Water Demand in Swiss Agriculture - Sustainable Adaptive Options for Land and Water Management to Mitigate Impacts of Climate Change
2013
Fuhrer, J. | Tendall, D. | Klein, T. | Lehmann, N. | Holzkämpfer, A., Forschungsanstalt Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon ART, Ettenhausen (Switzerland)
Increasing temperatures and decreasing rainfall during the summer months, as projected by climate models for the next decades, will lead to higher crop water demand and reduced soil water availability, which would lead to more irrigation to secure stable yields of high-value crops. But, where the discharge of rivers is low, water availability may be limited. For these situations, strategies are needed to reduce the dependency of agricultural production on additional water. The focus of the AGWAM project was therefore to develop recommendations for an optimal use of water in agriculture under scenarios for climatic, price, and political developments, while maintaining economic profitability and environmental standards, and to identify regulatory actions needed to implement adaptive measures. Relevant decision levels were considered, i.e., the regional level, at which planners need to develop strategies for agricultural land use and water retention, and the farm level, where farmers need to adapt land and farm management while maintaining profitability. Two contrasting case study areas were selected: the western Broye catchment and the central Greifensee catchment in Switzerland. The two regions differ in their current climate and land use.[...]In conclusion, increasing water use for irrigation to boost production under growing water limitation in specific vulnerable regions leads to increasing environmental impacts and puts pressure on natural reservoirs, such as rivers and lakes. AGWAM results offer options for planning adaptation at regional and farm levels that are more sustainable and robust alternatives to purely technological solutions, such as building reservoirs and pipelines to access additional water under climate change.
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