Farmers watch crops wither amid Italy’s worst drought in 70 years

Antonella Ferri runs a farm in Pandino that has been producing milk for more than a century [Federica Marsi/Al Jazeera]

Pandino, Italy – In northern Italy’s agricultural heartland, Antonella Ferri is inspecting corn fields that should have grown taller than her. But this year, amid the worst drought in 70 years, the stunted stalks turned yellow and withered.

“There’s nothing left to be saved,” the 56-year-old tells Al Jazeera in the town of Pandino, southeast of Milan, where she runs a farm that has produced milk for the Italian dairy industry for more than a century. “Even if water comes, it’s all ruined.”