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Agriculture and Adaptive Capacities
Figure 1.3 Area Planted by Crop in FYR Macedonia, 2000–09
Area harvested (ha, thousands)
140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0
Apples
Chillies and peppers
Grapes 2000
2007
Maize 2008
Onions
Wheat
2009
Source: Republic of Macedonia State Statistical Office. Note: ha = hectare.
FYR Macedonia’s Focus on EU Accession Overshadows Adaptation Needs In FYR Macedonia, adaptive capacity at the national level is hampered by the following factors. • Agricultural policy appears to be focused on EU Accession demands, but climate change adaptation is not currently part of the EU Accession strategy. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Economy (MAFWE) oversees the agricultural sector, including farmland management and irrigation and drainage. Efforts are under way to modify the existing National Agricultural and Rural Development Strategies, and the Ministry of Agriculture has indicated a strong interest in integrating the results of this and other studies in the planning process. Overall, however, the national government policies are most concerned with meeting requirements of EU Accession—in particular, building the necessary institutions, information systems, food safety capacity, and farm subsidy programs—and climate change adaptation as a result is not yet emphasized (MAFWE 2009). • The ability to collect, generate, and provide meteorological data to farmers could be improved. Farmers have noted that limited meteorological information is available to support their decision-making. In addition, the study team found monthly historical data difficult to work with: daily data appear to be available but were not provided in time for this analysis. Local counterparts lacked familiarity with techniques to make use of data from global circulation models such as those used in this study. • The current agricultural extension service is not oriented toward ameliorating risks from climate change. While many farmers were aware of the extension Looking Beyond the Horizon • http://dx.doi.org/10.1596/978-0-8213-9768-8