Evaluating adaptive strategies for Mediterranean agriculture: a participatory approach in the Arroyo de la Balisa Sub-basin (Segovia, Spain)

Climate change is already exacerbating water scarcity issues, particularly in vulnerable regions such as the Mediterranean. In this context, agricultural adaptation measures are essential to ensure food security and sustainable agriculture. This research focuses on the prioritization and socioeconomic assessment of adaptation strategies for agriculture in the Arroyo de la Balisa sub-basin (Segovia, Spain). A participatory multi-criteria approach was conducted with 41 local stakeholders, including public administration, agronomic engineering companies, farmers, livestock producers, environmentalists, and experts, who ranked 14 adaptation measures under current and future scenarios. Subsequently, a structured questionnaire collected detailed insights from local farmers regarding socioeconomic impacts and implementation barriers for the eight prioritized measures. Key findings indicate that, despite their considerable potential benefits, irrigation-related measures such as modernization and expansion are hindered by high costs and significant implementation barriers. Conversely, cover crops for woody crops and crop rotation with soil-improving species emerged as the most feasible options due to balanced cost-benefit perceptions among farmers. The participatory approach adopted, involving active validation by local actors, provided context-specific insights and enhanced the practical relevance and acceptance of results, facilitating targeted policy interventions to foster climate resilience in Mediterranean agriculture.