Being a farmer in Malta is not easy. From competing with imported goods, to Malta's limited size and climate, Malta's agricultural sector faces challenges.

A most worrying recent issue is something which we don't have control over.  While many would praise Malta's near-year-round warm weather, the lack of rainfall is a problem.

2022 clocked a much higher than average amount of sunshine totalling 3,124 hours, the Malta International Airport said in a statement last week. While the islands were drenched in sunshine, rainfall was a different matter, as the 368 mm of precipitation measured put 2022 down on record as the second-driest year of the past decade.

The low precipitation registered in 2022 was not good news for the agricultural sector, which continues to struggle with changing climate. The Malta Independent on Sunday spoke to the Active Farmers Association, which expressed its great concern saying that this is unfortunately a pattern that is repeating itself. The Farmers Association said that this rainfall shortage is compounding the problems being faced in the agricultural sector, especially to those farmers whose farm work revolves around the growing and cultivation of "live products", which need water to survive and grow.

In terms of rainfall, there isn't much Malta can do. The New Water initiative is one way the government is trying to support farmers and this should continue to be expanded upon.  Many farmers already do quite well in terms of retaining the rainwater there actually is, but perhaps some support could be given to those who do not. On a global scale, climate change needs to be addressed. It is not something that can just be solved if one country, especially one the size of Malta, decides to do something about it. A global effort is needed, and this newsroom has written many times about this particular topic.

However, there are other things we can work on.

There need to be more incentives for more young people to take up farming.  In Malta, too much of our food is imported, making us heavily reliant on international markets. So when importation costs rise... food prices follow.  We should support our farmers by buying local first.

There have been reports of rising compost costs also impacting certain farming sectors. On this point, it was recently announced that agricultural waste, such as vegetable and fruit scraps and tree trimmings, will be processed by WasteServ and turned into quality compost to be used by farmers.  This is good news, and one hopes that it will solve this issue.

Taking up agricultural land for the building of roads, or other such projects, doesn't help farmers, and more strict policies on farmland should be considered. This is an issue that needs to be addressed, and now.  

If we continue to allow our green areas to be built up... then we will face even more problems in the future. This will not only affect the agricultural sector, but also the mental health of the people. The green areas we have left are already quite limited.