On Thursday, November 14, 2013. , at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce - Chamber of Zagreb, the first agrometeorological workshop, entitled "Agrometeorology in the service to the users: Climate change and agriculture ", was held under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The aim of this workshop was the popularization and promotion of all branches of agrometeorological science. It was intended primarily for agronomists of Croatian Agricultural Advisory Service, so that they can transfer the resulting agrometeorological knowledge and information to the farmers with whom they are in daily contact. At the beginning of the workshop, opening speech was held  by Višnja Vučetić, PhD.,  president of HAgMD.

Upcoming welcoming speeches were given by distinguished guests, also the co-organizers; Ivan Danjek, PhD., from the Agricultural Advisory Service, Biserka Šafran Fuchs , BSc. ing from the Croatian Chamber of Commerce - Chamber of Zagreb, Branka Ivančan - Picek, PhD., from the Meteorological and Hydrological Service and Antun Marki, PhD., from the Department of Geophysics, Faculty of Science. Academician Franjo Tomić, president of the Scientific Committee for Nature Protection of the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences, opened the meeting and wished us a successful work.

The event was attended by 80 participants, of which 52 agronomic experts from eight counties of northwestern Croatian and Zagreb. Members of HAgMD , who are renowned experts and scientists, have held 12 lectures divided into three sections. Within the lectures, the participants were able to hear how climate change is affecting agricultural production, is increasing the threat of heat stress and dry periods, is increasing evaporation from the plants and the soil, and also how climate change reduces the flow of large lowland rivers, which is particularly important for irrigation. Also, they could hear about mitigating the effects of drought with the effective fertilization. It was pointed out how the agrometeorological measurements, short-term and long-term forecasts can help in modern farming. The influence of extreme weather conditions on the inflow of nutrients, the adaptation of plants in conditions of low temperature and frost forecast, and how irrigation affects the change in crop rotation and crop production was also presented. At the end, the participants could hear an interesting lecture on linking agriculture and forestry, that is, they could hear about the possibilities of forest farming in our country.

After each section there was an interactive discussion between speakers and participants with an aim of application  of the presented agrometeorological information in practice. Discussion also helped experts to enhance and adjust the agrometeorological research for the needs of the user.

In concluding remarks several facts are highlighted  :

- Objectively informing the public about climate change and its impact on food production is very important, because it is a strategic issue of each country in order to provide enough high-quality food.

-There is a need for specialized agrometeorological forecasts for the farmers, for example, for the beekeepers who have large losses in their production due to adverse weather conditions.

- There is a need for encouragement of changes in legislation in order to permit the  natural shelters for livestock with an aim to protect them from heat stress, especially when agro climatic studies suggest longer duration of extremely hot and dry periods.

Lectures are exposed in the Proceedings, which is given on the website http://hagmd.hr .

The purpose of this project is to promote the modern agriculture, the sustainability of rural areas, nature conservation and environmental protection, and the protection of forests against fire, all in order to spread the tourist offer, and thus trigger the economic development and improve the quality of life in Croatia.

 Višnja Vučetić, PhD
Translated: Petra Sviličić

Participants at the first agrometeorological workshop

Lecturers and the Organizing Committee of the first agrometeorological workshop

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