According to Amac News: Based on this report, the number of fruit trees in Austria, including apples, pears and cherries, has decreased dramatically from 35 million in 1930 to about 4.2 million in 2020.
This study, which was conducted by the Federal Chamber of Commerce of Austria in collaboration with the Federal Union of Fruit Agriculture, has attributed the deterioration of fruit farming and the reduction of agricultural productivity to the effect of climate change on fruit trees.
Extreme weather events, including winter freezes, high summer temperatures, water scarcity, drought stress, and extreme storms with heavy rainfall and floods have been identified as key factors.
The study also included data from the Austrian Agricultural Structure Survey in 2023, which presented a disappointing picture of the fruit farming sector.
These data have shown that the total area of ​​fruit cultivation has decreased by 14% between 2017 and 2023, and significant decreases have been observed in the areas under apple, apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach and strawberry cultivation.
This study concluded that an increase in temperature between 2 and 3 degrees Celsius will create significant and dangerous changes in fruit farming and put traditional forms of fruit cultivation at risk.