The beans in Lazio, the asparagus in Veneto, the strawberries in Puglia. At the fruit and vegetable market in Rome you can already find agretti, Roman artichokes and wild herbs such as poppy and broad beans. The first fruits, this year, arrived with over a month in advance, as confirmed by Coldiretti's monitoring in the farmers' markets of Campagna Amica.

What happens to our nature?

Nature is haywire across the peninsula: they have occurred early blooms of mimosas in Liguria and almond trees in Sicily and Sardinia where fruit trees begin to blossom. In Abruzzo, with an advance of about a month, plum and peach trees are awakening, while apricot trees in Emilia and Puglia already have buds.

It is another of the effects of climate change: during the winter, in the Old Continent, temperatures that are 3.1 degrees above the average reference (1981 – 2010), based on data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service for the months of December and "Climate change upsets the seasonal cycles of nature and the expenditure of Italians", explains Coldiretti. "With the first fruits and wild herbs that arrive this year on the market stalls well in advance due to an anomalous winter, with boiling temperatures and no rainfall significant, which is causing a worrying drought in the center and south .

The unpredictable climate not only hinders cultivation planning in the countryside, but also exposes plants to the risk of frost, in the event of a sharp drop temperatures, with the possible loss of production and work for an entire year. Meanwhile, the lack of water and the wind also threaten the lentils of Ustica; in the area of ​​Ragusa the grass of the pastures is dry and speculation is feared about the price of hay to feed the animals. In Lower Molise the dry soils sown with cereals risk not to properly sprout and strengthen the seedlings.

Seasonal lags and extreme events have caused one loss in Italy of over 14 billion euros over the decade, between national agricultural production, rural structures and infrastructures.

When the crop cycles and seasonal offers are completely disrupted, the risk is also that of buying imported products passed off as Italians. "In order not to fall into deception, however, it is important always check the origin national label ", reports Coldiretti," which is mandatory for fruit and vegetables, and to favor purchases directly from farmers on farms or in the Campagna Amica markets where the products are also fresher and last longer ".