Abstract
The agriculture system is a significant contributor to North Macedonia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but with substantial influence by economic policies. In 2020, the sector contributed 9.09% against 7.87% in 2017 and the years before, contributing to past political insecurities. Agriculture performance needs to be reinforced with suitable economic policies, which would solve the prevailing complications in food systems. The temperate of North Macedonia is not favourable for food production, and irrigation is an effective means of providing water. The total arable land in North Macedonia is about 665,000 hectares, which is 50% of the total available land. Only about 163,700 hectares are provided with water through several government irrigation schemes. Aside from the country being water deficient, the mean temperature of the region is also high and is continually on the increase. It is estimated that in 2050, the mean annual temperature would have increased 1.90°C and a decline of 5% in precipitation. North Macedonia can achieve more by having an increased growing season and changing cropping patterns to adapt to climate changes. Since the agricultural sector is less profitable, the government needs to enact more policies to improve the food system performance to experience positive returns.
Highlights
The agricultural system in North Macedonia is greatly impacted by climate changes
More land portion were invested into tobacco farming. The implication of this action is that other food crops would be less grown, which would impact on its price, food availability and the eventual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contribution of agriculture in North Macedonia
Policies are any country state and guide the activities of the public, same goes with agriculture production in North Macedonia
Summary
The agricultural system in North Macedonia is greatly impacted by climate changes. The region has several climatic conditions, which is used to categorize the different zones and influences the kind of crops grown in the country. Continental zones represent about 61% of the total area in North Macedonia, while Mediterranean and Alpine cover 35% and 4%, respectively. Rainfall distribution varies across the agro-ecological zones, which impacts the crop production Research studies have it that the Western North Macedonia have favourable annual rainfall between 400 mm to about 1000mm, but the temperature is projected to increase by approximately 1.9°C and rainfall reduced by 3 - 5%. These speculated climate changes would lead to drier environmental conditions resulting in reduced crop production
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