The start of the irrigation season is scheduled for mid-April, but in Umbria, where Lake Trasimeno has been experiencing severe water shortages for months, concerns are already high about resource availability in the months ahead. "As a result of the constant monitoring on our irrigation districts, we are urging farmers, in view of the upcoming spring sowing, to reconsider crop plans, taking into account forecasts on actual water availability," said Paolo Montioni, President of the Umbrian Reclamation Consortium. The winter season, in fact, is so far stingy with significant rainfall (the lowest amount in the recent five-year period), which is essential to fill the reservoirs deputed to meet the irrigation needs of the spring-summer period, and little should be expected from the melting of snow, considering the scarcity of the mantle on the mountains surrounding the region. The dam on the Marroggia stream at Arezzo di Spoleto now has more than halved availability for irrigation. The water shortage could lead to a real "agricultural revolution" in the region whose farmers should prioritize "medium drought" resistant crops such as chickpeas and legumes in general, garlic, shallots and onions, and potatoes just to name a few.
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