Climate change is challenging the agricultural sector worldwide. The pressure exerted by the altered thermal conditions drives the zonal shift for various cultivations. This study presents the multiyear analysis of the Growing Degree Days (GDD) index over the Northern Mediterranean Basin (NMB), focused on the high-value vine cultivation derived from the E-OBS dataset. To handle this extensive environmental dataset, R-language scripts and packages were applied, along with the capabilities of the GIS software. The investigated time period spans from 1969 to 2018, and the performed analysis indicates a broad shift/expansion in areas of GDD exceeding 2000 heat units. The extracted results specify the viticultural areas where the GDD index surpasses the suitable values for vine cultivation, owing to the increase of the thermal stress risk. In addition to mapping areas with GDD ≥ 2000, spatial calculations of the surface of areas meeting this criterion per country in the study area were made. In the northern parts of the NMB, the rise of the GDD index values indicates the establishment of vine plantations in the future.

Any change in the amount and annual distribution of rainfall causes a major socioeconomic and environmental problem where rainfed agriculture is predominant. For that reason, the objective of this study was to determine the long-term variability and trends of precipitation in the Wabi Shebele River Basin (WSRB), Ethiopia. The basin was discretized into 7 local agroclimatic zones (ACZ) based on annual rainfall and elevation. In this study, the coefficient of variation (CV) was used to check the variability of rainfall and modified Mann-Kendall (MK) and Innovative Trend Analysis (ITA) methods were used to detect rainfall trends. For each ACZ, stations with long-term records and less than 10 % missing data were selected for further analysis. The mean annual rainfall in the basin ranges from 227.2 mm to 1047.4 mm. The study revealed most of the ACZs showed a very high variation in Belg/Spring season rainfall (CV % > 30) than Kiremt/Summer and annual rainfall. Trend analysis revealed that no uniform trend was detected among ACZs at each temporal scale. But, most ACZ in the arid and semi-arid areas showed a non-significant decreasing trend. In comparison, a similar result was observed using MK and ITA methods.

Agroclimatic indicators help convey information about climate variability and change in terms that are meaningful to the agricultural sector. This study evaluated climate projections for Angola, particularly for provinces with higher agrarian potential. To this end, a set of 15 predefined agroclimatic indicators in 2041–2070 and 2071–2099, under the anthropogenic forcing scenarios RCP4 and RCP8, were compared with the historical period 1981–2010 as a baseline. Data were extracted within the geographic window of longitudes 10–24°E and latitudes 4–18°S and from five climate model chain experiments, namely MIROC-ESM-CHEM, HadGEM2-ES, IPSL-CM5A-LR, GFDL-ESM2M and NorESM1-M. The averages of the set of agroclimatic indicators, as well as their differences between historical and future periods, are discussed concerning the likely implications for agriculture in Angola. The results show significant increases in average daily maximum (2–3°C) and minimum (2–3°C) temperatures in Angola. For the future, a generally significant reduction in precipitation (and its associated indicators) is expected in all areas of Angola, with the southwest region (Namibe and Huíla) recording the most pronounced decrease, up to 300 mm, while the maximum number of consecutive dry days will increase across the country and especially in the northeast of the country. A widespread increase in temperatures is expected, which could lead to hot and dry conditions in Angola that could lead to more frequent, intense and prolonged extreme events, such as tropical nights, maximum number of consecutive summer days, warm and wet days and Warm spell duration index periods. These changes can seriously affect agriculture, water resources and ecosystems in Angola, thus requiring adaptation strategies to reduce risks and adverse effects, while ensuring the sustainability of the country's natural resources and guaranteeing its food security.