You have to be very cautious when talking about this issue because it affects many people who make a living from working and cultivating vineyards and other crops such as olive groves, which are the main source of income in this area of ​​Montilla-Moriles.

If you are one of them, you will recognize that the last 2015 harvest was one of the driest. The excessive temperatures and the little rain that was collected during the months of April, May, June and July, caused an early harvest because many areas were not able to withstand the excessive heat. I have seen vineyard stocks with many years of life dry out, because they are not able to withstand such high temperatures.

If we choose to grow olive trees, we will not have better luck, the 2014/2015 campaign was one of the lowest in many years due to excessively high temperatures during the flowering season. If we move on to this campaign that is about to end, I attest that it has been one of the driest and most arid winters that I remember, which has caused a significant decrease in the final production of olives that was expected to recover from the previous campaign. .

What can we do about climate change?

A single person can do little and even less without adequate support, but together we can do a lot.

As a farmer, I think that we must be attentive to the results that come from projects like the ones I mentioned at the beginning of the article.

We must be able to adapt to the new climate and put in place all the necessary measures to prevent erosion of our crops.

We must become aware that we have to apply changes in the way we work and exploit our lands, avoiding pollution as much as possible.

We must accept that climate change exists and that we must put measures in place to mitigate its effects on our crops as much as possible.

I hope this article helps you reflect on this topic and if you have something to say, I would like you to do so in the comments below. All the best!

By Rafael Espejo.