Foresighting the AgriClimate Ecology: Application of breakthrough technologies to adaptation to climate change in agriculture

This report describes the findings of a foresight workshop carried out within the context of an FP7 Blue Skies Project aimed at piloting, developing and testing in real situations a methodology designed to bring together key stakeholders to explore the longer term challenges which face their sector. It seeks to build a shared vision that could guide the development of the relevant European research agenda. This approach is applied to adaptation to climate change in agriculture. The urgency of mitigation measures should not be minimized, not least because of the substantial contribution agriculture itself makes to greenhouse gas emissions. Nonetheless the reality is that such measures at this stage are only likely to offset what is to come. In consequence thinking is already focusing on strategies for adaptation. After setting out the key background and context for the area the report adopts the structure of the foresight itself by posing the question of where we want to be in 2050 and translating this into challenges for research and innovation. Breakthrough technologies and supporting actions are proposed and the report concludes with recommendations on how we are going to get to the vision embodied in the previous sections.