Browsing by Author "Reidsma, Pytrik"

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    Impacts of climate change adaptation options on soil functions: A review of European case‐studies
    (2018-05-12) Hamidov, Ahmad; Helming, Katharina; Bellocchi, Gianni; Bojar, Waldemar; Dalgaard, Tommy; Bahadur Ghaley, Bhim; Hoffmann, Christian; Holman, Ian; Holzkämper, Annelie; Krzeminska, Dominika; Kværnø, Sigrun H.; Lehtonen, Heikki; Niedrist, Georg; Øygarden, Lillian; Reidsma, Pytrik; Roggero, Pier Paolo; Rusu, Teodor; Santos, Cristina; Seddaiu, Giovanna; Skarbøvik, Eva; Ventrella, Domenico; Żarski, Jacek; Schönhart, Martin
    Soils are vital for supporting food security and other ecosystem services. Climate change can affect soil functions both directly and indirectly. Direct effects include temperature, precipitation, and moisture regime changes. Indirect effects include those that are induced by adaptations such as irrigation, crop rotation changes, and tillage practices. Although extensive knowledge is available on the direct effects, an understanding of the indirect effects of agricultural adaptation options is less complete. A review of 20 agricultural adaptation case‐studies across Europe was conducted to assess implications to soil threats and soil functions and the link to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The major findings are as follows: (a) adaptation options reflect local conditions; (b) reduced soil erosion threats and increased soil organic carbon are expected, although compaction may increase in some areas; (c) most adaptation options are anticipated to improve the soil functions of food and biomass production, soil organic carbon storage, and storing, filtering, transforming, and recycling capacities, whereas possible implications for soil biodiversity are largely unknown; and (d) the linkage between soil functions and the SDGs implies improvements to SDG 2 (achieving food security and promoting sustainable agriculture) and SDG 13 (taking action on climate change), whereas the relationship to SDG 15 (using terrestrial ecosystems sustainably) is largely unknown. The conclusion is drawn that agricultural adaptation options, even when focused on increasing yields, have the potential to outweigh the negative direct effects of climate change on soil degradation in many European regions.
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    A protocol to develop shared socio-economic pathways for European agriculture
    (Elsevier, 2019-10-16) Mitter, Hermine; Techen, Anja-K.; Sinabell, Franz; Helming, Katharina; Kok, Kasper; Priess, Jörg A.; Schmid, Erwin; Bodirsky, Benjamin L.; Holman, Ian P.; Lehtonen, Heikki; Leip, Adrian; Le Mouël, Chantal; Mathijs, Erik; Mehdi, Bano; Michetti, Melania; Mittenzwei, Klaus; Mora, Olivier; Øygarden, Lillian; Schönhart, Martin; Reidsma, Pytrik; Schaldach, Rüdiger
    Moving towards a more sustainable future requires concerted actions, particularly in the context of global climate change. Integrated assessments of agricultural systems (IAAS) are considered valuable tools to provide sound information for policy and decision-making. IAAS use storylines to define socio-economic and environmental framework assumptions. While a set of qualitative global storylines, known as the Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs), is available to inform integrated assessments at large scales, their spatial resolution and scope is insufficient for regional studies in agriculture. We present a protocol to operationalize the development of Shared Socio-economic Pathways for European agriculture – Eur-Agri-SSPs – to support IAAS. The proposed design of the storyline development process is based on six quality criteria: plausibility, vertical and horizontal consistency, salience, legitimacy, richness and creativity. Trade-offs between these criteria may occur. The process is science-driven and iterative to enhance plausibility and horizontal consistency. A nested approach is suggested to link storylines across scales while maintaining vertical consistency. Plausibility, legitimacy, salience, richness and creativity shall be stimulated in a participatory and interdisciplinary storyline development process. The quality criteria and process design requirements are combined in the protocol to increase conceptual and methodological transparency. The protocol specifies nine working steps. For each step, suitable methods are proposed and the intended level and format of stakeholder engagement are discussed. A key methodological challenge is to link global SSPs with regional perspectives provided by the stakeholders, while maintaining vertical consistency and stakeholder buy-in. We conclude that the protocol facilitates systematic development and evaluation of storylines, which can be transferred to other regions, sectors and scales and supports inter-comparisons of IAAS.
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    To what extent is climate change adaptation a novel challenge for agricultural modellers?
    (Elsevier, 2019-07-29) Kipling, Richard P.; Topp, Cairistiona F. E.; Bannink, André D.; Bartley, David J.; Blanco-Penedo, Isabel; Cortignani, Raffaele; del Prado, Agustín; Dono, Gabriele; Faverdin, Philippe; Graux, Anne Isabelle; Hutchings, Nicholas J.; Lauwers, Ludwig; Özkan Gülzari, Şeyda; Reidsma, Pytrik; Rolinski, Susanne; Ruiz-Ramos, Margarita; Sandars, Daniel L.; Sandor, Renata; Schönhart, Martin; Seddaiu, Giovanna; van Middelkoop, Jantine C.; Shrestha, Shailesh S.; Weindl, Isabelle; Eory, Vera
    Modelling is key to adapting agriculture to climate change (CC), facilitating evaluation of the impacts and efficacy of adaptation measures, and the design of optimal strategies. Although there are many challenges to modelling agricultural CC adaptation, it is unclear whether these are novel or, whether adaptation merely adds new motivations to old challenges. Here, qualitative analysis of modellers’ views revealed three categories of challenge: Content, Use, and Capacity. Triangulation of findings with reviews of agricultural modelling and Climate Change Risk Assessment was then used to highlight challenges specific to modelling adaptation. These were refined through literature review, focussing attention on how the progressive nature of CC affects the role and impact of modelling. Specific challenges identified were: Scope of adaptations modelled, Information on future adaptation, Collaboration to tackle novel challenges, Optimisation under progressive change with thresholds, and Responsibility given the sensitivity of future outcomes to initial choices under progressive change.