Extreme heat, drought, hail and fires over the summer period have caused damage in excess of €3bn to agriculture, according to an estimate from Italy’s largest farming organisation Coldiretti.
The farmer group is warning that the effects of climate change could worsen even further if the absence of rainfall persists.
Damages to production are most apparent in the north of the country, where water scarcity is putting entire productions at risk.
In some areas, corn is at risk of being completely lost, while the alarm for rice is growing, with peaks of 40% drops in yields.
Milk production is down up to 10% in some areas, while losses of many crops including rice, corn, fruit, vegetables and fodder are down 20% and up to 70%, in extreme cases.
The loss of production is compounded by the increase in costs for irrigation, energy and diesel, putting further pressure on farm margins.
Reservoir plan
Coldiretti has been calling for the implementation of a reservoir plan to be prioritised; the plan would allow rainwater to be retained and accumulated throughout the year, reducing the effects of extreme weather events and helping to prevent flooding.
The plan also provides for the recovery and full enhancement of existing water infrastructure.
Wildfires
Wildfires have added to the hardships in Italy.
In Sardinia, fires have already devastated thousands of hectares of pastures and crops, causing the loss of animals, hives, fodder and agricultural structures.
Overall, since the beginning of the year, almost 80,000ha of woods and land have gone up in smoke, according to Coldiretti analysis on Effis data.
Drought costing over €3m per day
Drought forces farmers into winter mode
'I'm farming since 1990 and I've never had to do as much feeding'