Experiences of drought

Available for over a year

It’s been several weeks since there has been any significant rainfall in many parts of the world. Across Europe, a prolonged heatwave and little rain have dried-up waterways, hit crop production and have contributed to the wildfires that continue to burn in many areas. In our conversations we hear from Germany and Hungary – areas where low water levels are impacting transport and tourism - and we speak to Austin from Florida who used to run fishing tours. We are also joined by farmers in India, France and the UK where the lack of rain has hit crop production, and that will affect the quality and cost of food. “I was with a friend yesterday looking at the grass, and she said it looked like Spain – because it’s brown and it’s dry and there are cracks in the ground that I could get my arm down, not just my hand,” Heather, a farmer in the east of England, tells us. “It doesn’t look how you would imagine a farm in England to look on a picture postcard.” Presenter: Luke Jones BBC producers: Lindsay Brown, Ben Davis and Iqra Farooq Boffin Media producer: Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson Editors: Arja Haikonen and Harriet Oliver A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC World Service Outside Source team. (Photo: Austin from Florida who used to run fishing tours)