Luxembourg fruit farmers share environmental and political concerns

Water remains a major concern

"Water is life", said president Jean-Claude Muller, and yet it is in increasingly short supply. Water access is not always guaranteed for fruit growers. As a result, farmers have submitted proposals to the agricultural and environmental ministries with a view to storing rainwater or tapping into rivers on a temporary basis in order to fill winter reserves. Muller said it was not a case of adding a burden to the rivers in the dry summer season, but a way to better distribute available resources.

A second challenge in the industry is manpower. The production of regional fruit is very labour-intensive, but there is a shortage of people willing to do the work. "We need lots of hands and they need to be available."

As a result, the association is calling for more political support.

Room for improvement in local production

Despite numerous discussions over the years, there is a long way to go in terms of refining regional food production. While vegetable growing has improved somewhat, fruit growing has stagnated. There are currently ongoing projects to install greenhouses, which could bring new momentum to the industry.

Climate change: New possibilities, further risks

Non-native fruit varieties, such as oranges, remain a possibility for the future for Luxembourg's fruit farmers within the shifting context of ongoing climate change.

Pilot projects are ongoing to introduce apricots, and with climate change production zones would move further north, so Luxembourg could benefit, but only if it presents itself as resilient and sustainable.