The Spanish government has made a decision to stop the flow of water coming by the Tagus River to irrigate crops in the southeast part of the country. Spain is among Europe’s largest produce of fruits and vegetables however, as it confronts challenges from changing climate – and with three quarters of the country in danger from desertification – the Spanish authorities have decided to cut how much water flows flowing from the Tagus into the southeastern Levante.

Farmers from the southeast believe that stopping the stream of water flowing from the Tagus could result in the demise of farming in the area. This could result in 12200 hectares of arable land becoming abandoned according to the SCRATS farmers’ lobby group says. Economic costs would be immense, the group claims that it could cost up to EUR137 million per year and 15,000 lost jobs.

Source: euronews.com