Climatic constraints, especially the scarcity of water and land resources have always been the characteristics of Mediterranean agricultural systems that have developed ingenious production systems to adapt and cope. Today, the resilience of these systems is challenged since climatic change will bring about different conditions for agricultural production throughout the region and will have several effects on the availability and quality of water, environment, forests and biodiversity, plant and animal production, dissemination of agricultural and animal diseases as well as on the food security of populations, especially the vulnerable ones living in rural areas.

Agricultural development is a key component of environmental, social and economic sustainability as food and water that underlie this sustainability are basic human needs. The CIHEAM devotes this issue of the Watch Letter to Mediterranean countries that are already facing these challenges. We intend to discuss both the different and often overlooked impacts of climate change on agriculture, its production and the opportunities it provides, on women and men that depend on this sector for their livelihood. Above all, we aim to present the innovative and tangible solutions and responses developed to meet these challenges that are specific to the Mediterranean region.