There are approximately 300,000 farms in the areas most affected by the drought emergency in the Center North, with the most dramatic situation occurring in the Po Valley basin, which produces nearly 1/3 of Made in Italy agri-food and half of the livestock that gives rise to the Italian food valley. The lack of rainfall is influencing farmers' decisions to switch from corn and rice to soybeans and wheat. Rice sowing is expected to decrease by 8,000 hectares, the lowest level in 30 years. The effects of the drought are visible in the large lakes, which now have filling percentages ranging from 22% of Lake Como to 38% of Lake Garda to 44% of Lake Maggiore, while the hydrometric level of the Po River has dropped to -3.2 meters, as in the middle of summer, and there is also scarce water potential stored in the form of snow in the Alps and Apennines.
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