Almost half of Europe is currently under drought alerts or warning levels associated with soil moisture deficit in combination with vegetation stress.

The remarkable series of heatwaves that gripped the world this year are challenging day-to-day life, including agriculture in Europe.

Drought levels

Multiple countries are exposed to very high drought levels, according to the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in its July Drought in Europe report.

EU cereal production is now expected to be 2.5% lower than in 2021, according to the European Commission’s Short-Term Agriculture Outlook, despite earlier forecasts of increased production.

Vast areas of forestry have been destroyed in wild fires, pasture and other crops are also struggling. As exceptional as this heatwave may seem, these events are expected to become more frequent.