotranspiration. Adaptation of agriculture to CC in MCRs requires integrated strategies that encompass different levels of organization: the crop (including orchards and vineyards), the cropping system (sequence of crops and management techniques used on a particular agricultural field) and the farming system, which includes the farmer.

Keywords: agronomic practices; crops; farmer adoption; functional symbiosis; genetic improvement; water deficit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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