VISCA Insights: A short interview with Mr. David Jorquera García from the Think Tank InnoTech (T3i_InnoTech) about the use of the climate services in the olive sector and the potenial impact of VISCA.

The future and sustainability of the wine sector in economic, social and environmental terms were the focus themes of the 11th Alentejo Vine and Wine Symposium which took place on 15, 16 and 17 May in Évora, at the Auditory of the Alentejo Regional Coordination and Development Commission with the participation of 200 representatives of researchers, experts and end-users in viticulture and oenology fields. VISCA project was presented by the University of Porto & SYMINGTON at 11th Alentejo Viticulture Symposium. 

For further information on the event, check the official website.

VISCA Insights is a series of short interviews with experts working in agriculture, wine production or climate services. Watch the 1st interview with Dr. Ramzi Belkhodja, Coordinator of Plant Production at CIHEAM Zaragoza discussing the role of climate services in climate change adaptation, and how we can build trust on the prediction of climate services among the agricultural community!

The European Climate Change Adaptation (ECCA)’s primary objective is to bring leading academics and practitioners together to identify and disseminate adaptation solutions, and explore methods to reduce the risks and impacts of disasters caused by extreme weather events.

On 28-31 May 2019, the 4^th ECCA conference took place in Lisbon, Portugal which had a particular attention on identifying the ways that the climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction communities can learn from each other, and find ways to support the most vulnerable groups and environments in danger from climate change impacts.

 VISCA project was presented by METEOSIM and IRTA during the event!

The UfM Climate Week is an occasion to gather a wide range of actors (UfM members’ representatives, civil society, IFIs, scientific experts…) around different topics, all related to climate action in the Mediterranean region. By organising this event, the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean provides a discussion and networking framework aiming to create and enhance synergies among the different climate‑related actors, and to enrich their exchanges.

The Seventh Meeting of the UfM Climate Change Expert Group (UfM CCEG), which was chaired by the UfM Co‑Presidency, Jordan and the European Union, and opened by European Commission DG NEAR Director General Christian Danielsson and the UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel. Among other issues, this meeting included the presentation of the CLIMA‑MED – EU Climate Action in the Southern Neighbourhood project, and the update on the scientific report Risks associated to climate and environmental changes in the Mediterranean region, carried out by the MedECC network (Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change).

A dedicated workshop on the impact of climate change on the agricultural sector, during which the study "An assessment of the impact of Climate Change on the Agricultural sector – foreseen developments and policy measures" was presented. BSC and UT SEMIDE both participated at the session and present VISCA project as an example of innovation projects with the application of climate services in the agriculture sector.

We are excited to publish our first issue of VISCA Newsletter where you will find a recap on the developments of our project since its beginning in May 2017!  Check it out here and subscribe to receive the next issue of our newsletter.

One of the objectives of VISCA project is to evaluate the replicability potential in the wine sector in different countries globally as well as to evaluate the replicability of the tool in other crops such as (olive oil, cereals, etc.). This evaluation involves exploring EU funding mechanisms for further deployment. During VISCA 2^nd Stakeholders’ Workshop, end-users and members from the Project Advisory Board participated at a session to gather inputs on the challenges, requirements and funding for the replicability of VISCA which are summarised below.

Climate change: Challenges facing the Agriculture sector

Climate change is threatening different varieties of agriculture species such as wine-grapes, olives and cereals which might cause a significant reduction in crop quantity and quality. Some of the impacts of climate change include the following:  

• Drought and heat waves - in southern regions of the Mediterranean basin– more frequent drought periods together with higher temperatures, especially during the summer, have resulted in water scarcity and, consequently, less water is available for irrigation.
• Frost - In northern and southern Europe, e.g. Germany, the Netherlands and Italy, agricultural productivity has been facing longer frost periods than usual which damage the crops.
• Wildfires - Warmer and drier conditions are expected throughout Europe in the coming decades which will probably exacerbate wildfires. According to the Emergency Management Service of the EU agency Copernicus as of March 1, there have been 480 wildfires in 2019 across Europe.[1]
• Extreme events - High intensity rainfall and/or hail, among other extreme events, have been extended and become more severe in Europe and beyond. The rate of these events is expected to increase due to climate change.[2]

The main challenges of the wine-grapes, olive and cereals sectors in the context of climate change were identified as the following:

• To keep the quality and production of crops
• To deal with extreme events and variations in climate conditions
• To manage the irrigation efficiently according to existent resources and weather conditions
• To prevent or minimize crop diseases and pests especially with their increasing rate due to climate change