New approaches for grassland research in a context of climate and socio-economic changes

Grassland-based systems are no longer seen exclusively as livestock production enterprises but as multiple use systems with important consequences for the global environment. They are crucial for the protection of ecosystem goods and services, for tourism and for mitigating climate change. Wellmanaged grasslands provide important benefits such as increased water infiltration and retention or improved nutrient cycling, associated with organic matter accumulation in the soil, as well as increased plant growth and species diversity.
Thereby, grassland management is also an adaptation strategy for climate change, as it reduces the risks associated with prolonged drought periods and unreliable rains that characterise Mediterranean regions. There is an urgent need to assess the interaction between climate change and grasslands to identify appropriate options that can help farmers to manage forage resources under increasing drought conditions and market globalisation.
The challenge is then to improve grassland productivity, pasture persistence and resilience under these constraints. Scientific advances in grassland management and new strategies in plant improvement may undoubtedly contribute to this aim. This publication is the outcome of the 14th Meeting of the FAO-CIHEAM Inter-regional Cooperative Research and Development Sub-Network on Mediterranean Pastures and Fodder Crops titled "New approaches for grassland research in a context of climatic and socio-economic changes" which took place in Samsun (Turkey) from 3 to 6 October 2012, and includes the invited and selected papers presented at the Meeting.