This is evident from a survey by a trade magazine New harvest among more than five hundred arable farmers. Of the arable farmers who indicated that they suffered yield losses due to extreme weather, four in ten estimated this loss at 10 to 20 percent.
For three in ten, the loss is limited to a maximum of 10 percent. More than one in ten say they have already suffered a loss of income of more than 20 percent. The rest is difficult to estimate.
About the author
Maarten Albers is an economics reporter for de Volkskrant. He writes about agriculture and the food industry, among other things.
The Netherlands has regularly struggled with extreme weather in recent years. 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 were exceptionally dry years. To save surface water, irrigation bans were introduced several times, meaning farmers were allowed to spray less or no water over their land. This has led to a lower yield.
Exceptionally wet
It has been exceptionally wet over the past six months. This made it difficult to harvest potatoes, carrots and sugar beets in the autumn, and now causes problems with sowing and fertilizing.
65 percent of arable farmers call flooding one of the biggest climate risks for their company. Drought is mentioned by 59 percent of respondents. More than a third see more plant diseases and pests as a major risk.
Arable farmers are not completely powerless against the increasing weather extremes. For example, 69 percent install drainage and 60 percent use drip irrigation to use water more efficiently.
More than a third of arable farmers say they are financially resilient enough to absorb the loss of income due to climate change.
Tags: arable farmers suffering loss income due extreme weather
