
-
Singapore detains teenage boy allegedly planning to kill Muslims
-
What is the 'Qatargate' scandal roiling Israel?
-
AI coming for anime but Ghibli's Miyazaki irreplaceable, son says
-
Swedish insurer drops $160 mn Tesla stake over labour rights
-
Hunger returns to Gaza as Israeli blockade forces bakeries shut
-
Rubio heads to Europe as transatlantic tensions soar
-
Like 'living in hell': Quake-hit Mandalay monastery clears away rubble
-
'Give me a break': Trump tariffs threaten Japan auto sector
-
US approves $5.58 bn fighter jet sale to Philippines
-
Tsunoda embracing pressure of Red Bull debut at home Japanese GP
-
'Outstanding' Hay shines as New Zealand seal Pakistan ODI series
-
El Salvador's Bukele flaunts 'iron fist' alliance with Trump
-
Stock markets mixed as uncertainty rules ahead of Trump tariffs
-
China probes for key target weak spots with 'paralysing' Taiwan drills
-
'Top Gun' and Batman star Val Kilmer dies aged 65: New York Times
-
US lawmakers seek to rename street for Hong Kong's jailed Jimmy Lai
-
Greece to spend big on 'historic' military shake up
-
Trump faces first electoral setback after Wisconsin Supreme Court vote
-
Hay shines as New Zealand beat Pakistan for ODI series win
-
Israel says expands Gaza offensive to seize 'large areas'
-
Curry drops 52 as Warriors win, Jokic bags career-high 61 in Denver loss
-
South Korea mobilising 'all resources' for violence-free Yoon verdict
-
Myanmar quake victim rescued after 5 days as aid calls grow
-
Real Madrid coach Ancelotti tax fraud trial set to begin
-
Warner showcases 'Superman' reboot, new DiCaprio film
-
'Incredible' Curry scores 52 as Warriors down Grizzlies, Bucks edge Suns
-
Asian markets edge up but uncertainty rules ahead of Trump tariffs
-
Nintendo's megahit Switch console: what to know
-
Nintendo to unveil upgrade to best-selling Switch console
-
China practises hitting key ports, energy sites in Taiwan drills
-
Oil, sand and speed: Saudi gearheads take on towering dunes
-
All eyes on Tsunoda at Japan GP after ruthless Red Bull move
-
'Image whisperers' bring vision to the blind at Red Cross museum
-
Hay shines as New Zealand make 292-8 in Pakistan ODI
-
Other governments 'weaponising' Trump language to attack NGOs: rights groups
-
UK imposes online entry permit on European visitors
-
How a Brazilian chief is staving off Amazon destruction
-
Meme politics: White House embraces aggressive alt-right online culture
-
China launches military drills in Taiwan Strait
-
US senator smashes record with 25-hour anti-Trump speech
-
Brazil binman finds newborn baby on garbage route
-
US senator smashes record with marathon anti-Trump speech
-
Trump advisor Waltz faces new pressure over Gmail usage
-
Niger junta frees ministers of overthrown government
-
Trump set to unleash 'Liberation Day' tariffs
-
Boeing chief to acknowledge 'serious missteps' at US Senate hearing
-
Real Madrid hold Real Sociedad in eight-goal thriller to reach Copa del Rey final
-
Nuno salutes 'special' Elanga after stunning strike fires Forest
-
PSG survive scare against Dunkerque to reach French Cup final
-
Sundowns edge Esperance as crowd violence mars quarter-final

As temperatures rise, Sicily turns to exotic fruits
Avocados, mangos, bananas and passion fruit -- a wealth of exotic produce is growing under the shadow of Sicily's Mount Etna, as the Italian island's farmers adapt to global warming.
In a setting more akin to the Tropics than Europe, fields of mango and avocado trees, punctuated by palm trees, stretch out between the volcano and the glistening Mediterranean Sea.
"Over the past decade, a whole new sector has emerged," said Andrea Passanisi, an avocado farmer and head of the agricultural organisation Coldiretti in Catania, Sicily's second-largest city.
It was during a visit to Brazil in the 2000s that Passanisi noted how similar the climate was to Sicily -- which is best known for oranges and lemons -- and thought about growing exotic fruits back home.
He had just finished a law degree, but the 39-year-old decided to plant some avocados -- and now farms a range of exotic fruits.
The fertile soil around Etna, the hot and humid microclimate and the limited variations in temperature between day and night have turned out to be ideal conditions.
Today, more than 40 farmers are growing exotic fruits on hundreds of hectares of land across the region.
The producers set up a website to sell direct to consumers, sending fruit around Italy but also across Europe.
- Drought resistant -
In the late summer heat, the mango harvest is in full swing. Carla Cassaniti walks through her farm with a pair of pruning shears in hand, picking fruit off the trees one by one.
A Sicilian by birth, Cassaniti had been working in Milan before she decided to return home a decade ago and start a farm.
She sells through a cooperative which brands the fruit as "Etna Mango".
The changing climate in Sicily is "an opportunity for farming new crops", she says.
"Given that these are fruits native to a tropical climate, they need water at the beginning of cultivation, but then, when a plant is grown, they are well able to resist drought," she said.
The last four years have been the hottest recorded in two centuries in Italy, with a European high of almost 49 degrees Celsius recorded in Sicily in 2021.
This year has also been a scorcher. The average temperature in the first seven months was 0.67 degrees higher than the historic average, according to the National Research Council.
Although tropical fruits are not immune to extreme heat -- avocado trees, for example, are likely to produce less fruit in a heatwave -- a larger variety of produce is viewed by growers as an asset amid ever-changing weather conditions.
Cassaniti also believes that growing exotic fruits for the Italian market helps the environment by reducing the need for imports from afar.
"Consuming a local product has a lower carbon footprint," for example compared to bananas from Brazil, she said.
- Orange vs mangos -
Still, there are risks.
Prices are currently higher for exotic fruits than for oranges and lemons but the yield per hectare is lower.
And there is the possibility that even more extreme weather fuelled by ever worsening climate change could force island farmers once again to adapt.
"Now the cold doesn't arrive in December, but in January or February," a period that "for tropical plants is when the flowering begins, the plant begins to wake up", noted Passanisi.
A major cold snap during this time "becomes a problem, and risks compromising production," he said.
Another reason why many in Sicily -- Italy's largest producer of citrus fruits -- aren't giving up beloved lemon and orange groves.
"Citrus fruits are much more robust, both to heat and cold," Passanisi said.
O.Norris--AMWN