Repository logo

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
  1. Home
  2. Academic and Research Output
  3. Conferences, Workshops, Symposiums, and Seminars
  4. Climate change impacts on Swiss cropland suitability
 
conference poster

Climate change impacts on Swiss cropland suitability

Bassani, Francesca  
•
Wakjira, Mosisa
•
Peleg, Nadav
Show more
May 1, 2025
EGU General Assembly 2025

The increasing impacts of climate change are causing serious challenges for global food security and sustainable agriculture. A key concern is how changing climate conditions, such as precipitation and temperature, might influence the suitability of croplands and agricultural systems, with significant consequences for future food production and related policies. This issue is particularly relevant in Switzerland, as mountainous regions and lowlands are especially vulnerable to foreseen climate changes, including rising temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns, characterized by reduced summer rainfall and increased winter precipitation. Furthermore, soil properties, such as pH and organic carbon, are also expected to change due to increased aridity and warming. In this study, by establishing relations between soil and climate factors and crop yield, we evaluate the suitability of five major crops produced in Switzerland (namely rye, wheat, barley, vines, and maize) via a data-driven model. We derive spatially explicit results for current and future scenarios. Findings for the reference year 2000 show that the leading drivers affecting the suitability are mostly related to climate rather than soil conditions. The relative effect of precipitation, temperature, and solar radiation varies depending on the crop and its geographic location, highlighting context-specific impacts of climate variations and their interlinkages. Regarding future projections, we assess how shifts in projected temperature and rainfall regimes under three Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5) translate into spatial variations in crop suitability compared to the year 2000. Regions facing the strongest warming by 2090 are projected to lose suitability for all the crops considered here, with temperature emerging, overall, as the dominant driver of such shifts, particularly in the Swiss lowlands.

  • Files
  • Details
  • Metrics
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name

EGU25-16347-print.pdf

Type

Main Document

Version

Published version

Access type

openaccess

License Condition

CC BY

Size

284.8 KB

Format

Adobe PDF

Checksum (MD5)

952675b274d1889c1c5a8a06b555c73b

Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
  • Contact
  • infoscience@epfl.ch

  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on X
  • Follow us on Youtube
AccessibilityLegal noticePrivacy policyCookie settingsEnd User AgreementGet helpFeedback

Infoscience is a service managed and provided by the Library and IT Services of EPFL. © EPFL, tous droits réservés