Territorial hotspots of exposure to climate disaster risk. The case of agri-food geographical indications in the Veneto Region

Abstract

Geographical indications (GIs) represent a quality label attributed to those agri-food products whose quality reputation is grounded on a given 'terroir' (i.e., its area of production). Climate change can alter terroir features. While several studies already addressed the effects of climate change on wine terroirs, little attention has been paid to agri-food GIs so far. Taking Veneto Region (Italy) as a case study and based on the Disaster Risk Reduction framework, this work aims to highlight the territorial hotspots of agri-food GIs exposure to climate disaster risk. The adopted approach combines two strategies: first, a cluster analysis on municipality level data (covering physical, social and production characteristics) is performed; second, the returned clusters are analysed under the light of climate change hazards, adopting nonparametric tests (Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn tests) to pinpoint significant differences. The study elucidates region heterogeneity in terms of GI systems and the territories where they couple with local-level climate change hazards. Thus, a need for a greater focus on these territorial hotspots is required within climate adaptation policies. Also more-tailored measures, which consider both specific characteristics of the GI systems and the extension of their production areas, are crucial.