A relentless drought in Sicily has wreaked havoc on the island's agricultural sector, with grain fields drying up, livestock struggling to find pasture, and wildfires spreading across the region. The damage is estimated at 2.7 billion euros ($2.92 billion) this year.
In response to the escalating water crisis, the Italian government declared a state of emergency for Sicily in early May. This declaration unlocked funds to purchase water tanker trucks, drill wells, and renovate pumping and desalination stations. However, the persistent high temperatures over the following months have continued to exacerbate the dire situation.
Farmers are abandoning their harvests as they grapple with the scarcity of water. \"There's no hope, because it hasn't rained since May of last year,\" said Salvatore Michele Amico, a farmer near the town of San Cataldo in Sicily's dry interior. \"All the planted fields have been lost; there is no wheat, no barley, no oats.\"
The landscape in these regions is stark and barren, with cracked earth and dried-up rivers, ponds, and watering holes. Farming equipment remains idle on once fertile land, while cattle roam in search of even a single blade of grass.
Once known as the breadbasket of ancient Rome, Sicily is now facing a catastrophic decline in wheat production. Agricultural lobby Coldiretti predicts that the wheat harvest will collapse by more than 50 percent this year.
Another farmer, Beppe Palmieri, expressed his concerns: \"It didn't rain this year, so we haven't harvested anything, and we can't feed or water the animals.\" Palmieri's land, which previously supported cattle and goats alongside grain fields, is now struggling to sustain any livestock. Efforts to import feed from outside sources are underway, but the water situation remains critical.
\"There is no water for the animals to drink; we don't know what to do. We have issues with accessibility; certain types of tankers can't come up and provide water to the animals,\" Palmieri added, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by the farming community.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
