The area of Vipava Valley has extremely favorable environmental conditions (climate, soil) for the development of intensive agriculture. Nevertheless, increasing frequency of droughts, floods and strong winds are limiting the rapid development of agriculture in the area; with the climate change (CC), even, increased intensity of these weather phenomena is expected. Planned and already implemented measures to adapt to CCs have not yielded the expected positive results.
CC is unlikely to be avoided. It is therefore necessary to find good and timely adjustments to existing climate variability and extreme weather events, as well as mitigation of CC. Agriculture is one of the most weather and climate vulnerable sectors of the economy. Effective adaptation can be achieved only by developing appropriate adaptation strategies tailored to suit Vipava Valley. With the rapid adaptation economic benefits will be achieved, since the proposed measures attempt to minimize the risk of damage as a result of current or future adverse impacts of CC and to take advantage of potential positive impacts.
Project objectives are as follows:
- Analysis of the current situation in the Vipava Valley with regard to adaptation to CC.
- Definition of strategic actions to adapt to CC. Draw up a set of measures in collaboration between different sectors (agriculture, forestry, hydrology, transport, tourism, urban planning, etc.) with expert assessment to analyze possible environmental problems triggered by proposed agricultural measures.
- Reconciliation of defined objectives and strategic actions. Determination of the main (primary) and the other (secondary) measures and propose their sequence of implementation.
- Establishment of a pilot decision support system (DSS) for irrigation in order to rationalize water consumption in accordance with the requirement of the Water Framework Directive and by default in the Rural Development Programme of Slovenia.
- Evaluation of existing WB efficiency (simulations). Design the demonstration center to plant WB in order to spread information about them and their importance.
- Comprehensive strategy for CC adaptation taking into account the specifics of the area discussed. The proposed strategy for adapting to CCs pursues the objectives of the National Environmental Action Programme and the European Environmental Policy, which advocates sustainable development.
Applicant: Razvojna agencija ROD Ajdovščina
Partners: Municipality of Ajdovščina, Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia, University of Ljubljana – Biotechnical faculty, Hidrotehnik d.d., BO-MO d.o.o.
Co-financer: Ministry of the Environment and Spatial planning (MESP)
Total budget: 869,028 €
EU contribution: 520,516 €
MESP contribution: 173,506 €
