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The importance of the Agriculture Sector  Agriculture plays an important role in the Macedonian economy and has a share of 18 percent in total employment ;  Contribution of agriculture to GDP along with forestry, hunting and fishery is 11 percent, including the processing industry is 16 percent;  About 45% of country’s population lives in rural areas;  This sector is of significant importance in terms of employment, rural livelihoods, food security, and exports.

General Context  Agricultural land covers 1. 2 million hectares that makes 49 percent of the country territory;  Land is highly fragmented/average farm size is 1.8 ha;  Average annual rainfall amounts to slightly higher than 700 mm per year;  ha of arable land are irrigated,  Most of irrigation schemes are old, unsuitable for modern irrigation techniques;  In terms of land degradation and erosion Republic of Macedonia is one of the most vulnerable Balkan countries;  Dominant type is water erosion.

Macedonian Agriculture and Climate Macedonia has highly diverse climate ranging from Continental to Mediterranean and Mountainous thus, creating a challenging environment for the agriculture sector ↘it is the continental climate that is prevailing, with relatively cold and humid winters and warm and dry summers. The diverse agroclimate creates conditions for variety of agriculture products, including wheat, maize, oilseeds, potatoes, beans, early vegetables, fruits, honey, tobacco and wine, as well as developing livestock sector.

Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture Agricultural production is highly dependent on weather conditions, making agriculture sector the most sensitive to climate-change of all economic sectors. The risks of climate change for the agricultural sector are a particularly immediate and important problem due to heavy economic dependence on agriculture of the majority of its rural population. Climate change can reduce or delay expected results and undermine progress that has been made in the agriculture sector.

Main Risks of Adverse Impacts to Agriculture National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the World Bank Analytical Study “Reducing the Vulnerability of Macedonia’s Agricultural Systems to Climate Change” highlight:  Increasing temperature;  Changes in rainfall quantity and schedule;  Increased frequency and strength of extreme events (e.g. droughts, heat waves, floods); Are posing serious risks to agriculture and livestock.

Negative Effects on the Agriculture Sector Decreased crop yields (grapes, tomatoes, winter wheat, apples). Yields of high-value rainfed fruit crops - apples and grapes - are expected to decrease substantially. The direct effects of climate change on the livestock sector, particularly beef cattle, chickens, and even sheep, could be substantial. It is anticipated that the temperature stress effect on livestock would be experienced gradually over time. Less fodder for animal breeding; Lower biomass production;

Negative Effects on the Agriculture Sector Increased water requirements for irrigation  These increases in agricultural water demand and reductions in water supply will cause already existing shortfalls to become more severe in future years, most acutely in the southwestern Mediterranean zone;  Changing precipitation patterns will decrease available water for agricultural sector;  Water resources are sufficient in parts of Macedonia, but we forecast water shortages by 2050 under most climate change scenarios.

Macedonian agricultural sector is poorly prepared to cope with the changing climate Small-scale primary producers with low annual income and ability to implement adaptation measures; Small plots which prevents effective implementation of adaptive measures; The limited awareness of impacts of the changing climate, and unavailability of funding for testing and demonstration of adaptive agricultural practices. Poor cooperation between scientific institutions, the extension service and farmer associations for dissemination of research results in a form of applicable advisory packages.

Reducing vulnerability of the agriculture sector and increasing resiliency to climate changes Need for clear plan for aligning agricultural policies with climate change, Developing key agricultural institution capabilities, Making needed infrastructure and on-farm investments.

Reducing vulnerability of the agriculture sector and increasing resiliency to climate changes National Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development has integrated climate change as a horizontal issue; Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN will provide technical assistance for the implementation of the “Reducing Vulnerability to climate change” Project.

National - level adaptation and capacity building is a high priority Strengthening of the institutional capacity of MAFWE to support transition to climate-smart agriculture (CSA) measures; Improving capacities of the Hydrometeorology Department to develop climate services tailored to the needs of the agriculture sector; Provide support to the research institutions and development of a network of climate change related research; Increase the capacity of the extension service, both generally and for adapting to climate change.

Climate Change Adaptation recommendations at farm level Encouraging consolidation of farmland into larger holdings to facilitate more substantial investments in on-farm climate smart technology; Improving of irrigation infrastructure, optimizing water use efficiency, rehabilitating existing drainage infrastructure; Providing more climate resilient seed varieties and the know-how to cultivate them effectively for high yield; Introducing temperature tolerant livestock breeds; Installation of UV protective nets to reduce sunburn/hail; Delivering on-site knowledge and experience to beneficiary farmers and training on climate change adaptive measures.

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