Why Italy's Amalfi lemons are in danger

DW (English)

Lemons have long been a symbol of the Amalfi Coast, but now a fungus is threatening the region's lemon trees.

Transcript

00:00The Amalfi Coast is widely seen as the most beautiful sweep of countryside in Italy.

00:07And an integral part of that beauty are the lemons that grow here on terraces,

00:12cut into the steep mountains centuries ago.

00:15In summer, the air here is thick with the scent of lemons mixed in with the sea breeze.

00:20Francesco Bonacora is one of the citrus growers here.

00:23He has around 1,000 trees and the harvest has just begun.

00:28I enjoy this work. I've been doing it since I was seven.

00:34Lemons for me are like a dream.

00:38But not just for Francesco. The 2024 season is turning into a nightmare.

00:43A harmful fungus has attacked his lemon orchard.

00:46Normally everything here would be thick with foliage and fruit.

00:49The bare spots are where the malsecco has desiccated the trees from inside out.

00:55Look, this was malsecco fungus.

00:59More and more plants are turning yellow. This one too.

01:03We can't use this one anymore.

01:06In two or three years, everything here will be full of malsecco.

01:10Look up there. It's attacked this plant as well.

01:14That's the fungus. And now this tree is infected too.

01:25Here's another infected tree, but it hasn't spread here yet.

01:34Francesco has already lost about half of this year's harvest.

01:38Currently about 25% of the lemon orchards along the Amalfi coast are infected by the fungus.

01:44Enzo Trappiano of the Calderetti Farmers Association is alarmed.

01:48The growers don't know what to do.

01:51So far, science hasn't found a solution to fight the malsecco.

01:58It's important to dig up infected plants by the roots, as this fungus is inside the roots.

02:05You have to get all the roots out and let the soil lie fallow for a year so everything can rot away.

02:14Only then can you plant a new lemon tree and just hope it's not already infected as well.

02:21Even now the economic damage is enormous, but Amalfi lemons are more than just citrus produce.

02:27They're part of the region's lifestyle, says Trappiano.

02:31We don't just squeeze juice from the lemons.

02:33We also extract essences for our limoncello liqueur, for ice cream and other sweet treats.

02:39The Amalfi coast is known for these things around the world.

02:45The orchards growing right by the sea are doing better.

02:48Even so, the harvesting takes place a few months earlier than it used to, says Chiara Gambardella.

02:55She manages the Amalfi Coast Lemon Farmers Consortium.

02:59Her own 400 lemon trees have largely been spared the malsecco, as she burned afflicted plants at the very first sign.

03:12This malsecco fungus is spreading because of the changes in the climate.

03:17The cold and then warm temperatures in February and March, and strong winds, are damaging our lemon trees.

03:26They're not adapted to cope with these extreme temperature fluctuations, so they fall easy prey to the fungus.

03:36Amalfi minus its lemons would equal a tourism disaster, as many places can offer sand and sea,

03:42but only Amalfi has that memorable lemon aroma.

03:47This is our yellow gold. Just look at these terraces.

03:53Fortunato della Monica is mayor of Cetara and spokesman for the communities along the Amalfi coast.

03:59He says the lemons, colours and green could all be gone within five years unless a solution is found.

04:07Without lemons, the Amalfi coast would lose everything, so we have to fight.

04:11Many lemon tree terraces have already been abandoned.

04:14The consequences appear in a few years. The danger of landslides and floods soars.

04:21Francesco Bonacore's grandfather depended on the lemons for his livelihood.

04:25Francesco is facing a future that's anything but certain.

04:30We'll carry on just as long as we can here. Someday we might have to give up this place and go.

04:35The Italian government has now pledged assistance for the lemon growers of the Amalfi coast.

04:41Meanwhile, Francesco is doing whatever he can to make it till the next harvest.

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