A year with almost no rain - a disaster even for Andalusians who are used to hot weather. The impact is enormous, but farmers and engineers are trying to adapt: through smarter irrigation methods, for example.
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00:00 Burnt, dried up and even parched, the bitter picture of the orange plantations between
00:09 CĂłrdoba and Seville.
00:11 It's already clear that the farmers will not be able to harvest the 1.6 million tonnes
00:17 of the previous year.
00:20 José Fernández de Heredia on the way to his plantation, which is experiencing extreme
00:32 drought.
00:33 "I planted and grew them all.
00:39 I'm so sorry to see them like this.
00:41 In 14 years, I've never seen them as bad as they are now.
00:49 These are areas here that have no oranges at all, though others have a few.
00:55 But the oranges are very small.
00:58 Many are not even good for juice anymore.
01:01 The trees should be in full bloom.
01:04 But..."
01:09 Thousands of families need water for their crops, but as a look at the central reservoir
01:14 shows, it's not coming.
01:16 Only 10% of the lake's capacity remains.
01:20 Experts are now trying to be better prepared, at least for the next drought.
01:25 "We need to improve the water supply.
01:32 That also means more storage possibilities.
01:37 And we have to optimise the use of water with digitalisation."
01:43 This requires special sensors.
01:45 On this finca north of Seville, they already show how much moisture is in the soil.
01:51 And they measure the diameter of the trees.
01:54 If they contract, the oranges need water.
01:58 "We are more than 20% more efficient than other farms through the use of technology.
02:08 We know when and how much the tree needs."
02:15 This knowledge is crucial for adapting agriculture to climate change.
02:20 But this alone is not enough to make the south of Spain viable.
02:26 "We have to stop the expansion of irrigation, improve the management of water, and we also
02:33 need to promote the cultivation of non-irrigated species again.
02:37 We must try to find a solution together with different measures."
02:41 Another solution is to irrigate with even less water.
02:44 A start-up in Malaga is developing software for this purpose.
02:48 It also uses data from sensors.
02:51 But the subtle difference is the analysis.
02:54 Artificial intelligence is being used.
02:56 "AI is the soul of this project.
03:00 The sensors, the technology, it's all there already.
03:04 But the application of AI will help us scale this project.
03:07 We will be able to serve many crops and, above all, to give each farmer individualized assistance,
03:14 exactly what they need."
03:18 However success also depends on communication.
03:22 The simpler, the better.
03:25 Farmers receive hints and advice via WhatsApp and can also respond.
03:31 "We assume that water savings are between 20 and 40 percent for avocados, oranges, olives,
03:40 or even wine."
03:45 Droughts like the current one cannot be prevented even with AI.
03:49 But the technology will help us get by with less water for longer.
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