Italy tests climate-resistant wheat to safeguard pasta

As Italy endures its fourth heatwave of the summer, with all 27 major cities placed on the highest heat alert, researchers in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna are working on a quieter but equally pressing front: the future of pasta. According to France 24, scientists in Italy's "Food Valley" are testing climate-resistant wheat, focusing on the main ingredient of the iconic dish to ensure it can withstand the hotter, drier conditions that are becoming the norm across the Mediterranean.

The effort, reported by France 24's correspondents in the region, comes as extreme heat this year has already fueled wildfires across Europe and disrupted agriculture from Spain to the Balkans. Italy, one of the world's largest pasta producers and consumers, relies heavily on durum wheat, a crop particularly sensitive to heat stress during its flowering and grain-filling stages. The research in Emilia-Romagna aims to develop varieties that maintain yield and quality even when temperatures spike, a hedge against what scientists describe as a changing climate.