PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Agriculture is an important element of the regional economy of the Vipava valley. However, agricultural production has been substantially affected by climate change in the past decades, with higher temperatures, decreased precipitation, increased solar radiation and increased drought intensity all apparent. In particular, there has been an increase in drought intensity since 1990, which is likely to increase even further in the coming years, entailing substantial costs and damage. The effects of climate change are unlikely to be avoided, so it is important to implement appropriate measures of mitigation and adaptation to avoid a substantial negative effect on agricultural production and the economy of the region.
OBJECTIVES
The principal objective of the LIFE ViVaCCAdapt project was to develop a comprehensive strategy for climate change adaptation, taking into account the specificities of the Vipava valley region.
The specific objectives of the project were as follows:
- To define a set of strategic actions to adapt to climate change using a holistic approach that involves collaboration with experts in a number of different sectors, including agriculture, forestry, hydrology, tourism and urban planning. The project will take into consideration expert assessments of potential environmental problems triggered by proposed agricultural measures;
- To establish a pilot decision-support system (DSS) for irrigation, in order to rationalise water consumption in accordance with the requirements of the Water Framework Directive; and
- To design a demonstration centre to plant green wind breaks, in order to show their impact on the maintenance of soil quality and biodiversity and to increase their use.
RESULTS
The LIFE ViVaCCAdapt project developed measures to avoid the adverse effects of climate change on agriculture in Vipava valley, Slovenia, near the Italian border. It focused on measures to reduce the use of water and energy for irrigation and to reduce the damage caused by strong winds.
At the beginning of the project, Ajdovščina became the first municipality in Slovenia to adopt a strategy of adapting agriculture to climate change. A total of 35 farmers in the Vipava valley responsible for 79 ha, as well as six large farms in eastern Slovenia covering 65 ha, switched from irrigation scheduling based on experience and assumptions to irrigation scheduling based on real-time soil-water monitoring thanks to the innovative decision support systems (DSSI) for irrigation that was developed by the project. Local field tests carried out in 2020 demonstrated that the use of DSSI helps reduce irrigation times by around 68%. Shorter irrigation periods results 56% savings in annual water consumption for irrigation, energy consumption and CO2 emissions. For the project area of 144 ha, annual water savings amounted to 90 000 m3, energy savings amounted to 15,300 kWh and emission savings amounted to 7.8 tonnes CO2.
For Slovenia as a whole, based on average rainfalls and agricultural practices, the project calculated that the application of its DSSI would reduce water and energy consumption for irrigation by 25% and CO2 emissions by 24%.
The project also designed Green Wind Breaks (GWB), which were planted on a length of 300 m in Vipava valley, covering 0.15 ha of agricultural land that was maintained and monitored during the project. GWBs were shown to provide effective wind protection for crops, while combating erosion and maintaining biodiversity.
The long-term continuation of the project’s objectives are assured by the Slovenian Agency of Environment, which has taken over the management of DSSI. The system is expected to be replicated over a larger area of eastern Slovenia and could potentially be rolled out over 2 144 ha in the long term.
Furthermore, GWBs were included in the Rural Development Plan of Slovenia, with 40 km (600 parcels, covering 41 ha) of new GWBs already expected to be planted in the Vipava valley over the next few years. Finally, the project produced two films about DSSI and GWB to highlight their environmental benefits.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
