Development of High-Resolution Agroclimatic Zoning Method to Determine Micro-Agroclimatic Zones in Greece

Climate variability and rising water scarcity are major challenges to agricultural sustainability, particularly in Mediterranean climates with high spatial heterogeneity. Agroclimatic zoning is a fundamental analytical tool for digital agriculture and climate-resilient agriculture. The current effort proposes an integrated agroclimatic and micro-agroclimatic zoning approach for Greece, based on the Aridity Index (AI), CORINE Land Cover 2018 land-use data, and topographic factors. Daily precipitation and reference evapotranspiration data from 139 meteorological stations and 382 rain gauges were spatially interpolated using Empirical Bayesian Kriging, identifying eight agroclimatic classes adapted to the country’s specific conditions. The results indicate a high degree of variability in space, with most agricultural areas being classified as dry to sub-humid, suggesting higher irrigation requirements and sensitivity to drought. Micro-agroclimatic zones have been identified by combining agroclimatic classes, land use, and elevation. Consequently, the derived zones can be used as groundwork for designing methodologies towards more efficient agrometeorological monitoring through the improved localization of IoT agrometeorological stations. Validation with the Köppen–Geiger climate classification reveals high spatial and statistical agreement (χ2 = 248,454.09, df = 49, p < 0.001), proving the climatic validity of the proposed approach and its higher sensitivity to local water balance conditions.