Editorial – Paying the hard way
As summer gets underway, the heatwave that is sweeping the country is not only driving up temperatures, it also melts (no pun intended) the supply of fruit and vegetables. According to growers, the situation is worrying for certain products and in certain regions, not to mention the rising cost of energy for irrigation…
This heatwave is neither the first nor the last: it is the sign of a climate that has changed its pattern and rhythm. Seasons are out of kilter, flowering periods disrupted.
In a country where over 80% of water is consumed by agriculture, the question is no longer whether the agricultural model is sustainable, but how long will it last ?
The triptych on which our agricultural policy has been based for decades-extension of acreage, massive irrigation, export crops – is now coming up against a non-negotiable fact: water scarcity.
Today, it is no longer just a question of yield or trade balance. It is a question of food sovereignty, social balance and territorial viability.
Solutions do exist. Desalination projects, the reuse of treated wastewater and experiments with crops adapted to water stress are just some of the avenues already explored. As well as pushing even further towards a kind of agricultural New Deal focused on climate adaptation, capable of guaranteeing food security without compromising the resources of future generations. This means producing differently, with less water, fewer inputs, more technology and sobriety. And above all, making the most of every available cubic meter.
It is time to stop thinking in terms of agricultural cycles and start thinking in terms of climate cycles, so that we don’t have to pay the hard way or all our delays.
