First the dams and then the bridge, Sicily’s agriculture is “thirsty”: of 29 water basins, only 5 are active

Being far-sighted also means having a firm awareness of what has been done in recent years, of a small-large masterpiece which, thanks to the vision of producers with a solid union of intentions, has given impetus to something that was unknown, or in any case with unknown potential. still expressed, until a few years ago. But to continue writing history, giving “blood” to the territory, and therefore work and wealth but also prestige, it needs to look at the “real” and less, perhaps, at utopia. Let’s take the case of Sicily, a region that is the protagonist, to all intents and purposes, of a true “Renaissance” of wine (recently “Sicilia en Primeur” 2024 celebrated the 20 years since the birth of the Preview of Sicilian wines format and the first 25 years of a thousand activities carried out by Assovini Sicilia, protagonist and witness of the Sicilian wine “Renaissance”, ed.).
An area that has 95,760 hectares of vineyards throughout the island, we are talking about the second “Italian vineyard” and the first in terms of organic surface area (it alone represents 8% of the world’s organic viticultural surface area: it is the third region, after Castilla -La Mancha in Spain and Occitania in France) with exports exploding and wines reaching over 100 countries around the world. Therefore, it is something great, also driven by the work done in terms of image and storytelling, aspects that have contributed to large-scale wine tourism, and which must be protected starting from the decisions to be made at the top. We talked about viticulture but all agriculture, in general, is a fundamental economic driver for the region thanks to numerous excellent products, from fruit to vegetables, which end up on tables all over the world.
But agriculture needs water and Sicily is grappling with a complex situation from a water point of view. WineNews has learned, from multiple qualified sources, that the Sicilian Region has 29 water basins, but of these only 5 are used. A well-known problem, so much so that it seems inappropriate to speak of “emergency” but rather of “unconsciousness”. The complications concern the interconnections with the dams, the loss of water that is not collected, and the basins, in fact, that are not in operation.
Sicily is “thirsty” and it doesn’t matter that it is a territory that, due to its characteristics, suffers the “weight” of climate change less than others. Yes, it’s true, companies are equipped with emergency irrigation systems but the dams need to do a better job, the water resource needs greater efficiency and losses need to be mitigated. The sector needs help to face a scenario that also affects the world of wine because, in the worst case scenario, it could also lead to the loss of biodiversity and a commercial problem on the positioning of the product; and this, in an increasingly crowded and competitive landscape, is an alarm to avoid.
Viticulture, and agri-food in general, it must always be remembered, also “moves” tourism, catering, makes accommodation facilities and commercial activities work. It concerns transformation, logistics and hospitality activities, a world that benefits, “in cascade”, from the work of those who work in the countryside. Investing in the basins is expensive, true, but it can generate, over time, much greater economic benefits for Sicily and therefore for Italy. We often talk about great works, we think of the Bridge over the Strait, but perhaps, first, we need to aim closer, directing resources to all those projects that are close to the needs of the territories, of the people who have written history and who want to continue making it.