Drought in Italy reaches "apocalyptic" proportions - farmers are desperately looking for new solutions
Created: 07/14/2022 05:28
By: Anna Lorenz
Lots of sun and no rain: This summer in Italy is a real fiasco for farmers.
With the harvests, the livelihoods of the farm are also at stake.
An industry is rethinking.
Pavia – The persistent drought in Italy is not only making the population groan under the sun;
Farmers in particular are suffering from the ongoing water scarcity in terms of their livelihoods.
The director of the agricultural association Confagricoltura of Pavia, Alberto Lasagna, had already emphasized at a meeting at the beginning of July how serious the situation was at the moment and spoke of "apocalyptic conditions", the "hearth" of which was the Lomellina region in the northern Po Valley.
Drought in Italy: Farmers share their knowledge
The agricultural associations estimate the damage caused by the current weather conditions in Italy to be more than three billion euros.
While politicians want to make their contribution with financial aid packages and the planned institution of a special commissioner for drought, the farmers themselves are now moving closer together.
It was "bad," explained Davide Dornetti from the province of Lodi in an interview with
ntv.de
, "but that's exactly why [you have to] keep a cool head."
For this reason, the farmer is now sharing his experiences and approach to fighting the drought on his YouTube channel
Agricoltura Innovativa
.
This is "something really new, because farmers usually keep their new findings strictly secret."
Drought in Italy – drought in Germany: What experiences have you already had?
Drought in Italy: the head of the association sees hydroelectric power plants as having a duty
While some farmers in cultivation or irrigation have already taken precautionary measures for a dry summer, Lasagna
ntv.de
speaks out in favor of “taking stock of the dams” and “how much water can be derived from them”, “to maybe still be part of the to save fields".
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Drought emergency in Italy: what vacationers on Lake Garda and in Tuscany need to know now
Italy is pumping from Lake Garda - the water level has already fallen visibly
The state of emergency now affecting some regions has already led the Italian authorities to tap Lake Garda to counteract the effects of the drought.
According to Lasagna, however, hydroelectric power plants should also come to the aid of farmers by "diverting part of the water for agriculture - and immediately." It remains to be seen whether the special commissioner for drought will set the appropriate levers in motion.
(askl)
