Ernteausfälle: Dürre, Hitze, Ernteausfälle – Wie krisenfest ist unsere Lebensmittelversorgung?
Hitze und Dürre führen teils zu erheblichen Ernteausfällen, die deutschen Landwirte schlagen Alarm. Doch wie ernst die Lage wirklich ist, darüber haben Experten unterschiedliche Ansichten.
Düsseldorf – Extreme heat and drought have devastated crops across Germany, raising serious questions about the resilience of our food supply. Christian Theisen, a dairy farmer in the Eifel region, describes the current heat as the most intense he has experienced, saying that his plants have "literally burned up." Theisen grows both grass and corn feed for his 60 cows, but the scorching weather and lack of rainfall have slashed his yields.
He predicts an 80% loss in corn production alone, while grasslands have also dried up. Theisen is now confronting the crucial question of whether there will be enough feed to sustain his cows until the next harvest, with many nearby farms already forecasting a shortage of feed between January and March.
The situation is alarming, as the latest Ernte numbers released by the farmers' association show a near-universal decline in yields compared to last year. Crop losses range from 7% for all grains to 20% for rape seed. Joachim Rukwied, president of the farmers' association, speaks ominously on a Handelsblatt Today podcast, suggesting that some farmers may begin using their life insurance policies as collateral to secure loans for financing the next harvest.
The question arises: will Germany's agricultural output be sufficient to meet our food needs in the face of these unprecedented challenges?
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
