Characterising the agro-meteorological implications of climate change scenarios for land management stakeholders

Developing a shared understanding of the specific climate change challenges for a particular sector is a vital precursor to effective, research-based support for adaptation in policy and practice. Without processes for developing such shared understandings, serious comprehension gaps between research, policy and practice communities can arise. A social-learning approach to reducing this comprehension gap is presented, undertaking a cooperative assessment with land management stakeholders of preferences for agro-meteorological metrics and co-developing a framework of climate change indicators. The assessment. process deliberated on prospective agro-meteorological metrics for case-study locations in Scotland, The preferences and parameterisation for indicators and their presentation were elicited in group interviews and focus groups. A coherent set of indicators was identified to serve as a framework to support awareness-raising activities and stimulate debate on possible adaptation strategies. While the meteorological summaries were effective in highlighting the nature of the change, the agro-meteorological metrics were more effective in encouraging stakeholders to consider possible impacts on their land-use systems and how they might adapt. The credibility of the indicators and the case study data were enhanced through debate and customisation. The authors recommend including a strong social-learning-based component within any climate change research communication strategy, Communicating the outcomes of research in a credible and relevant way increases the likelihood of stimulating positive adaptive change.