Climate extremes are increasingly affecting agricultural systems, but local conditions and different levels of resilience lead to varying degrees of vulnerability. In this study, composite indices were developed to assess county-level agricultural vulnerability to such extremes in Alabama (USA). Temperature and precipitation extreme indices derived from long-term station observations were used to determine climate exposure, while sensitivity and adaptive capacity were characterized using agricultural and socioeconomic indicators. Two vulnerability indices were developed: a farm-based index that reflects agricultural production systems, and a hybrid index that includes both farm-system and socioeconomic adaptive capacities. The farm system vulnerability results showed that highly vulnerable counties are concentrated in northern Alabama, while low-vulnerability counties form clusters in the southeast and include several Black Belt counties, reflecting differences in exposure, sensitivity, and farm-based adaptive capacity. Incorporating socioeconomic adaptive capacity expands the distribution of highly vulnerable counties across Alabama and increases vulnerability in many Black Belt counties that previously exhibited low farm-based vulnerability, while more urbanized counties with stronger socioeconomic capacity exhibit lower vulnerability. Overall, the results suggest that focusing solely on farm-system resilience may misrepresent the capacity of agricultural communities to deal with climate extremes. The framework used in this study led to the development of a flexible tool that can help policymakers plan targeted agricultural strategies and support efficient climate adaptation across Alabama.
Fall et al. (Sat,) studied this question.