Italy tests climate-resistant wheat as heat reshapes farming

In Emilia-Romagna, Italy's so-called Food Valley, researchers are working on the pasta of the future by focusing on its essential ingredient: wheat, France 24 reported this week. The project aims to breed varieties of durum wheat that can resist the hotter, drier conditions that climate change is bringing to the Mediterranean basin.

The initiative comes as Italy endures its fourth heatwave of the summer, with all 27 major cities placed under the highest heat alert and temperatures in some areas approaching 40C, according to the Guardian. The combination of chronic drought and extreme heat has put pressure on staple crops across the country, including the wheat that underpins the national dish.