“The situation is critical everywhere, throughout the department and the region”, worries Audrey Piazza, president of Young Farmers in Vaucluse and arborist in Châteauneuf-de-Gadagne. Météo France has recorded the driest start to the year since the 1950s in Vaucluse and throughout the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region and it has not rained a single drop since the beginning of april.
“We had very weak accumulations and with the wind which experienced that, it’s very, very dryemphasizes Audrey Piazza, and we have started to water the market gardening plantations a little. We haven’t started for arboriculture yet but we know we’re going to start earlier than usual.”
And even if the rain is expected for the middle of the week, she prefers to remain cautious. “We’ve been told about them a few times and unfortunately, we’re still waiting for them. Especially since rainwater changes irrigation water: in market gardening in particular, you can see the difference right away. Plants which are much greener, it starts again all of a sudden”, details Audrey Piazza.