Mr Özdemir, German farmers have once again harvested less than the long-term average.

Do we have to worry that one day we won't have enough to eat because of climate change?

Ralph Bollman

Correspondent for economic policy and deputy head of business and “Money & More” for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper in Berlin.

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We are far from that, thanks to the work of our farmers.

And this year's harvest doesn't look so bad: there is light and shadow.

But the weather is on a rollercoaster right now.

Last year we had heavy downpours, just think of the terrible flood on the Ahr.

This year is characterized by heat and great drought.

However, there are large regional differences.

There were also severe storms - for example in Bavaria, which caused major damage to the hops there.

So the drought isn't the only problem?

The weather is changing due to the climate crisis.

The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events are increasing.

The last few years have been characterized by drought, which means that the soil moisture, which is so important, is very low in some areas, and the groundwater level has dropped alarmingly in some areas.

That is why we must act now.

What can farmers do to adapt to climate change?

Farmers often ask me that.

There is no easy answer to that.

No one knows exactly what impact the climate crisis will have in each region.

Adaptations that normally take thousands of years in nature now have to be accomplished in just a few years.

It's not that easy to say: Then figs and olives grow here, and we get the squid from the Baltic Sea?

It's not that easy.

I was recently at Farmer President Rukwied's farm.

He is already experimenting with plants that traditionally grow in the Mediterranean, such as chickpeas.

But unlike in Spain, for example, it's not raining less here, the weather is changing.

In spring and summer, when the plants are supposed to grow, there is no rainfall, but it rains more in winter.

And extreme weather events make it even more difficult: plants that cope better with drought may not tolerate heavy rain or spring frost.

Incidentally, the fisheries are also affected by the climate crisis: In the Baltic Sea, for example, cod is therefore endangered.

In the Mediterranean, there is a centuries-old tradition of irrigation.

We now say we have to save water and not waste it on the fields.

We are paying more attention to the topic of water, no question.

My subordinate authorities and institutes are doing massive research on the topic of how, for example, digitalization can be used to control the use of water in a targeted and economical manner.

In this sense, we must also take care of healthy soils.

We are currently running a model project on humus formation, which means that water is better stored in the soil.

We are investing 23 million euros for this.

And new breeds that can cope better with heat and drought also play a role.

In addition to the drought in the fields, the summer was marked by fires in the forest.

What is your advice to forest owners?

That they use our programs and work flat out to convert the forests.

In the next few years, we will make 900 million euros available for climate and biodiversity services.

Instead of spruce or pine plantations, we need mixed forests that are more resilient to the climate crisis.

We experienced how urgent this is through forest fires this summer.

You could smell the smoke from the Grunewald as far as downtown Berlin.