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ClimAg is examining past fodder crises such as the 2018 dry summer and placing them in the context of long-term climate change. ClimAg seeks to identify the multifactorial drivers of fodder crises by:

• developing a detailed understanding of the multiple interlinked drivers of previous fodder crises affecting the Irish agricultural sector
• combining datasets from 21st century climate simulations with grass growth models to predict the frequency and severity of fodder crisis events under future climate change scenarios

This research project was carried out at the Environmental Research Institute (ERI), University College Cork (UCC) between 2019 and 2023. This GitHub organisation hosts repositories for ClimAg and other related projects and is maintained by Nithiya Streethran.

• Dr. Paul Leahy (Investigator, School of Engineering & Architecture)
• Dr. Kieran Hickey (Investigator, Department of Geography)
• Prof. Astrid Wingler (Investigator, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences)
• Nithiya Streethran (Researcher, Environmental Research Institute)

• Eva Kling (Intern, Polytech Montpellier)
• Cathal Nolan (Researcher, Department of Geography)

1. Streethran, N., Hickey, K., Wingler, A., and Leahy, P. (2024). ClimAg: Multifactorial Causes of Fodder Crises in Ireland and Risks due to Climate Change. Johnstown Castle: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA Research Report, 464). Available at: https://www.epa.ie/publications/research/climate-change/research-464-climag-multifactorial-causes-of-fodder-crises-in-ireland-and-risks-due-to-climate-change.php (Accessed: 17 October 2024).
2. Wingler, A., Streethran, N., Hickey, K., and Leahy, P. (2024). ‘Multifactorial drivers of fodder crises in Irish temperate pastures and risks due to climate change’, Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 124B(2–3), pp. 91–102. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1353/bae.2024.a945364.
3. Leahy, P., Streethran, N., Hickey, K., and Wingler, A. (2024). ‘Grass production and fodder deficits in Ireland under projected mid-century climatic conditions’. The 3rd International Symposium on Climate-Resilient Agri-Environmental Systems, Dublin, 26 June. Available at: https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.19287.48809.
4. Leahy, P. G., Streethran, N., Hickey, K., and Wingler, A. (2022). ‘Increased severity and frequency of fodder production deficits under future climate conditions in Ireland’. The 2nd International Symposium on Climate-Resilient Agri-Environmental Systems, Dublin, 29 August. Available at: https://www.iscraes.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Paul-Leahy-Poster-grassland-poster-ISCRAES-2022.pdf (Accessed: 27 March 2023).
5. Nolan, C. G., Leahy, P. G., Hickey, K., and Wingler, A. (2021). ‘Risk of Drought-Related “Fodder Crises” in Irish Agriculture under mid-21st Century Climatic Conditions’. Irish National Hydrology Conference, Athlone, November. Available at: https://hydrologyireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/03-Paul-Leahy-NHC_ClimAg_A0_Poster_Leahy.pdf (Accessed: 3 June 2022).

ClimAg is a three-year research project funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ireland under the Climate Change Research Programme grant number 2018-CCRP-MS.50, with additional funding provided under the COVID-19 research support scheme of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) Ireland.

The authors acknowledge the inputs of the ClimAg project steering committee members throughout the project. The authors thank Eoin Whelan (Met Éireann, Dublin, Ireland), Paul Nolan (Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC), Dublin, Ireland), and Elodie Ruelle (Teagasc, Moorepark, Ireland) for providing datasets used in this study.

The Python implementation of the ModVege pasture model adapted for use in this project was translated from Java to Python by Y. Chemin of JRC Ispra. This Python implementation was originally published as public domain software on GitHub under the Unlicence license. The Java model was provided by R. Martin of INRAE UREP Clermont-Ferrand for the original Python implementation. The original ModVege pasture model was developed by Jouven et al.