Conceptual development of an interactive web platform for communicating modelling results on climate change mitigation in agriculture (StartClim21/22. D)

Globally, the agricultural sector is the largest source of non-CO2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To achieve the EU’s and national climate targets also in the agricultural sector a significant reduction in GHG-emissions will be required in the next two decades. Several studies confirm the potential of structural and technical measures to reduce GHG-emissions in the agricultural sector. However, their practical implementation is lagging behind. In 2013, a Eurobarometer survey revealed that 70% of participating Austrian citizens are not aware of scientific developments. This calls for urgent action to promote exchange between science, farmers, policy, and the society. The project aims at developing a concept for an interactive web platform (hereafter "web platform") for presenting modelled farm-level GHG emissions under climate change. The methodological approach comprises three steps 1. a literature review on web platforms (in general and regarding climate change and agriculture) 2. interviews to identify the requirements for the planned web platform and relevant indicators to be displayed 3. protocol development for implementing the web platform Science, farmers, policy, and the society may benefit from the project results in various ways. Farmers could use the web platform to evaluate the effect of management measures and technology on GHG-emissions. An important information for the motivation and implementation of climate change mitigation measures – together with information on calculated marginal abatement costs also for policy makers to develop and adjust climate and agricultural policies. Moreover, motivating climate change mitigation reduces GHG-emissions in the agricultural sector, of which the society will benefit. Science will benefit from the publicly available protocol, which provides important insights for the implementation of a web platform as a direct interface for the digital exchange between science, farmers, policy, and the society.