Challenges to agrometeorological risk management — regional perspectives: Europe

Agriculture is one of Europe’s largest land users and as such highly dependent on environmental conditions. Inter-annual climate variability is one of the main sources for uncertainty in crop yields. In the EU-25, 162 million hectares are under agricultural use, which amounts to roughly half the Union’s land. Farming plays a key role for the health of economies in rural areas, and continues to be a determinant of the quality of the countryside and the environment, although it has become less important for the national economies. The contribution of the agricultural sector to the GDP of EU-25 was around 1.6% in 2004. Regionally and nationally, however, the contribution may be substantial, particularly in southern and central European countries where agriculture represents a more significant sector for employment and GDP.