Heatwaves and high temperatures this week, wind the previous one, or late spring rain at the beginning of the month. Climatic factors of unstable weather conditions, very frequent, are wreaking havoc on the Tenerife countryside already affected by drought. The drought led to the initiation of the process for the declaration of a water emergency currently in progress. The outcome will likely be a disastrous harvest, especially for the potatoes in the inland areas of the Island, a staple product in the shopping basket, leading to an increase in its price for consumers. This is how Theo Hernando, an expert in the local farming sector and Secretary-General of the Farmers and Ranchers Association (Asaga), evaluates the situation. The week began with heat waves and very high temperatures on the Island, along with unusually high spring temperatures. Prior to this, there were days of intense wind. All these climatic factors, whether combined or consecutive in a short period, lead to plant species going crazy and experiencing stress. Not only the potatoes are affected, but all vegetation.
Hernando points out that “we have been in touch with colleagues from different areas of Tenerife, and in all of them, there is damage or it is expected when the harvest is collected.” Regarding the potatoes, “they are affected by heat and wind.” The heat influences the tuberization process and, therefore, the final small size. It affects, as explained by the Asaga Secretary, “both the quality and the quantity.” Regarding the wind, he clarifies that “it acts as a dryer and weakens the aerial part of the plant.” It remains to be seen as harvesting is just starting now, but the prospects are far from promising.
Harvest Loss
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Hernando explains that “in any case, the harvest loss will be lower than the previous year when it reached 60%.” Additionally, this year there is the corrective factor of the imported potatoes, mainly English, affected by the red beetle plague in 2023, which halted imports. However, the local crop is in serious danger if the current drought conditions persist, as it seems likely, and consumers will surely notice a price increase in a staple product for the shopping basket and daily meals of the people of Tenerife. Problems also affect avocados with burnt productions, especially affected by wind rather than heat. The recent wind affected the defoliation of the leaves.
Stress
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In the midst of the season, the weakness of the flowering is noticeable. Hernando explains that “the evident climate change causes plant species to not have a correct and complete process, so they maintain green branches.” He summarizes: “They are stressed and a bit crazy because they end up joining flower and fruit, something very unusual.” The calima also affects, especially the vegetables that struggle greatly for their development due to a meteorological phenomenon more frequent than ever in recent months in Tenerife’s agriculture sector. Hernando concludes with another alarming fact: “For cereals, wheat, barley, and oats, the harvest is simply lost.” These next days, the thermometer readings will gradually decrease to reach normal values for this time of year by the end of the week, according to predictions from the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET). Nonetheless, the damage seems to have been done.
Reservoirs
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The storage level of the network of 23 reservoirs in Tenerife, managed by Balten, shows a slight improvement this month thanks to occasional rains in a peculiar spring from a climatological standpoint. Therefore, from a storage capacity of 40.6% on March 1 – the day the process for the declaration of an emergency due to drought began – it increased to 46.7% on April 1. Still far from the 67% fill rate on April 1, 2023. These reservoir storage figures are worrying concerning the forecasts for the summer, considering that last year there were isolated episodes of reduced drinking water pressure, although no restrictions were implemented, as decided by three municipalities on the Island: Fasnia, Arico, and Icod de los Vinos. On another note, the Tenerife Island Council announced just yesterday that it will invest 800,000 euros in the process of decarbonizing Tenerife’s Reservoirs (Balten), a subsidiary company, during the year 2024. The island’s vice president, Lope Afonso, and the Primary Sector councillor, Valentín González, visited the photovoltaic panel installation at the Valle San Lorenzo reservoir in the municipality of Arona. Photovoltaic panels worth 403,887 euros were installed there, generating electricity for self-consumption, representing 26% of the total annual production of the entire plant. With these photovoltaic panels, 243 households could be supplied, and 225 tons of CO2 emissions can be avoided annually.
Hydraulic Works
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The General Assembly of the Insular Water Council of Tenerife (CIATF), an entity attached to the Tenerife Island Council, unanimously approved on March 5 the declaration of a water emergency. In this context, it was emphasized that the agricultural sector provides 10,000 direct jobs and there was a need to respond to the water needs. Very long summers, dry winters, and an 83% decrease in rainfall compared to last year. A decision had to be made to save the summer and the crops. Among them, five fundamental projects, portable desalination plants to improve water quality, similar to desalination plants for working with treated water and transporting it to inland areas and high regions. The five desalination plants are located in Güímar, Mesa del Mar (which will provide desalinated water for La Laguna and Tacoronte), Valle de Guerra (Northeast), Granadilla, and Fonsalía. The Tenerife Island Council had previously approved, on March 1, to promote 34 emergency actions to mitigate the effects of the extreme drought in Tenerife’s countryside.
Groundwater
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Agricultural sectors on the island are aiming to “organize and optimize the integral water cycle” with a particular focus on groundwater, as “wells and galleries supplies account for 75%.” They do not reject desalination, but believe that “efforts should be directed towards regenerating as much as possible of the sanitation system and minimizing losses in pipelines and distribution networks.”
