Did you know that Italy and Greece are among the biggest producers of kiwis in the world? The unique Mediterranean climate makes the region ideal for growing the delicious fruit.
Or at least, it used to. Local harvesters have reported a drastic decline in yields due to harsher conditions destroying much of their crops, according to European Food Agency News.
What’s happening?
In Italy, over half of the total kiwi output has been lost in the last 10 years. Advocates attribute the drop to less stable temperatures and growing conditions, as well as a surge in climate-fueled plant diseases, according to EFA News.
Meanwhile, severe flooding has washed out 3,000 of 7,000 kiwi acres in Thessaly, Greece, where most of the nation’s supply is grown, the National Herald reported.
“Fruit and vegetables are the sector most exposed to the effects of climate change,” said Raffaele Drei, the president of Fedagripesca Confcooperative, an Italian federation of agricultural, food, and fishing cooperatives, per EFA News. “A huge amount of production has been lost.”
Why are kiwi yields important?
Kiwis have become a major international export for the Mediterranean, and local farmers have built livelihoods around providing the crop — which is meticulous, demanding work. Yet their success depends on the specific blend of the region’s air humidity and soil fertility, Greek kiwi harvester Antonis Anastasiou explained to the National Herald.
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Both of those environmental conditions are at risk of changing as the planet warms and extreme weather events multiply. As a result, the crop’s output is at risk of further decline, which will be felt around the world at the checkout line as prices increase under threatened supply.
Not to mention, when one crop is struggling, others likely are too. Sure enough, Italian pears fell from 800,000 tons in 2015 to a record-low of 184,000 tons in 2023, EFA News reported.
These food chain disruptions signal wider threats to the ecosystems that support all sorts of farming.
What’s being done to help kiwi farmers?
Harvesters in Greece are waiting on aid promised by the government to help recover from the floods and get back to growing, according to Reuters.
People and businesses lowering their use of planet-heating, weather-stoking gases also helps farmers out worldwide.
In Italy, Fedagripesca Confcooperative’s strategy is focused on curbing pesticide and herbicide regulations in hopes that allowing freer use of toxic chemicals will help farmers combat the effects of their changing environment. Yet these substances do more harm than good for the planet and are pretty expensive.
Luckily, there are clean, cost-effective alternatives to keep crops pest and disease-free.
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