Coldiretti has raised an alarm regarding the serious water crisis that is affecting the Foggiano and Puglia area. Last year, one liter of water in five was lost, with a decrease in water availability of 18%, which is having serious repercussions on crops and stables. This decline comes in a climate context in which 2024 has been classified as the warmest year ever, with an average temperature 1.84 degrees higher than the historical average. In Puglia, where 57% of the usable surface is at risk of desertification, the situation is particularly critical for agriculture, which suffers the consequences of climate change and drought.
Coldiretti based its alarm on data provided by Ispra and Cnr. Artesian wells have dried up and farmers are facing rising costs as water resources dwindle. Fruit trees, vegetable gardens and stables suffer from a lack of fodder, including the lack of moist hay needed by horses.
A 20% to 30% drop in wheat production is expected, with the province of Foggia finding itself in a particularly difficult situation. This represents a significant problem for the entire national production, given that Puglia is traditionally known as the Granary of Italy. The lack of rain caused the loss of 118 million cubic meters of water from the reservoirs.
Coldiretti underlined that Puglia is the region of Italy with the least amount of rain, but water resources are not collected due to the lack of reservoirs. The rise of the salt wedge, due to drought and rising sea levels, makes water resources and land unusable, with serious consequences on the agricultural economy of the region.
The water crisis has caused a significant decrease in fodder in pastures, with an increase in the costs of purchasing feed for animals in stables. This situation was aggravated by the rise in prices of raw materials such as soya, corn and cereals, also due to the international crises in Ukraine and Israel.
Coldiretti has proposed the creation of a reservoir plan with pumping, which involves the creation of a network of accumulation basins without using cement, but with local materials, to collect and use rainwater when necessary. This plan aims to double the collection of rainwater for civil and agricultural uses and for the production of clean hydroelectric energy, also contributing to the regulation of rainfall and preventing the risk of floods. Furthermore, Coldiretti underlined the importance of developing agriculture 4.0 solutions, which use precision tools and artificial intelligence to reduce water consumption by 30% to 40% for irrigation alone.
Foggiatoday.it reports it
