CoaClimateRisk - Climate change impact assessment and adaptation measures for the main crops in the Coa Valley region

The Côa Valley, in northeastern Portugal, has strong cultural ties to the agrarian sector. In the Côa region, vineyards and olive trees account for nearly 10% of the total land use area. Permanent grasslands account for 2% and all cereal crops, such as wheat and maize account for 12%. Other important tree crops include chestnuts (0.6%) and almonds (0.2%). These numbers highlight the fact that agriculture is the economic base of this region, which is considered World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1998. The aforementioned crops are highly influenced by climatic factors, which largely control the agricultural suitability of a given region to cultivate a specific crop. Hence, climate change is also expected to have significant impacts on agriculture. The CoaClimateRisk project aims to assess the climate change forcing on the main crops in the Côa Valley. The information delivered by this project is of utmost relevance for stakeholders from the agricultural sector of the Côa Valley, as it will allow to develop and promote suitable measures to mitigate climate change risks. These stakeholders are already in close cooperation with the project and, such as our project partners from the agri-food sector, ADVID and SOGRAPE, the Côa Parque foundation and the University of Minho, the project aims at valorising the Côa Valley natural patrimony.