Climate change will further damage agriculture in the lowlands, as we anticipate the situation

How endangered is agricultural production from climate change?

Studies show that the Balkans, and especially the Mediterranean part, are expected to be severely affected by climate change, which will cause rising temperatures, reduced total annual rainfall.

But a very harmful impact on agriculture is the significant increase that is expected to occur, of extreme climatic phenomena, such as extreme temperatures (high or low), heavy rainfall in the form of storms that cause floods, or even erosion of agricultural lands , prolonged droughts etc. These phenomena have direct impacts on agricultural production.

In addition to the decline in yield, which in our country, for some plants, by 2050 is projected to reach up to 8-10% and by 2100, up to 18%, there are other consequences associated with reduced quality of production especially in fruits and vegetables, or even with the loss of agricultural land qualities from increased salinization, reduction of organic matter in the soil, or even soil loss from increased erosion.

Is there evidence for the last two decades and projections for the following

It is difficult to talk about evidence in Albania due to the fact that the official statistics of agriculture do not necessarily represent the reality of agricultural production in the country. There is a lot of fictitiousness in these statistics and performing analyzes based on them will not always enable accurate conclusions to be drawn.

However, from contacts with farmers, it is not difficult to feel the problems they constantly encounter in their work caused even by phenomena. For example, this year was with a late spring and a very hot summer.

These phenomena had serious consequences on agricultural production. Vegetables and fruits came on the market more late, and drought and high temperatures caused considerable damage to all spring-season crops.

Which areas are most at risk and which agricultural crops?

All areas, in one way or another, are at risk from climate change, but of course, the areas where the damage is expected to be greatest are the lowland areas, exactly where agriculture is most intense.

In mountainous areas, the greatest risk comes from heavy rainfall, which will increase the risk of soil erosion, while rising temperatures, in a way, not only will not hinder, but rather will help plant growth, both cultivated and natural pasture production.

In lowland and hilly areas, the biggest problems will be created by rising temperatures during the summer and further prolongation of droughts, certainly not leaving aside the possibility of increased flooding during the winter season.

Even the reduction of days with minimum temperatures, during the winter period, poses another problem that affects the reduction of the quality of some fruits. Desertification of lands, as a result of droughts and reduction of organic matter in the soil, as well as the increase of saline areas are two other expected consequences in the plain areas, from climate change that will reduce the usable area of ​​agricultural land.

The most sensitive crops are those that are planted during the spring, which are cultivated during the summer period. Relatively less affected will be winter crops. Vegetables are among the most sensitive crops to climate change, but also fruits and other nut plants such as corn, or other plants that use large amounts of water for their development will experience a decline in yields.

But it is not just the quantity, as the quality of fruits and vegetables, as well as their ability to be stored after harvest, is greatly influenced by climate change. Farmers will not only suffer economic losses from declining production and quality of their products, but also from rising spending on more irrigation, or taking plant protection measures to increase the spread of diseases and pests, or increase of the presence of weeds in cultivated plots.

What measures can be taken to mitigate these impacts?

Measures to mitigate the impact of climate change are different in different climatic zones, and also depend on soil relief, its characteristics, etc.

In the plain areas it is necessary to work urgently to increase the irrigation capacity, as well as the drainage capacity of agricultural lands. Work should also be done to increase the effectiveness of water use, using more effective irrigation methods.

Currently, most crops are irrigated with surface runoff irrigation, which is the least effective irrigation in terms of water consumption per unit area. Replacing this method with mechanical irrigation more effective methods such as sprinkler irrigation, or drip irrigation, not to mention groundwater irrigation, would greatly help in coping with the impacts of climate change.

In hilly and mountainous areas, with sloping soils, a necessary measure is the protection of soils from erosion. We currently have a very large soil erosion from rainfall. With the increase of extreme rainfall phenomena (storms), there is a risk that soil erosion will be even greater, with serious consequences for soil loss from erosion.

Opening anti-erosion canals, using minimal tillage methods or cultivating without cultivation, covering the soil on sloping soils for as long as possible with vegetation, are just some of the necessary measures to be taken in these areas.

One of the measures that can be taken in all areas is the use of crops, or varieties and hybrids, which are more resistant to both high temperatures and drought. These can replace crops, or varieties that are more sensitive to lack of moisture, or very high temperatures.

Even the use of agrotechnical practices that affect the increase of effectiveness in the use of water by plants, e.g. through increased use of potash fertilizer, is a pathway that influences better coping with the consequences of climate change. Such experiences are numerous in many parts of the world.

Of course, in agriculture ready-made recipes can not be given or used. Concrete measures must be taken for each specific area, which are adapted to the characteristics of the area. So it is initially necessary to make studies to determine the measures to be taken.

The state, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, must undertake to make significant investments, such as for irrigation or drainage of lands, and farmers should be made aware to do their part in this regard. In this prism we must keep in mind that in Albania, despite the relatively small area of ​​agricultural land, we have several hundred thousand farmers, and the transmission of information, or advice to each of them is a separate problem.

It is necessary to significantly strengthen the advisory system for farmers, as well as to find the most effective ways to convey to each of them the necessary information about the climate change that is taking place, about the consequences that will have on plant growth and development, but also in the lives of animals, as well as the measures that each of them must take to cope with these consequences./ Monitor

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