Imagine gliding over your own farmland—not by foot or tractor, but by boat! 🚣♂️ That's the surreal reality for farmer Babis Evangelinos in central Greece. Once bustling with almond trees and cotton fields, his land near Lake Karla is now submerged under floodwater.
\"I could never have imagined I would have to board a boat to get to see my land,\" Evangelinos mused as he floated past the tops of his once-thriving almond trees 🌳. \"Work of a lifetime ruined, gone in three, four days of rain.\"
The Thessaly plain, a vital agricultural hub for Greece, faced unprecedented flooding last year. Tens of thousands of acres were wiped out, leaving expensive equipment stranded underwater and farmers in despair.
What's more, nature seems to be reclaiming the area. Pelicans and herons 🦩🦢 now soar where tractors used to roam, transforming the landscape into an unintended wildlife haven.
This isn't just a Greek tragedy; it's a wake-up call for farmers across Europe 🌍 battling extreme weather. With climate change bringing unpredictable conditions, agriculture as we know it might need to adapt—or risk sinking like Evangelinos's fields.
As the saying goes, \"When it rains, it pours.\" But for these farmers, the downpour has left them navigating uncharted waters—literally.
Reference(s):
Flooded Greek lake an alarm to European farmers battling extreme weather
cgtn.com
