The aim of the project OptAKlim is the advancement of agricultural cropping strategies and measures for climate change adaptation and for reducing GHG emissions (mitigation) considering the interactions between climate change and plant protection, agricultural productivity and changes within the cropping structure. Special attention is paid to the trade-off’s between climate change adaptation/mitigation and environmental targets as well as to interactions at the landscape level. The basis for the addressed improvements is an integrative and in this form unique assessment of the effects of different cropping strategies and measures at the landscape level.
The metereological-economic-ecological modelling of agricultural cropping measures derived out of three selected test regions is the central part of the OptAKlim project. OptAKlim addresses thus crucial uncertainties of farmers regarding climate change: the expected changes in yield stability, the possible displacements inside the pest spectrum as well as the necessary and possible adjustments of the cropping systems. Optimized adaptation measures can strengthen the competitiveness of agriculture and contribute to better intrinsic ecosystem services including the reduction of GHG emissions.