Objective To have the ability to predict, by modelling, the effects of agiven climate change scenario on the crop suitability of areas ofland based on the known soil pattern, the properties of thesesoils, and the growth requirements of strategic crops (wheat,maize, grass, sunflower, potatoes, sugar beet).An existing agroclimatic soil-crop suitability model is beingfurther developed in terms of improvements in input, and toinclude a wider range of crops, soil types and climate factorsthan are considered at present.In the course of this exercise,the following steps are being followed: identification ofregional crop requirements (including construction of aphenological database); development of extra modelling routinesfor the assessment of erosion risk, irrigation requirement, waterquality/salinization risk, and baseline soil fertility criteria.An improved water-balance sub- model is also being produced withespecial ability to reflect soil and crop behaviour in drierenvironments, to deal with cracking soils and bypass flow, and todeal with frozen ground and snowmelt. The improved model andassociated databases are being integrated into an expertland--evaluation system. An important aspect of the modelling isthe way it will deal with spatial aspects of the data.The policy requirements of the model are to make predictions forregions i.e. large areas from several hundred square kilometresto several thousand square kilometres in extent. Experimentalsites form the basis for extrapolation to the regions definedabove, where fewer data are available. Robust pedo-transferfunctions will be developed to enable the model to make use ofsimple soil survey data, so as to calculate acceptable values forsoil hydrological properties which are either difficult orexpensive to measure, or are rarely measured.At the regional or national scale (defined as Level I) this partof the model is simple in order to accommodate large amounts ofinput data describing large areas of land (numerouscrop-soil-climate combinations). Conversely, a more complex formof the hydrological model (defined as Level II) has beendeveloped for test sites (small areas of land), where largeamounts of very detailed data are available e.g. daily or hourlymeteorological data; long term runs of experimental data. Thecomplex modelling is being used as the validation step for thesimpler modelling. The system of land evaluation is based on theconcept of acceptable regional productivity for specific areas.This allows variation in acceptable yield to take into accountlocal cultivars, cultivation practices, economic returns and soon. Thus each strategic crop can be assessed within its regionalclimate-soil framework, without the whole model and evaluationexercise being distorted by the yield targets achieved in thehighest yielding parts of the Community.The complete system is designed with a user-friendly interface ona PC, and will lend itself to applications through widely-usedGIS data formats. Demonstrations of regional applications of themodel will be done for areas in southern England,Languedoc-Roussillon (F) and Andalucia (ES), Poland, Hungary andRomania. Fields of science natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabasesengineering and technologycivil engineeringwater engineeringirrigationnatural sciencesearth and related environmental scienceshydrologyagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturegrains and oilseedsoilseedsnatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes Programme(s) FP3-ENV 1C - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of the environment, 1990-1994 Topic(s) 0103 - Climate change impacts Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator Cranfield University Address Silsoe campus wharley end MK45 4DT Cranfield United Kingdom See on map EU contribution € 0,00 Participants (3) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ADAS) United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address Anstey hall maris lane trumpington CB2 2LF Cambridge See on map CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS Spain EU contribution € 0,00 Address 10,avenida reina mercedes 10 41012 Sevilla See on map INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE AGRONOMIQUE France EU contribution € 0,00 Address Place viala 2 3406 Montpellier See on map