‘I couldn’t look’: European farmers on losing crops as the industry collides with worsening drought

Thomas Goebel in front of his old Gurkenflieger and dried-out sunflower field. He has sold the machine to cover losses caused by volatile weather. Photograph: Ajit Niranjan/The Guardian

Crumbling a fistful of sandy soil by his dried-up sunflower field, Thomas Goebel pointed to one of the many casualties of this year’s drought: a bright green machine that resembles a tractor crossed with a biplane.

The Gurkenflieger (cucumber plane) used to roll proudly through his fields with farmhands in the wings plucking vegetables to make salty-sweet-sour Spreewald gherkins. Goebel stopped using it for production five years ago – his pickles could not compete with supermarket prices – and a recent experiment letting tourists ride inside generated enthusiasm but little profit.