Transcript Reducing vulnerability of the agriculture sector and

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The importance of the Agriculture Sector
 Agriculture plays an important role
in the Macedonian economy and
has a share of 18 percent in total
employment ;
 Contribution of agriculture to GDP
along with forestry, hunting and
fishery is 11 percent,
including the processing industry
is 16 percent;
 About 45% of country’s population
lives in rural areas;
 This sector is of significant
importance in terms of
employment, rural livelihoods,
food security, and exports.
General Context
 Agricultural land covers 1. 2 million
hectares that makes 49 percent of
the country territory;
 Land is highly fragmented/average
farm size is 1.8 ha;
 Average annual rainfall amounts to
slightly higher than 700 mm per
year;
 70 000 ha of arable land are
irrigated,
 Most of irrigation schemes are old,
unsuitable for modern irrigation
techniques;
 In terms of land degradation and
erosion Republic of Macedonia is
one of the most vulnerable Balkan
countries;
 Dominant type is water erosion.
Macedonian Agriculture and Climate
• Macedonia has highly diverse climate ranging from
Continental to Mediterranean and Mountainous thus,
creating a challenging environment for the agriculture
sector
↘ it is the continental climate that is prevailing, with
relatively cold and humid winters and warm and dry
summers.
• The diverse agroclimate creates conditions for variety of
agriculture products, including wheat, maize, oilseeds,
potatoes, beans, early vegetables, fruits, honey, tobacco
and wine, as well as developing livestock sector.
Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture
• Agricultural production is highly dependent on weather
conditions, making agriculture sector the most sensitive to
climate-change of all economic sectors.
• The risks of climate change for the agricultural sector are a
particularly immediate and important problem due to
heavy economic dependence on agriculture of the
majority of its rural population.
• Climate change can reduce or delay expected results and
undermine progress that has been made in the agriculture
sector.
Main Risks of Adverse Impacts to Agriculture
• National Communication to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the
• World Bank Analytical Study “Reducing the Vulnerability of
Macedonia’s Agricultural Systems to Climate Change”
highlight:
Increasing temperature;
Changes in rainfall quantity and schedule;
Increased frequency and strength of extreme events
(e.g. droughts, heat waves, floods);
Are posing serious risks to agriculture and livestock.
Negative Effects on the Agriculture Sector
• Decreased crop yields (grapes, tomatoes, winter wheat,
apples). Yields of high-value rainfed fruit crops - apples
and grapes - are expected to decrease substantially.
• The direct effects of climate change on the livestock
sector, particularly beef cattle, chickens, and even sheep,
could be substantial. It is anticipated that the temperature
stress effect on livestock would be experienced gradually
over time.
• Less fodder for animal breeding;
• Lower biomass production;
Negative Effects on the Agriculture Sector
• Increased water requirements for irrigation
These increases in agricultural water demand and
reductions in water supply will cause already existing
shortfalls to become more severe in future years, most
acutely in the southwestern Mediterranean zone;
Changing precipitation patterns will decrease available
water for agricultural sector;
Water resources are sufficient in parts of Macedonia,
but we forecast water shortages by 2050 under most
climate change scenarios.
Macedonian agricultural sector is poorly prepared to
cope with the changing climate
• Small-scale primary producers with low annual income
and ability to implement adaptation measures;
• Small plots which prevents effective implementation of
adaptive measures;
• The limited awareness of impacts of the changing
climate, and unavailability of funding for testing and
demonstration of adaptive agricultural practices.
• Poor cooperation between scientific institutions, the
extension service and farmer associations for
dissemination of research results in a form of applicable
advisory packages.
Reducing vulnerability of the agriculture sector and
increasing resiliency to climate changes
• Need for clear plan for aligning agricultural
policies with climate change,
• Developing key agricultural institution
capabilities,
• Making needed infrastructure and on-farm
investments.
Reducing vulnerability of the agriculture sector and
increasing resiliency to climate changes
• National Strategy for Agriculture and Rural
Development 2014-2020 has integrated climate
change as a horizontal issue;
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN will
provide technical assistance for the implementation of
the “Reducing Vulnerability to climate change” Project.
National - level adaptation and capacity building is a
high priority
• Strengthening of the institutional capacity of MAFWE to
support transition to climate-smart agriculture (CSA)
measures;
• Improving capacities of the Hydrometeorology
Department to develop climate services tailored to the
needs of the agriculture sector;
• Provide support to the research institutions and
development of a network of climate change related
research;
• Increase the capacity of the extension service, both
generally and for adapting to climate change.
Climate Change Adaptation recommendations
at farm level
• Encouraging consolidation of farmland into larger holdings
to facilitate more substantial investments in on-farm
climate smart technology;
• Improving of irrigation infrastructure, optimizing water use
efficiency, rehabilitating existing drainage infrastructure;
• Providing more climate resilient seed varieties and the
know-how to cultivate them effectively for high yield;
• Introducing temperature tolerant livestock breeds;
• Installation of UV protective nets to reduce sunburn/hail;
• Delivering on-site knowledge and experience to
beneficiary farmers and training on climate change
adaptive measures.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!