One of the hottest summers in Central European history, sorely devoid of rainfall, made this year very difficult for farmers. This year’s drought in central and northern Europe is the worst in recent memory for the region. Prolonged droughts affect agriculture, biodiversity, forestry, energy production, tourism, and of course, the general availability of water resources. Soil in the Czech Republic has limited capacity to retain precipitation due to long-term intense farming that has affected the landscape. “Unfortunately, our soil has been degraded by years of intensive farming and no longer has the capacity to soak up rainwater. If we want to solve the problem of water in the landscape, we cannot treat it as a separate issue. We have to take into account the landscape as a whole, including soil and forests as well as rivers and lakes,” said Martin Rulík, a hydrologist from Palacký University in Olomouc. Agricultural Chamber of the Czech Republic (AKČR) said the drought has caused damage to crops of up to CZK 12 billion (€465 mln). The grain harvest has suffered immensely this year, and harvests of potatoes, sugar beet, and peas have also deteriorated. Source - http://www.freshplaza.com