Serbian farmers are experiencing the impacts of climate change on their crops this year, as they face extremely high temperatures after experiencing flooding
The temperatures in Europe are rising significantly, and Serbia is also experiencing this trend. Due to the impact of climate change, temperatures surpassed 40 degrees Celsius last week and are anticipated to remain at elevated levels throughout the current week.
The heat is causing a challenging situation for farmers who, only two months ago, were faced with significant flooding.
According to Serbian farmer Dejan Ivanišević speaking to Euronews, the country has encountered significant variations in terms of both drought and water levels. He humbly admits his lack of understanding regarding these occurrences.
In the previous month, due to the heavy rainfall, a lake has formed on sections of Ivanišević’s land where he used to cultivate corn and soybeans. Unfortunately, the increasing temperatures have exacerbated the situation, negatively impacting a profession that Ivanišević holds dear.
“I was completely losing my will,” he adds. “I have worked the land primarily because I enjoy it, and love it… It is very good to produce with your own hands… To feed your village or family at least.”
Experts caution that there will be a continuation of extreme weather, including scorching temperatures, for years ahead due to the increasing addition of planet-warming gases into the atmosphere.
Based on the analysis of Euronews meteorologist Milena Lazarevic, it has been observed that there have been approximately three heatwaves annually during the last decade.
“Now we have five. Then the amount of precipitation of 50 litres per square meter, which used to be what we saw for the whole of June or July, now falls on an average of 12 hours.”
Due to the current climate conditions, Dejan anticipates earning just enough income this season to purchase additional seeds for the upcoming harvest, with the hope that it will yield better results compared to this year.
