Drought: Why we need to get used to wonky vegetables

Image source, Getty Images

The summer's hot and dry weather will cause fruit and vegetables to look different on the shelves.

Some vegetables are likely to be worst affected.

In the UK, many areas have seen very low rain in the last year.

The NFU wants supermarkets to be more flexible with growers.

We must adapt to how climate change will affect agriculture and our food, according to scientists.

Sarah Green is a farmer in Essex and her fields are dusty.

Her crops are not growing well. She had to lower her prices because her sweetcorn was smaller than usual. The crops that are still in the ground are not growing as well as they could.

Image source, Sarah Green

Ben Andrews said his cabbage and kale were fine until recently.

He claims that they've turned pale blue. They are not crisp and lush anymore.

Soon, these crops will be what we buy in supermarkets.

It's too early to know how much UK produce will die due to the lack of rain, but crop quality will be hit, according to a professor.

He says that there will be more potatoes with lower quality skin.

Tom Bradshaw, vice-president of the NFU, says vegetables this autumn and winter will taste the same.

Mr Bradshaw says that consumers have been conditioned to think that a potato looks different. He says that we need to be more relaxed about appearance in order to reduce the risk of more price rises.

According to a representative for the British Retail Consortium, supermarkets accept odd-shaped vegetables.

The retailers have taken steps to support their farmers. "Expanding ranges of odd-size/shape fruit and veg when needed is what this includes."

Sarah Green and her family live in Essex. This year, they've received over 100mm of rain. The average is 525mm.

Image source, Sarah Green

Vegetables in the ground can't get the water they need to grow because of the dry weather. Lack of water can cause defects in the crop.

Half of the national crop of potatoes is fed by rain in the UK, so they are vulnerable to a dry spell.

Sarah Green says that it will be difficult to get the harvester into the hard ground. It could cut the crop into pieces.

Similar to potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions will be affected by this.

He says the damage is done by this point in the summer and that even a small amount of rain isn't enough.

Farmers are concerned about cauliflowers and broccoli being planted in the fall. It's feared that the soil is too hard to dig and seeds won't survive in a dry area.

It was just in time for most crops to be saved in the UK's last dry spell. The Met Office is predicting a lot of warm weather this year.

It is possible for farmers to sacrifice some crops in order to get the full amount of water they need. It's important to get enough water over the autumn and winter to stop the effects of the dry spell.

Climate change will cause parts of England to become much drier.

The unpredictability of UK weather makes it riskier for farmers to change crops.

In the long-term, adjusting to farming techniques that help soil store water, as well as investment in storage for winter rains, can be solutions, according to an expert.