Madrid The office of Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Planas has something of a ballroom in it – meter-high ceilings, wood paneling on the walls and plenty of space between the desk, sofa corner and meeting table. But even in the airy rooms of the ministry from the 19th century, the air conditioning is currently humming.
Spain suffers from repeated heat waves and extreme drought. Fires have burned 73,000 hectares of earth so far this year – that is already 80 percent more than the average of previous years by mid-year. The severe drought is also affecting agriculture. “We normally produce 20 million tons of grain per year, this year it will only be 17 to 18 million tons,” says Planas in an interview with the Handelsblatt.
But that’s not his only concern: the less food that can be produced, the greater a problem that is likely to affect not only Spain but all of Europe: the increase in illegal immigration from Africa. “A lack of food not only threatens the existence of the people there, but also increases the pressure to migrate towards Europe,” says Planas. As the southern border of the EU, Spain has for years opposed illegal migrants from Africa who want to continue to Northern Europe via Spain.
“Spain is very concerned about the food supply in Mediterranean countries like Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia, which depend heavily on imports from Russia and Ukraine – as do many countries south of the Sahara,” says Planas.
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Unlike tomatoes or lettuce, for example, grain does not require artificial irrigation, but usually gets by with rainwater. But if that doesn’t happen, the harvest will dry up. Spain is not an exporter of grain, but imports in addition to its own production. But the problems there are exemplary for those in other countries.
Drought and war drive prices up
France, Europe’s largest wheat exporter, expects production to fall by seven percent this year. The EU Commission has reduced its forecast across the EU by five million to 125 million tons. And the decline comes at a time when there is already a major wheat shortage due to the war in Ukraine and a global hunger crisis is looming.
“Being the vegetable garden of Europe will, before long, doom us to be the most desolate country in Europe.” Julio Barea, Greenpeace spokesman in Spain
The combination of drought and war not only threatens the food supply. It also drives up their prices, which have already reached record highs due to higher costs for energy, fertilizer and animal feed.
“In the medium term, this is a danger because many farmers simply can no longer afford the production,” warns Planas. Madrid therefore decided in March to provide drought aid and an aid pact to alleviate the consequences of the war.
In order to slow down the price increase, it must now be ensured that grain exports from Ukraine are possible, Planas demands. An agreement on this seems to be emerging in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, which are continuing this week. Spain’s agriculture minister is also demanding that countries like India, which have imposed an export ban on their agricultural products, lift it. According to Planas, states that cannot afford the high prices now need financial support.
Greenpeace calls for less agriculture
In his own country, as a result of the drought, he not only expects a lower harvest for wheat, but also for olives, which also live on rainwater. However, it is still too early to seriously assess the failure. Meanwhile, the farmers’ association UPA in Granada warns that a quarter of olive production will be lost this year.
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Spain is the fourth largest exporter of agricultural products in Europe, Germany the second largest buyer. Agriculture is an important economic factor for Spain – it accounts for 8.9 percent of economic output.
The climate forecasts do not bode well for the future either. “All scientific studies assume that the amount of precipitation will fall by around 20 percent by 2030,” says Planas.
The Minister of Agriculture breaks a lance for organic farming.
(Photo: imago images/Agencia EFE)
The environmental organization Greenpeace is therefore calling for less agriculture in Spain. “Being the vegetable garden of Europe will not long doom us to be the most desolate country in Europe,” predicts Julio Barea, spokesman for the environmental organization.
>> Also read here: Easing in the grain dispute: Why the wheat price will still rise
“We pretend we’re Finland, but we’re Africa,” says Barea. According to him, 80 percent of Spanish water consumption is used to irrigate agricultural land. Planas, on the other hand, puts the share at 60 percent and assures: “Less agriculture is not a solution either in Spain or anywhere else in Europe.”
He relies on sustainable management and intelligent irrigation systems: “If we use drones and satellites to monitor soil moisture and its need for fertilizer, we can save water and fertilizer and still increase production – that’s the path we’re taking. ”
Drones measure the water requirements of the plants
Drones are already flying over some fields and using a color scheme to indicate which part needs water or fertilizer. The flying cameras can also be used to determine the ideal time for harvesting. They are part of what is known as Agriculture 4.0, which aims to make production more efficient and sustainable.
“Less farming is not a solution in Spain or anywhere else in Europe.” Spain’s Agriculture Minister Luis Planas
This also includes modern irrigation systems: instead of flooding the fields with water cannons, more and more water is being irrigated locally – with hoses that are laid around every single lemon tree in the field, as in some private gardens. For example, only the plants that need it can be watered. The hoses also allow water-saving drip irrigation, in which hardly any of the valuable water is lost.
Spain will invest around 2.1 billion euros in the modernization of its irrigation systems on an area of 200,000 hectares by 2027. This also includes systems that release fertilizer in addition to water. Added to this is the use of process water or seawater, which is treated with desalination plants, and the digitization of irrigation systems. Overall, this should reduce water consumption by ten percent.
>> Also read here: France, Spain and Greece continue to struggle with wildfires
Scientists like Piero Lionello, Professor of Atmospheric Physics and Oceanography at Italy’s Universita del Salento, assume that the lack of water is a consequence of climate change, which can be cushioned comparatively well with such innovations.
wet numbers
60
percent
of water consumption in Spain is for agriculture, according to the government. Greenpeace puts the proportion at 80 percent.
“The bad news is that water scarcity will remain an issue,” he told Bloomberg. “But the good news is that this is one of the areas where action can be more successful.”
Spain expands organic farming
Planas therefore also takes a stand for organic farming. “We agriculture ministers in Brussels always debate whether green agriculture is capable of maintaining current production levels,” he says. “And I’m sure it will work.”
Some critics are calling for a reduction in organic farming to continue feeding the world. After all, organic farming yields less in the same area than conventional farming. According to Planas, the difference is 15 to 20 percent.
The EU wants to increase the organic share to 25 percent by 2030. “I’m assuming that we’ll be able to do that in Spain,” says Planas. Last year, the proportion of organic farming in Spain was eleven percent.
More: Parched like it hasn’t been in 70 years: how southern Europe wants to fight the drought