Fifteen departments are today in a situation of “vigilance” or “alert” in France, after a month of April “with a deficit of 25% of rainfall” (AFP / Archives / SEBASTIEN BOZON)
Fifteen departments are today in a situation of “vigilance” or “alert” in France, after a month of April “with a deficit of 25% of rainfall”, a situation which “will have an impact on the production of cereals” , the Ministries of Agriculture and Ecological Transition said on Monday.
“Winter crops, such as wheat or barley, which are now in the development phase, are beginning to experience situations that will affect yields,” the Ministry of Agriculture said.
“There will be an impact on the cereal situation”, it was estimated, even if it “is still much too early to have a precise assessment”.
The dry and hot weather at the end of April and this beginning of May could also, if it persists, affect spring crops, such as sunflowers, beets and corn, as well as forages, while grass shoots which have so far been rather better than usual, are slowing down.
Following meetings with water agencies and agricultural professionals, the ministries notably announced that the “Third Agricultural Revolution” window opened in April to help farmers cope with climate change and initially endowed with 20 million euros, was to be topped up “with an additional 20 million”.
Faced with the risk of drought this summer, the government also announced at the end of April that water agencies could spend an additional 100 million euros to help agricultural sectors adapt to climate change or create water reservoirs. , a measure contested by environmental associations and some peasant unions.
Already, 15 departments are subject to restrictions ranging from encouraging water savings (vigilance stage) to prohibiting the watering of gardens or fields at certain times (alert), which can go as far as a 50% reduction in water withdrawals for agricultural purposes or a total ban on water withdrawals for washing cars or watering green spaces (reinforced alert).
These measures are taken as the situation evolves at the departmental level by the prefects, whose role has been reinforced to ensure that the local consultation approaches that are the “territorial projects for the management of water” (PTGE).
In France, 5% of agricultural land is irrigated, ie nearly 1.4 million hectares. The rate rises to 14% in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
© 2022 AFP
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