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Malta

Agriculture and Horticulture

Agriculture and horticulture in numbers

The current amount of agricultural land in the Maltese islands is little over 10,000 hectares (about one third of total land area) (11). The contribution of the agricultural sector to the economy is only about 2% of GDP (1).

Vulnerabilities Malta

Changing weather patterns are expected to affect fruit abundance and crop production. The largest effect is expected to be due to the predicted shortening of the rainy season. The greatest damage will result from the combination of long spells of drought and events of intense precipitation leading to soil erosion, soil structural and composition damage, soil water clogging, increased nutrient leaching and direct damage to both crops and infrastructure, such as greenhouses. Soils will be eroded both in quantity and quality. To mitigate these effects, farmers will have to adopt new techniques in soil and water conservation (1,11).


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Vulnerabilities Europe - Climate change not main driver

Socio-economic factors and technological developments

Climate change is only one driver among many that will shape agriculture and rural areas in future decades. Socio-economic factors and technological developments will need to be considered alongside agro-climatic changes to determine future trends in the sector (2).


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Adaptation strategies

The following measures and policies have been proposed as an integral part of the National Action Plan (1):

  • Adaptation and diversification of crop species through selection of drought tolerant varieties, introduction of salt tolerant crop varieties and by making wider use of greenhouse controlled cultivation;
  • Improvement of systems for rainwater collection and storage to sustain crop production during dry spells, development of more efficient irrigation systems and use of water demand forecasts and reservoir analysis for the agriculture sector;
  • Development of a code of good practice for agriculture that focuses on optimisation of water resources, efficient irrigation techniques, efficient application of fertilisers, on-site composting and utilisation and use of treated effluent;
  • Reduction of soil erosion through the practice of minimum tillage, stubble crop retention, construction of windbreaks and rubble wall maintenance;
  • Employment of soil improvement techniques, such as the addition of compost, to control salinity and to improve water retention, together with the adoption of xeriscaping for embellishment;
  • Afforestation, particularly of abandoned land, with the introduction of drought tolerant and heat resistant tree species;
  • Combating inundation, loss/degradation of land and coastal erosion resulting from sea level rise by building/adapting adequate protective structures;
  • Protection of special biota, habitats and biodiversity from sea level rise by facilitating natural landward migration of shore zone patterns.

Maltese livestock farmers are willing to adapt by investing in new machinery including ventilation and sprinkler systems, as well as facilities that could reduce heat stress on their livestock (such as better shading and improved aeration). The most preferred adaptation measure highlighted by crop cultivation farmers included the use of effective heat-, drought- and pest-tolerant crops (9). 

References

The references below are cited in full in a separate map 'References'. Please click here if you are looking for the full references for Malta.

  1. Republic of Malta, Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment and the University of Malta (2004)
  2. EEA, JRC and WHO (2008)
  3. Rounsevell et al. (2005)
  4. UN (2004), in: Alcamo et al. (2007)
  5. Ewert et al. (2005), in: Alcamo et al. (2007)
  6. Van Meijl et al. (2006), in: Alcamo et al. (2007)
  7. JNCC (2007), in: Anderson (ed.) (2007)
  8. European Commission (2006), in: Anderson (ed.) (2007)
  9. Galdies et al. (2016)
  10. NSO (2015), in: Galdies et al. (2016)
  11. Climate Change Committee for Adaptation, Malta (2010)

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