Rome, Europe Brief News – Italy agricultural output has been hit by a drought and record-high temperatures this year, taking a heavy toll on both small- and large-scale farmers.
Many of them are fighting the rainfall deficit by using new and smarter irrigation techniques, but a spike in water and energy prices has cut annual output by up to 30% in most cases, according to farmers’ associations.
Italy water crisis – the worst in 70 years – is not new, but comes after three consecutive years of drought and warmer temperatures, a phenomenon that experts attribute mainly to the effects of climate change.
“The real problem is that we are seeing a trend of hotter summers and extensive droughts, which is the evidence of an irreversible change in climate,” Antonello Pasini, a climate scientist at Italy’s National Research Council (CNR), told Anadolu Agency.
“We could have predicted these problems already in the winter, as it snowed less and at higher altitudes, reducing the real reserves of water. Something should have been done in advance,” he added.
Pasini noted that temperatures can be stabilized, but it is impossible to bring them back to past levels – a scenario that involves adopting new infrastructure and technologies but also “mitigation” measures, drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions and moving to renewable energies.
For small-scale farmers, however, it is hard to face these drastic changes.
“This year, I’ve lost one-third of my revenue and have no idea how I’m going to pay my expenses,” said Nicolo Carandini, the owner of a 300-hectare (741-acre) family farm which he runs with only two workers in Torrimpietra, an agricultural area close to Rome.
He produces mainly winter crops that normally would not need irrigation. But the lack of rain has slashed production and harmed quality.
