PREVIO-SICILIA Extended Dataset: Hydro-climatic Risk Indicators for Agricultural Planning in Semi-Arid Mediterranean Contexts

Sicily is the largest Mediterranean island and one of Europe’s most climate-vulnerable agricultural regions. With annual precipitation ranging from 380 mm on the southern coast to over 700 mm on the northern Tyrrhenian slopes, and summer temperatures routinely exceeding 35°C, Sicilian agriculture operates at the boundary of semi-arid conditions. The island’s agro-climatic diversity — from coastal citrus orchards to highland cereal systems to volcanic slope viticulture — creates a natural laboratory for studying hydro-climatic risk under Mediterranean climate change.

The Nature Restoration Law (Regulation 2024/1991) and EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 require evidence-based assessment of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) effectiveness across diverse climatic contexts. Agricultural NbS — agroforestry, riparian buffer strips, constructed wetlands for irrigation water reuse, hedgerow networks — are highly sensitive to hydro-climatic conditions. Their design, sizing, and expected performance depend critically on precipitation patterns, evapotranspiration demand, drought frequency, and heat stress intensity. Yet comprehensive, FAIR-compliant hydro-climatic risk datasets covering the full range of Sicilian agro-climatic zones have not been publicly available.

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