Marche's pasta industry watches climate-resistant wheat trials

Researchers in Emilia-Romagna, Italy's "Food Valley," are testing climate-resistant wheat varieties designed to withstand the hotter, drier conditions that are reshaping European agriculture, according to a France 24 report. The work focuses on the main ingredient of pasta, a staple whose supply chain is under increasing pressure from extreme weather.

The trials come as Italy endures its fourth heatwave of the summer, with all 27 major cities under the highest heat alert and temperatures nearing 40C in places, the Guardian reported. For the Marche, a region where wheat has long been a quiet pillar of the rural economy, the research carries a direct relevance.