ROME
Italy’s 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’s 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.
“Then there’s a paradox: Every year, I receive a 12,000-euro ($11,941) bill from the consortium that handles water distribution in the area just because a pipe crosses my land, even if I don’t use it at all,” he said.
For Claudio Caramadre, another small producer in the same Lazio region, the big problem is not the quantity of water, but the price, which spiked along with energy costs.
“We have the advantage that the provision of water here is oversized compared to the land that is currently cultivated,” said Caramadre, who owns about 40 hectares (99 acres) and produces organic fruit and vegetables. “But the water price has doubled compared to last year.”
He added that “also for ethical reasons,” his firm has adopted a sprinkler irrigation method which allows them to save water and avoid dispersion.
Huge investments needed
New technologies provide some responses to the historic challenges posed by climate change, but – as even larger producers stress – they require major investments and a long-term vision.
For Maccarese Spa, one of the largest agricultural firms in Italy, with its 3,200 hectares (7,907 acres) located outside Rome, trying to fight the exceptional heat and drought needed some planning.
“We have been investing for many years to improve our irrigation system, looking for methods that guarantee the maximum results with the lowest waste of water,” said Claudio Destro, the company’s chief executive officer. “We have devoted to that about 150,000 euros a year.”
He noted, however, that the “perfect storm” of heat and drought that slammed Italy this year inevitably damaged the firm’s production, hitting both the agricultural harvest and the massive milk production provided by its 3,600 cows.
The farm’s corn harvest will be 20% lower this year, Destro said, while milk production will fall by up to 25% as cows were stressed by the high temperatures.
According to many famers, Italy’s incapacity to invest in long-term infrastructure able to prevent exceptional climatic events is also due to the short duration of the governments in charge and the lack of political vision.
“We need investments in infrastructure that would require long-term planning and some political stability,” Destro said. “Today, politicians can only think about special bonuses and emergency interventions for the purposes of electoral campaigns.”
Italy is facing early general elections on Sept. 25 after the government led by Prime Minister Mario Draghi collapsed in July as three main coalition parties withdrew their support.
