Farmer vs. Sand
Kait Bolongaro/POLITICO
LA JUNQUERA, Spain — In a ghost town in southeastern Spain, Alfonso Chico de Guzmán is using ancient farming practices to restore the soil on his family's 1,000- hectare farm. If it works, he’ll hold back the encroaching desert — and maybe even bring his abandoned village of La Junquera back to life.
The stakes are high. Chaotic weather and thinning topsoil are putting farmers like Chico de Guzmán under ever greater pressure. And it’s only going to get worse.
Climate change models used by the European Commission project temperatures will increase by more than 2°C in Spain by the end of the century. According to a special report published by the European Court of Auditors in December 2018, three-quarters of Spain faces desertification, making it one of the most seriously affected countries in Europe..