Economy - published on 09 February 2024
Source: press office Coldiretti Treviso
The boiling winter sends nature into a tailspin in a winter that has so far recorded a temperature 1.7 degrees higher than the historical average for the months from 1991-2020 accompanied by a worrying drought. This is what Coldiretti Treviso says in commenting on Copernicus data based on elaborations on national Isac CNR data in December-January.
The climate in our country must concern everyone because we are all consumers of food that fortunately is produced in Italy – Coldiretti Treviso explains – So even our consumers in Treviso must do with us some reflections on these changes and especially on the issue of drought that needs adequate infrastructural responses for the good of farms and the whole society.
In January 2024, according to Copernicus, European temperatures – Coldiretti stresses – have in fact varied from well below average with reference to the period between 1991 and 2020 in the Nordic countries to well above average in the south of the continent, as in Italy. The unseasonable heat – Coldiretti stresses – favors in all plants the early awakening even early blooms as for mimosas in advance of more than a month compared to the date of March 8, with the danger of exposing crops to the damage of a predictable, subsequent, sharp drop in temperatures with the consequent loss . Also of concern – Coldiretti continues – is the drought that puts at risk the sowing of cereals, legumes and vegetables, but also forage in pastures, which is in sharp decline. The lack of water also causes repercussions on the costs for businesses also increased due to the rise in the price of forage while in Puglia drought and sirocco winds with high humidity rates have also reduced the production of artichokes by 60% while in Sicily and Sardinia are reported difficulties in the development of fruit and vegetables with oranges or salads that fail to grow adequately due to lack of water.
There is – Coldiretti points out -scarcity of snow in several areas of the Alps and on much of the Apennine ridge and a situation of water stress that grows but as you go down south with a peak in the islands, which is certainly not normal in January. In the reservoirs of the Sardinia region in January there was 21 percent less water than in the same period of the previous year, while in those of Sicily in January 2024 the deficit is 13 percent compared to the previous year, according to Coldiretti analysis of data from the Regional Hydrographic Departments. And the situation in the basins of Puglia is also worrying, with more than 119 million cubic meters less than last year, according to Anbi, which also highlights critical issues in central Italy. From Abruzzo where there is no snow to Lazio where the lakes remain in critical condition as well as serious is the condition of the Tiber River, from ‘Umbria where Lake Trasimeno remains 18 centimeters lower than the minimum “vital” level to the Marche drop the levels of the rivers Potenza, Esino, Sentino, Tronto and Nera and in the mountains there is no snow but – notes Coldiretti – the condition of the rivers in Tuscany is also worsening according to the Anbi Observatory.
Italian agriculture is the economic activity that more than any other experiences the consequences of climate change on a daily basis, but it is also the sector most committed to countering them – says Coldiretti in pointing out that – climate change imposes a new challenge for agricultural enterprises that must interpret the novelties signaled by meteorology and the effects on crop cycles, water management and land safety. A goal that requires a commitment of the institutions to accompany innovation from agriculture 5.0 with drones, robots and satellites to the new green genetics no GMOs but we also need – Coldiretti concludes – investments for maintenance, savings, recovery and water regulation with a widespread system of small reservoirs that can collect excess water and then distribute it when needed.
