In Germany, some like it hot — this summer's unusually hot, sunny weather, that is. For many farmers, the prolonged heat means smaller harvests and diminished food reserves for their livestock. Will food prices soar?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Skolimowska
Advertisement
"What we are experiencing this summer is climate change in action," says Gerald Dohme, the deputy chair of the German Farmers' Association. He says the lack of rain in Germany will mean a wheat harvest of just 41 million tons. This would be 4.5 tons less than last year's already subaverage harvest of 45.5 million tons. Over the past five years, the average harvest has yielded 47.9 tons of wheat.
According to Dohme, German farmers are extremely concerned — including those who farm livestock. He said grass and maize used to feed animals was already running low and some unripe wheat had to be cut down in certain parts of Germany.
Though many crops have withered, orchard harvests have been bountifulImage: Imago/Chromorange/E. Weingartner
Northern and eastern Germany received considerable sunshine in spring and summer this year, which caused drought-related damages. Similarly, in the southeastern state of Baden-Württemberg, drought destroyed numerous crops, but the weather varied considerably throughout the country. "Some farms reported droughts while farmers merely two kilometers away said they were struggling with the effects of extreme rainfall," Dohm explains.
While wheat farmers have taken a hit, German fruit farmers are doing well. They are reaping a substantial, albeit early harvest. Some have even begun harvesting their fruit as early as their Mediterranean peers.
April and May were the hottest months since weather records began. What does this mean for consumer prices? Dohme is not worried, but admits that a drop in agricultural products drives up prices. But wheat prices have little impact on the cost of bread, he says: "It changes only by a few cents."
In terms of availability, Dohme claims says consumers need not worry, because international trade will balance things out: "There are different kind of harvest situations across Europe, despite the hot summer."
Cows have little to graze upon in this drought-stricken field in the German state of SaxonyImage: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Skolimowska
German state considering financial assistance
Nina Wettern, of Germany's Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), argues farmers need to take action now. "We need to assist the agricultural sector adapt to climate change." She says that seeking the greatest possible harvest at all cost is untenable. EU funding that supports large-scale farms does little to help, she adds.
But Wettern acknowledges that farmers are under immense pressure. "Apart from dealing with the capricious weather, they have to meet environmental standards like the new fertilizer law." In general, the government offers farmers help when it comes to installing better cooling systems, choosing new methods of cultivation, and selecting crops more suited to climate change, Wettern says.
But none of this will mollify farmers who are already facing major financial losses due to the usually hot weather. Dohme has now called for these farmers to be granted tax relief. The German Farmers' Association has also joined forces with insurers to develop schemes provide financial protection beyond damages incurred through hail. In one month, the BMU plans to meet representatives from Germany's federal states to assess the situation. Whether financial help will be granted will be decided in August, when the harvest report is published, the BMU said.
Feeding the world of the future: is hydroponics the answer?
Earth's population is soaring, demand for more resource-intensive foods shows no sign of abating and climate change threatens to make farming in many regions even tougher. Growing plants without soil could be a solution.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot
Tackling food insecurity with hydroponics
The challenge of feeding a planet that’s set to have 3 billion more people on it by 2050 - made even more acute by climate change as some parts of the planet become wetter, while others drier - means the pressure is on to find ways to feed the planet. So farming has to become more productive – and new areas to grow, especially in dry climates, must be found. One potential solution: hydroponics.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot
Growing plants in the air
Farming with little space and producing higher crop yields: hydroponics fits the bill. Though it may sound like something out of Star Trek, it's actually been around since the Aztecs – they built floating farms around the city of Tenochtitlan. Hydroponics essentially means growing plants without soil, and instead using a nutrient-rich solution to supply them with water and minerals.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/P. De Melo Moreira
Boosting yields
With hydroponics, plants – usually supported by soil – are propped up artificially instead, and a nutrient solution is applied to the suspended roots using a number of different methods, including spraying them with a solution mist. Together with artificial lights, heaters and other equipment, the nutrient solutions help plants develop faster, produce larger yields and grow all year round.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot
Efficient hydroponics
Hydroponics can recycle water, meaning it could use as little as 10 percent of the water a conventional farm uses – making it an option in arid environments. And the closed system means nutrients don't escape, cutting fertilizer down to as much as a quarter of what a conventional farm would use. Also, almost no pesticide is needed, since soil pests aren't an issue for plants grown without soil.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Schwarz
Planting vertically
When growing sideways isn't an option, try going upwards: hydroponic growing trays can be piled on top of one another, and plants can be grown more closely next to each than in the soil, making it very efficient in terms of space. As for what kind of space they can grow in, the sky is the limit: with no need for scarce farmland, one possibility could be to have hydroponic farms in skyscrapers.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/ Photoshot
The downsides of hydroponics
Running a hydroponic farm can be complex, energy-intensive and expensive. Plants require many essential nutrients, and the farm needs a large amount of equipment. Heat and light, supplied for free by the sun in conventional farms, have to be provided artifically and paid for. And power failures could mean whole crops are destroyed if they go too long without water and light.
Image: Imago/View Stock
Hydroponics on the rise
Hydroponics can theoretically be used to grow any crop, although the technique lends itself best to plants such as cucumbers, salad greens, tomatoes, peppers and herbs. Given its long history, hydroponics still isn't widely used. But that looks set to change: the global hydroponic farming industry was estimated to be worth $21.2 billion in 2016. That's forecast to grow by 7 per cent each year.
