Climate change has long gone from a scientific prediction to a harsh reality, and this is already bringing dire consequences. Let’s start with the province’s agriculture, which has never been under such threat. And this Crops such as cherries, grains, watermelons, pomegranates and the most traditional variety of artichoke are now seriously threatened.It is even in danger of extinction due to drought and high temperatures. According to experts, the solution is to choose varieties that are more resistant to these climatic conditions, which is not always possible, and to move to arid lands due to lack of water resources.
There are few agricultural products in the province of Alicante that have survived the significant crop declines and resulting economic losses in recent years. Far from providing a ceasefire, various meteorological disturbances damaged crops in an inexorably escalating dynamic. And this, predictably, He raised a red alert in the sector that is increasingly turning a deaf ear to the wolf. in a panorama of enormous uncertainty.
Asaja Alicante president José Vicente Andreu, who does not hesitate to point out that the situation is very complex, states this. “There are crops where the strings are stacked against them financially because they have already had disastrous harvests in several campaigns.”
And, first of all, he is talking about cherries, which have achieved almost no economic profitability for a decade. “This is due to the variability of the climate. Sometimes it was caused by drought, sometimes by heat, sometimes by rain in the middle of the harvest campaign, but the truth is that this sector is dying,” he laments.
And in the same bag he puts the grains; He believes that this crop is on the brink of extinction.. As he explains, “They dry-planted this year because otherwise they would lose the aid, but everything indicates that production will be weak, as it was last season.”
Watermelons are also in danger of extinction due to lack of rain and almost no water to irrigate them.While the mollar bomb also witnessed a disastrous campaign for the same reasons. “The quality looked very good, but when they started packaging them for marketing they realized they were dry inside due to heatstroke in August,” emphasizes Andreu.
Crops such as olives, almonds and citrus fruits also showed their effects in very irregular campaigns, although not as pronounced.
artichoke
Artichoke, one of the most symbolic products of the province, is also suffering the devastation of climate change. Excellent traditional variety, such as the white variety from Navarra, is heading towards extinction. According to Pedro Valero, producer and manager of Asaja in Camp d’Elx, “It really appreciates both the coldness and the absence of rain, because this is a crop that appreciates a more humid climate, even if there is water to irrigate.” This type of artichoke is slowly being replaced by other hybrid varieties are slowly taking over, but still last autumn, strong heat in the middle of the planting season meant that the harvest was reduced by about 25%.
Openly, The area where farmers can have some hope for the future is the introduction of new varieties.But it’s not as simple as it seems. José Vicente Andreu emphasized that the hybrid artichoke variety, which has gained popularity in both the Elche region and Vega Baja, is the result of 20 years of experiments and gives the impression that climate change is progressing faster. “We may now start working to develop a variety that is productive in certain meteorological conditions, and in five or ten years the climate behavior will be different,” he warns.
La Unió shares Asaja’s concerns. Without going any further, Carles Peris, the general secretary of this organization, emphasizes: In 2023, global warming caused declines in harvests throughout the Valencian Community and led to a 56% increase in insurance claims..
So what do the experts think? Fernando Maestre, professor of Ecology at the University of Alicante (UA) and winner of the Alejandro Malaspina National Research Award, “clearly states that agriculture in the province cannot continue as it has been practiced so far. It is necessary to adapt to the new scenario we are moving towardsAn increasingly hotter climate, with more extreme meteorological events such as more extensive droughts and out-of-season droughts.
arid land
He is therefore clearly committed to the radical recycling of crops. In his words, “We must realize that there will be less and less water day by day, because it is not raining and we will be able to draw less and less from both transfer and over-exploited groundwater. AND This is not a political question, just pure reality.. Reconversion should be done as soon as possible because the longer it takes, the more painful it becomes.
And Maestre points out that the path to follow should be the path of dryland crops. “We need to eliminate irrigation and see which products might be more suitable, taking into account compatibility and profitability criteria.”
Pablo Melgarejo, professor of Plant Production at Orihuela Higher Polytechnic School (EPSO) affiliated with Miguel Hernández University (UMH), underlines that the main problem with the crops this year is heat, which reduces the yield. caliber of products such as lemons and tangerines. And in his opinion, The solution to the changes includes more efficient irrigation systems as well as the research of new varieties. Like the school works on to keep water and nutrients circulating.
In any case, not everything is negative. There are crops that adapt well to climate change, at least for now. This applies to cauliflower, broccoli or tomatoes; yes, only those produced in the greenhouse. Tubers such as potatoes and sweet potatoes are also responding well with increasing commercial outlets such as vineyards and carob.
Vermicompost and exotic crops as an alternative to existing ones
As part of the reconversion process that will challenge the agricultural sector in the province, some farmers have decided to undertake and invest in a number of exotic and unknown crops in these latitudes until recently, in order to increase the profitability of their fields. .
This is the case of the pitahaya, a cactus native to Central America that produces very tasty fruits that are still scarce on the market. The crop adapts well due to the fact that the climate of Alicante is very similar to the natural habitat of these plants.
Paulownia is another crop that is gaining popularity. It is a fast-growing tree from tropical regions and its wood is highly appreciated in the field of carpentry.
Experiments have also begun with the desert mushroom, which has a good reputation in the cooking world for its flavor and aromatic qualities.
Another crop that is already more common is the avocado, which continues to offer good yields due to its good adaptation to Alicante soils.
To all this we must add the production of vermicompost, which is nothing more than the excrement of these worms, which is considered an excellent fertilizer for gardening.