France joins Mediterranean neighbours to seek new technologies to fight drought

RFI

7 September 2024 at 7:53 am·1-min read

Officials from nine southern European Union countries pledged this week to work together to develop more water-saving technologies in agriculture. Farmers are feeling the strain of worsening droughts, which in turn threaten food security.

The promises came during a gathering in Cyprus of the so-called Med9 countries – France, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain – to address growing water scarcity as a result of climate change.

Officials also pledged to share technical and practical data and launch joint research programs to make water use as efficient as possible.

“Climate change is a real threat to food production worldwide, and this risk is even more severe in the Mediterranean area,” Spain’s Agriculture Minster Luis Planas told the meeting.

“We must both fight climate change and, at the same time, adapt the working conditions of our farmers to this new climate situation,” he added.

'Smart' irrigation, drought-resistant crops

Cyprus' Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou also warned that last year, Europe faced one of its worst droughts in history and cited local examples of “smart” irrigation systems and technologies that help protect crops, generate power and save water use by 30 percent.

Portuguese Agriculture Minister Jose Manuel Fernandes urged for more EU funding to help finance new water-saving technologies and create new incentives to attract younger people to revitalise an ageing farming population.

(with AP)

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'Smart' irrigation, drought-resistant crops

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