Quantifying the impacts of extreme climatic events:Crop diversity, production performance, farmers’ adaptation

Europe, including Sweden, witnessed severe extreme climatic conditions between 2014 and 2018 that disrupted agricultural production and caused significant economic and environmental damages.

However, recent projections suggest potential increases in the frequency and severity of extreme climatic events in the future.

Despite this, the majority of research on climate change has focused on gradual changes, while the effects of extreme climatic events are less examined.

Hence, this project investigates the impacts of extreme climatic events on crop diversity, production performance, and farmers’ adaptation (in terms of input adjustments) in Sweden.

The project is interdisciplinary in nature, combining agricultural economics, agronomy, ecology, and climate science with analyses based on economic and farm-level production data.

In summary, the project will: 1) examine the impacts of extreme climatic events on changes in crop diversity, cropping patterns, crop area, and crop intensity; 2) determine how crop diversity buffers extreme climatic events and the effects on yield and farm income; 3) evaluate farmers’ responses and adaptation to climate change; and 4) examine the effectiveness of existing policy instruments (eco-schemes) in mitigating future extreme climatic events.