Extreme summer weather drastically reduces European crop yields and threatens farms

Punishing heat, drought, and severe frosts have severely damaged European crops over the past year, Euronews reported. The hot and dry summer reduced Europe's estimated grain harvest by 16.7 million tonnes and cost regional farmers more than 3 billion euros, according to figures from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. [1]

Euronews cited specific impacts across the continent, including almond yields decimated by frost, tomato crops disrupted by heat, and Halloween pumpkins shrunk by drought conditions. Josefine Herz, managing director of the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture, warned that many European farmers are left on the brink following the severe summer weather. [1]

Agriculture advocates noted on World Food Day that Europe is losing hundreds of farms every day. Farmers suggest that adopting crop diversification and implementing subsidy programs that pay for specific environmental outcomes could help save struggling agricultural businesses. [1]