What Impact Can a Snowless Winter Have on Agriculture?

Former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Samvel Avetisyan explained on Sputnik Armenia's airwaves what consequences a snowless winter can have on agriculture. The absence of snow could cause significant damage, particularly to the yield of autumn-planted wheat. The snow cover protects the wheat from frost.

Such an opinion was expressed by former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Samvel Avetisyan. The winter months of this year have not been marked by abundant precipitation, which, in turn, has raised concerns among farmers in many rural communities. According to the information from the Hydro-Meteorological and Monitoring Center, weather with no precipitation is also expected in Armenia until January 25.

“Another issue related to snowless weather is that moisture will not accumulate, and when the weather begins to warm up, the growth of crops may be very slow. And finally, in the absence of snow, we cannot expect good yields,” said Avetisyan.

Nevertheless, our interlocutor expressed hope that nature would maintain its balance. According to him, the pattern shows that in such cases, especially in February-March, precipitation tends to become intense.

Commenting on the unusually warm weather conditions for January, Avetisyan emphasized that we are dealing with a weather anomaly. “Such weather changes are a result of global warming. Nature itself dictates the conditions, and agriculture is usually dependent on the whims of the weather. Considering this situation, we should diversify crops in the future. That is, we should also grow varieties that can be more drought-resistant and require less moisture,” noted Avetisyan.

However, the snowless weather is not necessarily harmful to trees, and if there is artificial irrigation, it is not a problem; rather, in conditions of snow absence or severe scarcity, grain crops may suffer.