COST 734 Action

Chair: Simone Orlandini Vice-Chair: Pavol Nejedlik WG1 Leader: Josef Eitzinger WG2 Leader: Vesselin Alexandrov, co-Leader: Elena Mateescu WG3 Leader: Lucka Kajfez Bogataj, co-Leader: Pierluigi Calanca WG4 Leader: Jorgen Eivind Olesen, co-Leader: Miroslav Trnka Management Committee of Action 734

The main objective of the Action is the evaluation of possible impacts from climate change and variability on agriculture and the assessment of critical thresholds for various European areas. This goal will be achieved through the accomplishment of intermediate aims, in order to define the current and future levels of critical thresholds and hazards for agricultural activity and environmental resources. The Action will be carried out by four working groups with different tasks: agroclimatic indices and simulation models review and assessment of tools used to relate climate with agricultural processes; evaluation of the current trends of agroclimatic indices and simulation model outputs describing agricultural impacts and hazard levels; developing and assessing future regional and local scenarios of agroclimatic conditions; risk assessment and foreseen impacts on agriculture. The activity of WGs has been structured as a sort of matrix, presenting on the rows the methods of analysis and on the columns the phenomenon and the hazards. Each intersection point describes the evaluation of past, present and future trends of climate and so the impacts on agriculture. Based on these results, possible actions (specific recommendations, suggestions, warning systems) will be elaborated and proposed to the end-users, depending on their needs.