Do you citrusily goodbye? It may be: climate change is transforming the Sicilian hills into a tropical landscape, in which avocado crops prevail and beyond
Al south Traditional productions such as cereals, cherries and oil collapses, in favor of the birth of new tropical fruit markets. It is a data almost constant for some years now.
If for the heat and drought, the resections of traditional fruit are downhill, in fact that of tropical fruit grow: according to WWF data, bananas, avocado, mango, within five years are practically tripled reaching the 1,200 hectares between Puglia, Sicily and Calabria. Also in Sicily and Puglia, the increasingly warm climate also determined the return of cotton to Italy.
The Sicilian hills desserts, once a mosaic of citrus groves kissed by the sun and centuries -old olive trees, have long been the heart of the iconic Italian agricultural landscape. But now this picturesque scene is undergoing a dramatic transformation.
With the acceleration of climate change, we slowly take off by remodeling these green landscapes in something completely unexpected: a landscape tropical. Faced with the increase in increasingly unpredictable temperatures and rainfall, some Sicilian farmers are In fact, exchanging their traditional crops with exotic fruits such as mango, avocado, bananas and papaia.
In recent years, in short, the extreme weather conditions in Italy and throughout the Mediterranean have caused drops in the production of living oil, and wine grapes in Sicily is increasingly damaged by drought and fires. Now the avocados thrive, especially on the ionic side of Etna, where farmers have abandoned traditional crops for this very popular fruit.
And not only Avocado: the increasing temperatures have allowed the cultivation of Arabica coffee near Palermo, making it one of the most north coffee plantations in the world.
The positive aspect?
Well, if we want to look for one: we are no longer forced to make exotic and expensive purchases. Cultivation Local in Italy of Avocado, Or mango or papaya, it could have the positive aspect of reducing the carbon footprint at least drastically, preventing these fruits from walking around the world to get to our tables.
At this point of the fair, in short, producing avocado in Sicily means reducing waste and supporting territorial economies. Let’s see it like this.
