Sicilian farmers are urging the government to implement long-term solutions as extreme heat and a year-long drought raised concerns about the future of agriculture.
Farmers in Sicily are anxious over the impact record-high temperatures could have on agriculture. Some fear they may need to sell their animals due to a shortage of fodder and water.
The southern Italian island has been hit by an almost rainless year, coupled with extreme heat. The Sicilian Meteorological Service (SIAS) confirmed that for the entire month of June, temperatures were above average and often exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in many areas.
As a result of the drought and severe water shortage, fodder production is down by 70 per cent according to Italy’s primary farmer’s association, Coldiretti.
The island’s main water basins are almost empty
Italian farm owner and cheese maker, Liborio Mangiapane, looks at what is left of the water reservoir near his farm. The water basin usually quenches the thirst of his 100 cows and 150 sheep. “It is practically empty” he says.
Across the island, water basins, such as the one near Mangiapane’s farm, appear similar. Although local authorities have imposed strict water rationing, the high temperatures have only increased the demand for water.
A truck carrying water arrives at Mangiapane’s farm to re-fill his supply. But the farmer says that the animals need a lot of water because of the extreme heat. “When a 10,000 litre tanker reaches the farm, it means that if it gets here today, tomorrow it will be gone.” he says.
A bit further lies Caltanissetta, a province that was hit the hardest by the drought on the island. Lakes have dried up to mere puddles.
Luca Cammarata, a local farmer, watches as his sheep desperately look for water in the basin where they are accustomed to drinking. He explains that, although water levels are generally lower during the summer, the basin has never been completely dried out before. “We do grazing-based farming, but this is now no longer possible” he says.
Wake-up call to the government
Mangiapane blames the government for their lack of response to the dire situation. ” We worked the whole year without profits. No wheat, nor fodder for the cows. And we can say that neither the regional government nor the national one has taken strong measures” he says.
Resilient Sicilian farmers hope that this will serve as a wake-up call for the government to adapt to the reality of the changing climate. They want national and local authorities to implement long-term solutions rather than sticking a band-aid on the increasingly pressing crisis.
In May, the national government declared a state of emergency for drought in Sicily and allocated 20 million euros to buy water tankers, dig new wells, and fix leaky aqueducts.
More efficient aqueducts and a greater spread of reservoirs will allow for more efficient rain collection, while new deep wells will make Sicily more independent thanks to a greater exploitation of its aquifers.
The new normal
The sight of the cracked Sicilian reservoirs is a stark reminder that extreme heat and frequent droughts are the new normal.
Giulio Boccaletti, scientific director of the Euro-Mediterranean centre on climate change (CMCC) explains that “We are going to have more frequent droughts. We are going to have on average less water. So there are three things any society, particularly Sicily, will have to do. The first and most important thing is to ask yourself whether you are using the water, the scarce water for the right things. And that means, looking at agriculture, making decision about what you grow. Whether you are getting enough crop per drop (of water) essentially.”
