Experience from the Use of the Interactive Model- and GIS-based Information and Decision Support System LandCaRe-DSS for the Development of Economic Effective Application Strategies of Agriculture to Climate Change

The expected change of climate will influence agriculture in a multifactorial manner. Up to now there are few suitable tools and methods for agricultural farms and other decision makers to give helpful answers on questions like: How will climate change influence regional agriculture and ecosystems and what will be possible adaptation strategies for agriculture. The newly developed information and decision support system, called LandCaReDSS, closes this gap. It is designed as a user friendly, interactive, model-based, and spatial-oriented information and decision support system, can be used on different spatial scales, and supports long-term and ensemble simulations on a high spatial resolution. The LandCaRe-DSS system assists strategic planning in agriculture and sustainable development of rural areas (regions) and provides answers concerning the effects and costs of possible adaptation measures. Being still a prototype, LandCaRe-DSS is parameterized and validated for two German regions at present. The impact models used in LandCaRe-DSS, the experience of collaboration with stakeholders, and the possibilities and limitations of the LandCare-DSS are described just like practical experience gathered during the system development from the modelling and implementation point of view. First results of scenario simulations based on different climate regionalization methods are presented and discussed.