Germany: How weather extremes impact local agriculture
For many German farmers, the heat wave in late June couldn't have come at a worse time. While barley was already ready for harvest across much of Germany, the drought struck other crops during a particularly vulnerable stage of development.
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The heat wave in June, with peak temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, hit other European growing regions even harder. According to a recent analysis by Coceral, the European association of grain traders, this reduced the value of the grain harvest in Europe by more than €2 billion ($2.3 billion), with France and Hungary suffering the greatest losses.
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Risk diversification is therefore an important adaptation strategy. Instead of growing just one kind of grain, many farms are relying on different kinds with varying maturity rates.
"You never know when such extreme heat will strike," Gömann said. He explained that farmers who grow multiple varieties spread the risk across different stages of development.
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Farmers have always had to adapt to changing conditions, said Gömann. What's new, however, is the pace. While climate change used to take place over generations, now it is noticeable within just a few decades.
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