Heat waves fuel drought that is hitting crops across Europe

Key Points:

• Europe is experiencing severe drought and heatwaves this summer, significantly damaging crops across multiple countries including the Netherlands, Bosnia, Italy, and the Czech Republic, with farmers facing reduced yields and water shortages.
• Dutch farmers are struggling with restrictions on water use for irrigation, leading to smaller and earlier potato harvests, while Bosnian grain farmers report drastically reduced corn yields due to repeated heatwaves and drought.
• The Czech Republic’s beer industry is threatened by poor hop harvests caused by erratic rainfall and low groundwater levels, raising concerns about the long-term viability of hop farming.
• In Romania and Hungary, drought conditions are affecting grain transport and cattle farming, with farmers facing storage issues and increased costs for feed due to dry grazing lands.
• Some farms, like the UK’s Elveden Estate, have invested in irrigation infrastructure to mitigate drought impacts, but water reserves are depleting rapidly, highlighting the ongoing challenges of sustaining agriculture amid climate extremes.