EU officials pledge to develop more water-saving technologies in farming as droughts worsen
The Peninsula
Ayia Napa, Cyprus: Officials from nine southern European Union countries pledged Tuesday to work together to develop more water saving technologies in...
Ayia Napa, Cyprus: Officials from nine southern European Union countries pledged Tuesday to work together to develop more water-saving technologies in agriculture as the prospect of worsening droughts puts additional strain on farmers and threatens food security.
The promises came during a gathering in Cyprus of the so called MED9 countries - France, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Portugal, Malta, Spain and Slovenia - to address growing water scarcity as a result of climate change, especially in the Mediterranean region, which they say is being affected to a greater degree than other parts of the 27-member bloc.
The 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.”
