Drought in Europe: impact on yield and the condition of agricultural lands
Summer drought has engulfed a significant part of European territories, creating serious problems for the agricultural sector. A wide variety of crops are suffering from adverse weather conditions: from Dutch potatoes to corn in Bosnia and vineyards in Italy. According to Triodos Bank estimates, the negative impact of heat waves and moisture deficit could lead to a 1% reduction in the European Union's GDP by 2026.
In the Netherlands, farmers are facing restrictions on the use of water from rivers and drainage channels for irrigation. Local potato producers, whose products are supplied for the production of French fries, among other things, report premature crop maturation and a significant reduction in size. Farmer Hendrik Jan ten Cate expects a one-third drop in harvest compared to average indicators. His colleague Marten Janse employs soil conservation methods and diversifies production by growing salt-tolerant sea asparagus (samphire), yet the lack of precipitation hinders the normal development of even this crop.
The situation in Bosnia is also critical: for farmer Slaviša Lukić, corn yield has decreased from 6–7 tonnes to an expected 1.5–2 tonnes per hectare. In the Czech Republic, beer producer Plzeňský Prazdroj forecasts losses due to a shortfall in the hop harvest. The company's sustainability specialist, Jakub Zaoral, notes that the changing precipitation pattern, where infrequent downpours do not have time to nourish the soil, leads to a drop in groundwater levels.
In Romania, a record drop in the Danube's water level has complicated grain transportation, leading to logistical bottlenecks and a shortage of warehouse capacities for the storage of sunflower and corn. In Hungary, livestock farmers at dairy farms are forced to purchase expensive feed due to the scorching of pastures. Even large infrastructure projects, such as reservoirs at the Elveden Estate in England, are on the verge of depletion, which threatens the possibility of further irrigation of fields until the end of the season.