EU officials pledge to develop more water-saving technologies in farming as droughts worsen

Officials from nine southern European Union countries have pledged to work together to develop more water-saving technologies in agriculture as the prospect of worsening droughts puts additional strain on farmers and threatens food security.

The promises came during a gathering in Cyprus of the so called MED9 countries - France, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Portugal, Malta, Spain and Slovenia - to address growing water scarcity as a result of climate change, especially in the Mediterranean region, which they say is being affected to a greater degree than other parts of the 27-member bloc.

The officials also pledged to share technical and practical data and launch joint research programs to make water use as efficient as possible.

"Climate change is a real threat to food production worldwide, and this risk is even more severe in the Mediterranean area," Spain's...