Strengthening the resilience of small and medium-sized fruit and vegetable producers to climate change induced water insecurity in Central Serbia
Strengthening the resilience of small and medium-sized fruit and vegetable producers to climate change induced water insecurity in Central Serbia
Climate change is causing an increase in the frequency and intensity of droughts in Central Serbia, which is leading to significant losses in fruit and vegetable production for small farms relying on rainfed agriculture. The projected increase in climate-induced water deficits during the crop growing season calls for the introduction of climate resilient farming management practices, including the use of smart and efficient irrigation technologies to mitigate climate-induced crop losses. Technical, managerial, informational and financial barriers prevent fruit and vegetable farmers from adopting climate adaptation solutions and resilient practices. The project will remove these barriers and: (i) establish the enabling environment and information services benefiting over 340,000 farmers in the region and resulting in scaled-up investment into the climate resilience; and (ii) secure resilient irrigation solutions for up-to 20,000 farmers. The project will unlock significant public and private investment in enhancing the climate resilience of the agricultural sector in Central Serbia.