The hottest spring for 40 years

We spent our spring break “en famille” at Casa del Mas. The word “spring break” should actually be in the opening and closing characters, because it felt like midsummer: the air temperature was 36°C at times. Our young team went swimming every day. This in the natural pool, which is already 24°C warm and is otherwise rarely used before the end of May, and in a stream in the nearby village of Anna. While it rains incessantly in Switzerland, Spain is currently experiencing the driest spring in forty years. The weeds, which usually grow luxuriantly between the rows of trees in spring and are normally just as dark green as the leaves of the orange trees, have already turned golden-brown, like straw (see photo).

A recent article in the local newspaper Las Provincias reports that the lack of rain has already led to a sharp drop in water reserves in the region’s reservoirs. The effects of the drought on agriculture in Valencia and other parts of Spain are considerable: the production of fruit and vegetables has fallen sharply in many places, leading to an increase in prices on the market. Farmers who rely on the cultivation of rice and other water crops are particularly affected. They now have to find alternative methods to save their crops and secure their livelihoods.

According to the Spanish meteorological authority Aemet, the drought in Valencia and other parts of the country is a result of climate change. The authority warns that the situation is likely to get worse in the coming months, as the summer is usually extremely dry. The government has already taken initial measures to mitigate the effects of the drought. This includes, for example, restricting the use of water.

The citrus plants, which originate from South East Asia, actually tolerate heat and intense sunlight very well, as long as they don’t lack water. Fortunately, the water level of our spring at Casa del Mas is still quite high. This is thanks to the abundant rainfall last year. Our photovoltaic system supplies solar power for the submersible pump, which carries the required water from the spring to the trees.

However, such extreme periods of drought mean that we have to keep a particularly close eye on our irrigation system. Failures must not go unnoticed for long, repairs must be carried out immediately. Today, this is done by our employees, who are out in the fields every day with their eyes and ears open and detect when there is a leak or blockage in the system. We are also currently evaluating early warning systems that could give us real-time information on the moisture level of each plot thanks to satellite images.

However, if our well were to dry up one day, we would face challenges of a completely different magnitude. The other springs in the area would then probably also be dry. All plantations draw water from the same groundwater reserve. The cultivation of citrus fruits would no longer be possible. We would have to switch to other crops that can survive in our climate without irrigation (e.g. olives, almonds or grapes).

Until then, we will do our utmost to reduce the CO2 footprint of Casa del Mas. In this way, we can play our part in solving the environmental problem.