Czech farmers fear crop losses as nation-wide drought worsens
An extremely dry April is beginning to take its toll on vegetation. A lack of moisture is threatening agricultural crops in two-thirds of Czechia and farmers fear a poor harvest if rain does not come soon.
At the edge of a field near a small town of Telč (Morava region), it is impossible not to notice that the green shoots of grain are growing rather sparsely. A closer look at the soil reveals it is very light in color. As you walk, dust rises from underfoot – the soil resembles powder more than earth.
“It hasn’t really rained for a month and a half. I don’t count four millimeters as rain – that’s just a slight dampening,” complains Jindřich Pospíchal, head of the local agricultural cooperative.
“At this point, we’re waiting for rain like for mercy. If it rains within ten days, the consequences might not be so severe. It’s mainly about yields, of course, but we also grow malting barely – and there, quality matters too,” Pospíchal warns.
The seriousness of the situation was also confirmed by bioclimatologist and chief coordinator of the InterSucho portal, Miroslav Trnka.
“Across almost the entire country, soil moisture levels down to 40 cm are significantly lower than usual. For April, these are unusually low figures. Reports from our agronomists in agricultural enterprises, as well as satellite data, indicate that the condition of vegetation has worsened significantly compared to last week – especially in the eastern two-thirds of the country.”
Drought is also affecting people in another Moravian city, Zlín. The Zlín Region has therefore decided to take relevant measures. It has allocated 7.3 million Czech crowns to retain water in forests. The funding will primarily go toward practical adjustments directly in the field.
“The aim is to slow down water runoff, support its absorption, and at the same time protect the soil from erosion. Applicants can also use the funds for other technical measures that will help retain water in forests and improve their overall condition,” explained Soňa Ličková, spokesperson for the Zlín Region, to Czech Radio Zlín.
Among the planned projects are, for example, the construction of infiltration structures, culverts, or smaller water reservoirs.
Soil drought down to a depth of one meter began to develop gradually in March and deepened significantly in April, when temperatures rose and awakening vegetation started consuming water. Only 14 percent of the country remains unaffected by drought. Scientists define drought as a deviation of current conditions from the average for the years 1961 to 2015.
