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8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 JANUARY 2023 NEWS MARIANNA CALLEJA FARMER Gary Formosa is still harvesting pomegranates from his Qormi fields in the middle of January, in what seems to be the – for want of a better word – bitter-sweet effect of man-made climate change. Elsewhere, farmer Cane Vella is worried because convoluted weather patterns are causing his trees in Burmarrad to shed pre- maturely. Both are concerned that the weather is becoming too un- predictable, with weather phe- nomena ranging from severe to extreme. Malta celebrated Christmas and New Year's Day in unsea- sonably, balmy weather that enticed some people to head to the beach for an uncharacteristic December dip that was less chal- lenging than usual. The hotter than normal weather has per- sisted well into mid-January and rain only started to fall last week. Although it may be nice to en- joy a freshly-cut juicy pomegran- ate, farmers are worried about the bitter effects the summery weather is having on agriculture. Formosa insists the problem is not just immediate but one where weather incidents are becoming more extreme. "Last summer, the heat was so intense that the fruit trees' leaves were burnt off." And the impacts are not limit- ed to the land. "Even at sea, de- spite this being calamari season, we are catching squid at a small- er size than usual. It appears we are a month behind," Formosa says. His experience is shared by Vella. "The last time it rained, it was so heavy it ruined my rubble walls and the sudden scorching heat that followed created a va- riety of viruses." Hot December threatens farmer profits Malcolm Borg from Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi, a farmers' asso- ciation, says the winter months are normally the best months in income terms for farmers but the abnormal weather risks dis- rupting this pattern. Plants and crops grow at a slower rate during the win- ter as temperatures drop. This suppressed production ensures prices remain high. "Winter prices are very important in the farmer's financial year; it is when they make most profit," Borg tells MaltaToday. The delayed winter has not al- lowed trees, including vines, to rest and this is a double-edged sword. It keeps production up in winter and thus hitting profit margins but it also means that trees would not have rested enough to fully bloom in spring and summer. Borg says the lack of rain is a "recurring habit which we have to get used to." But this comes with its problems. Fields that depend solely on rainwater for irrigation and which are usually used to grow wheat, will be dry, Borg says. This will reduce production and because this grain generally goes to animal feed, farmers involved in animal husbandry will have to import more feed at a higher cost. And there is also the longer- term impact on ground water sources. Increased reliance on ground water for irrigation will further deplete this source and the inability to recharge because of a lack of rain will make it salt- ier, resulting in low-quality crop output. "Both animals and plants are unaccustomed to the heat; they are unable to adjust to this new reality, which is concerning for the entire globe," Borg says. Science says Malta is getting hotter The hands-on experiences farmers have of this irrational weather are borne in scientific data. Climate expert Charles Galdies says a long-term assessment of Malta's climate proves farmers right. "According to the latest pub- lication on the State of the Climate, the annual mean, maximum and minimum air temperature show a clear up- ward trend since 1952," he says. During this period, Malta's annual mean ambient tempera- ture is about 1.5-degrees higher, equivalent to an increase of 0.2 degrees per decade. Records al- so show that 80% of the warmest 20 minimum temperatures since 1952 have occurred during the last 20 years. Galdies adds that the delayed winter this year is connected to the abnormal heat experienced throughout Europe last month. On 19 December, an extensive Pomegranates in January. But the effects of climate change are not all sweet In Biblical terminology, a pomegranate is a metaphor for the richness of the promised land. But the sweetness of the fruit in January spells the promise of a Paradise Lost by the crisis of man-made climate change Top: Cane Vella, and right, Gary Formosa working his fields