A rise in extreme weather events continues to hit farmers, food companies and consumers across the globe. At the same time, climate change is driving structural changes in food production and consumption. Adaptation strategies for companies are crucial, and there are valuable lessons to be learned from what’s happening in Southern Europe Vineyards in the wine region of Penedès in Spain suffered this year due to severe drought in Catalonia In this article Lesson 1: Climate change, crop volatility and crop yields: it’s not all doom and gloom Lesson 2: Farmers do what they can to make their land climate-resilient Lesson 3: Heat and drought push some production to more suitable areas Lesson 4: Imports serve as a backup when extreme weather hits domestic supply Lesson 5: Rising temperatures change consumption patterns Conclusion: five lessons that provide a starting point for a strategic discussion on climate adaptation Strategic consequences for food manufacturers and distributors Food and agriculture companies are under increasing pressure to adapt to the many challenges posed by climate change, as we wrote about here. In this article, we spotlight Spain, Italy and Portugal as key case studies. These countries are major producers and exporters of everyday products like oranges, tomatoes, wine and olive oil, which find their way to the tables of consumers all across Europe. However, their status as leading suppliers is at risk. The European Environment Agency assesses that the risks from climate change to crop production are most urgent and severe in Southern Europe. This shows that there is a lot at stake for farmers, food and beverage manufacturers and distributors in the region. But how companies in these countries adapt will also influence their competitors in other regions. To identify long-term trends and shifts in production and consumption we use a range […]