Can ' #WaterBatteries' help farmers tackle #drought?

Kirk England, 21 October 2025

" #Rainwater used to surge through Will Luke's dairy farm whenever there was a downpour.

"He used to watch it flow away but concerns over 'drier and drier' summers led him to build a storage pond allowing him to put that water to use - particularly for livestock.

" 'Once it leaves the farm, it's no good to me. If we capture the water we can get more use out of it. We're much more resilient,' said Mr Luke, whose farm is near Plymouth, Devon.

"The Westcountry Rivers Trust said #ponds and #wetlands were insurance for 'times of need' including droughts, and it was now leading a €8m (£6.95m) project on how the so-called 'water batteries' could be used to create a 'smart water grid' across Europe."

Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg7p9en90ro

#SolarPunkSunday #Ponds #Wetlands #Rainbarrels #Cisterns #WaterBatteries #ClimateChangeFarming #ClimateChangeAdaptation #WaterIsLife

Can ' #WaterBatteries' help farmers tackle #drought?

Kirk England, 21 October 2025

" #Rainwater used to surge through Will Luke's dairy farm whenever there was a downpour.

"He used to watch it flow away but concerns over 'drier and drier' summers led him to build a storage pond allowing him to put that water to use - particularly for livestock.

" 'Once it leaves the farm, it's no good to me. If we capture the water we can get more use out of it. We're much more resilient,' said Mr Luke, whose farm is near Plymouth, Devon.

"The Westcountry Rivers Trust said #ponds and #wetlands were insurance for 'times of need' including droughts, and it was now leading a €8m (£6.95m) project on how the so-called 'water batteries' could be used to create a 'smart water grid' across Europe."

Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg7p9en90ro

#SolarPunkSunday #Ponds #Wetlands #Rainbarrels #Cisterns #WaterBatteries #ClimateChangeFarming #ClimateChangeAdaptation #WaterIsLife

Can #Italy eat its way out of a #BlueCrab infestation?

September 4, 2023

Excerpt: "Italians are turning the killer crustaceans into a culinary delicacy, introducing them into risotto, pasta dishes and even salads.

"Italian farmers’ group Coldiretti suggests serving the blue crab with rosemary in a salad, or with sauteed garlic over spaghetti.

" 'These are some of the dishes recommended by chefs, fishermen and farmers of [Coldiretti] to fight the invasion of the sea killer, which is devastating the national coasts with damage into the millions of euros,' the group said in a statement in support of harvesting and selling the invasive crabs.

" 'The goal is to help contain the excessive diffusion of the crab, which is taking over the seabed of our coasts, identifying economic opportunities for the hard-hit territories.'

"Marine biologists say warmer seawater and above average temperatures mean that the crabs are thriving – and taking over.

"They’ve already been found all along Italy’s vast coastline and even in the Po Delta, a UNESCO heritage site known for its vongole veraci clam variety, which has been largely obliterated this summer.

" 'Usually when the water temperatures drop below 10 C (50 F), this variety of crab doesn’t survive,' Enridca Franchi, a marine biologist and researcher with the University of Siena, says. 'But now the crab finds the ideal temperature 12 months of the year.' "

Read more:
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/how-italy-is-solving-an-invasion-of-blue-crabs/

#SolarPunkSunday #ClimateChange #ClimateChangeAdaptation #BlueCrabs #InvasiveSpecies

#Maine's invasive #GreenCrabs aren't going anywhere, so why not eat them?

Maine's coast is overrun by invasive green crabs, which harm natural nurseries for lobster larvae and eat clam beds. Fishermen are looking to turn them into food.

By Jack Molmud, June 26, 2023

Excerpt: "To the year, Masi's crew is hauling in around 5,000 pounds of live green crabs. They said more could easily be harvested, but they are still looking for more buyers.

"One buyer in Portsmouth, Row 34, is using the soft-shell green crab to make a slider.

"Josh Peck, the chef at Row 34, said it's getting customers talking.

" 'We sell a fair amount of them,' Peck said. 'There is no lack of sustainability with the green crab.'

"But while the thousands of pounds of green crabs are shipped to restaurants and bait dealers around New England, Masi, and his crew hope that number will only grow. The summer months are moving on, and the crabs are stopping the molting process, which produces the soft shell.

" 'It's a start. You got to start somewhere,' Masi said."

Read more:
https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/special-reports/maines-changing-climate/maines-invasive-green-crabs-arent-going-anywhere-so-why-not-eat-them-food/97-1c68a7b3-2d0f-4b13-993d-313e3b96ddf0

#SolarPunkSunday #InvasiveSpecies #WhatsForDinner #ChangingClimate #ClimateChange #ClimateChangeAdaptation

Can #Italy eat its way out of a #BlueCrab infestation?

September 4, 2023

Excerpt: "Italians are turning the killer crustaceans into a culinary delicacy, introducing them into risotto, pasta dishes and even salads.

"Italian farmers’ group Coldiretti suggests serving the blue crab with rosemary in a salad, or with sauteed garlic over spaghetti.

" 'These are some of the dishes recommended by chefs, fishermen and farmers of [Coldiretti] to fight the invasion of the sea killer, which is devastating the national coasts with damage into the millions of euros,' the group said in a statement in support of harvesting and selling the invasive crabs.

" 'The goal is to help contain the excessive diffusion of the crab, which is taking over the seabed of our coasts, identifying economic opportunities for the hard-hit territories.'

"Marine biologists say warmer seawater and above average temperatures mean that the crabs are thriving – and taking over.

"They’ve already been found all along Italy’s vast coastline and even in the Po Delta, a UNESCO heritage site known for its vongole veraci clam variety, which has been largely obliterated this summer.

" 'Usually when the water temperatures drop below 10 C (50 F), this variety of crab doesn’t survive,' Enridca Franchi, a marine biologist and researcher with the University of Siena, says. 'But now the crab finds the ideal temperature 12 months of the year.' "

Read more:
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/how-italy-is-solving-an-invasion-of-blue-crabs/

#SolarPunkSunday #ClimateChange #ClimateChangeAdaptation #BlueCrabs #InvasiveSpecies

#Maine's invasive #GreenCrabs aren't going anywhere, so why not eat them?

Maine's coast is overrun by invasive green crabs, which harm natural nurseries for lobster larvae and eat clam beds. Fishermen are looking to turn them into food.

By Jack Molmud, June 26, 2023

Excerpt: "To the year, Masi's crew is hauling in around 5,000 pounds of live green crabs. They said more could easily be harvested, but they are still looking for more buyers.

"One buyer in Portsmouth, Row 34, is using the soft-shell green crab to make a slider.

"Josh Peck, the chef at Row 34, said it's getting customers talking.

" 'We sell a fair amount of them,' Peck said. 'There is no lack of sustainability with the green crab.'

"But while the thousands of pounds of green crabs are shipped to restaurants and bait dealers around New England, Masi, and his crew hope that number will only grow. The summer months are moving on, and the crabs are stopping the molting process, which produces the soft shell.

" 'It's a start. You got to start somewhere,' Masi said."

Read more:
https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/special-reports/maines-changing-climate/maines-invasive-green-crabs-arent-going-anywhere-so-why-not-eat-them-food/97-1c68a7b3-2d0f-4b13-993d-313e3b96ddf0

#SolarPunkSunday #InvasiveSpecies #WhatsForDinner #ChangingClimate #ClimateChange #ClimateChangeAdaptation