New Approach for Mapping the Vulnerability of Agroecosystems Based on Expert Knowledge

Climate change influences the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, which have a strong impact on agroecosystems. At regional scale, agroecosystems are diverse in terms of ecological environment and farming practice, intrinsic properties that influence their vulnerability to such events. The link between extreme weather events and the vulnerability of agroecosystems can be conceptualized by experts, including farmers, advisers, and agricultural scientists. However, their knowledge is not easily taken into account in models. A transdisciplinary modeling approach was developed to map the vulnerability of agroecosystems based on expert knowledge using a combination of a fuzzy inference system and geographical information system. The developed approach was applied to assess the vulnerability of two major Belgian agroecosysems: (i) the vulnerability of cropland to heavy rain, and (ii) the vulnerability of grassland to drought. The approach is flexible and identifies the various factors underlying the vulnerability and provides a useful tool to study potential sources of adaptation and resilience within agricultural systems.