AGRIDE-c, a conceptual model for the estimation of flood damage to crops: development and implementation

Abstract

This paper presents AGRIDE-c, a conceptual model for the assessment of flood damage to crops, in favour of more comprehensive flood damage assessments. Available knowledge on damage mechanisms triggered by inundation phenomena is systematised in a usable and consistent tool, with the main strength represented by the integration of physical damage assessment into the evaluation of its economic consequences on the income of the farmers. This allows AGRIDE-c to be used to guide the flood damage assessment process in different geographical and economic contexts, as demonstrated by the example provided in this study for the Po Plain (north of Italy). The development and implementation of the model highlighted that a thorough understanding and modelling of mechanisms causing damage to crops is a powerful tool to support more effective damage mitigation strategies, both at public and at private (i.e. farmers) levels.