Frost and Drought Indices for Assessing Production Risk in Viticulture and Developing Innovative Risk Management Tools

Viticulture faces significant challenges from climatic extremes, such as frost and drought, impacting grape yield and quality. Conventional crop insurance schemes often fail to address these risks effectively, necessitating innovative risk management tools. This paper explores the potential of risk indices in viticulture, highlighting their role in understanding and mitigating climatic risks. Through an analysis of temperature-related, precipitation-related, and mixed factors indices, we demonstrate investigate about their utility in assessing the risk of heatwaves, frost events, and drought and yield-related impacts risks. These indices offer valuable insights into vineyard management practices and insurance coverage, enabling proactive decision-making amid climate uncertainties. However, a gap persists in index-based insurance tailored to viticulture, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to develop methodologies for quantifying climate-induced yield loss and designing tailored insurance solutions. Innovative approaches, such as weather index-based insurance programs offer promising avenues for mitigating financial risks in viticulture. Through further efforts in interdisciplinary research and collaboration, better tailored insurance solutions that directly address the specific risks faced by grape growers, ensuring the sustainability of viticulture and the prosperity of growers globally, can be developed.