Rebel Roots Magazine

Today’s food system feels like a conveyor belt, feeding us the same handful of foods over and over again. Supermarkets prioritize what lasts longer on the shelf, looks perfect, or ships well, not what tastes incredible. Somewhere along the way, many of us have lost the connection between the food we eat and the land, people, and stories behind it. 

Rebel Roots is a food magazine that pushes back, celebrating the richness of our food culture by exploring diversity, sustainability, and tradition — one ingredient at a time. Each issue dives deep into a single vegetable, uncovering its history, flavors, and the people who keep its story alive.

I was invited to write an article for the sixth issue The Corn, entitled “What Grows When the Water Runs Out?” To read the piece see below. 

Article

What Grows When Water Runs Out?

Summer
It’s a hot, golden summer in Barcelona. The kind that sends the scent of sunscreen and grilled seafood drifting through the air, mingling with the clink of glasses on terraces and the hum of motorbikes echoing through narrow lanes.

You’re walking without purpose around the city, taking in the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze — until you notice something. The public garden beside you, normally a vibrant patch of neighborhood green, looks tired, even brittle. A metal sign is bolted to the fence of the entrance of the garden stating: Es deixen de regar els parcs i jardins de la ciutat. (“The city’s parks and gardens are no longer being watered.”)

A little further along, in the cool corridors of the metro, something else catches your eye. A poster campaign sprawls across the walls — L’aigua no cau del cel. (“Water does not fall from the sky.”)

These aren’t just signs. It’s a warning.

Locals talk about it in passing, with a shrug. “It hasn’t rained properly in months,” someone says. But it’s more than that. Barcelona, and the rest of Catalonia, are in the grips of a drought. One of the worst in decades. The signs are subtle but stacking up. And they’re easy to overlook, until they aren’t.

New Year
The new year begins dry. By February, the inevitable becomes official. Barcelona, and the rest of Catalonia, are in the grips of a drought. One of the worst in decades. The government of Catalonia declares a drought emergency after more than 1,000 days without adequate rainfall as water reserves plummet to less than 16%. The declaration triggers emergency protocols across the region affecting over 6 million residents, including daily water restrictions, the suspension of irrigation in public spaces, the inoperation of public fountains, and the closure of beachside showers.

Beyond the city, people in small towns and villages face extremes. In some rural areas, wells run dry, forcing residents to trek long distances to access natural springs or drive to neighboring towns to purchase bottled water. The agricultural sector, one of the biggest consumers of water, is hit hardest.Farmers are required to halve their water usage for crops and livestock or face fines. What was once an inconvenient dry spell has evolved into a slow, sweeping disruption of daily life. There is no end in sight.

Spring
Finally, the sound of rain.

After months of brittle silence and cautious hope, the skies break open. Throughout March, they soak the city in an unfamiliar rhythm. Over the course of a month, the region receives enough rainfall to raise reservoir levels to above 25% — not full, not even close to sufficient, but enough. The government responds by lifting the drought emergency and easing water restrictions. But there’s an edge to the optimism — an awareness that this is a reprieve, not a reset. Barcelona breathes easier, yes, but it does so with the knowledge that climate patterns are changing, that extremes like this are becoming less rare and more routine.

This is not a speculative scenario. It happened. It’s happening. It reveals something critical: our cities, our food, our lives — all rely on water. Water is becoming less reliable.

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“Spain has the land, and it has the sun. But it increasingly doesn’t have the water.”

Spain is an agricultural powerhouse, especially within Europe. Nearly half of the country’s land is devoted to agriculture or livestock, anchoring both its economy and its identity. But it now finds itself at the mercy of a changing climate — hotter, drier, and increasingly erratic. Drought is no longer an anomaly — it’s a recurring chapter in Spain’s agricultural calendar.

And few crops sit at the center of this crisis like corn.

Corn, or maíz, is a water-intensive crop, requiring about 500–800 liters of water per kilogram of grain. Though Spain imports much of its corn, domestic production is still significant—especially for animal feed, which consumes nearly 70% of the corn, forming the base of the country’s meat and dairy supply chains. But growing corn in Spain requires water, and increasingly, water just isn’t available. In 2023, the droughts caused corn cultivation to drop 10–15% in some regions and this may likely continue as the region contends with drier conditions. In provinces like Catalonia and Aragon, where corn is grown almost exclusively under irrigation, farmers faced tough choices: reduce acreage, risk smaller yields, or leave fields barren. For some, the calculation didn’t pencil out. They planted barley or wheat instead. Others, faced with rising costs and uncertain returns, began stepping away from corn altogether.

When corn production fails, the impact ripples outward. Feed shortages lead to rising prices. Livestock farms scale back operations. Meat and dairy costs climb, affecting everyone from producers to consumers.

This raises important questions: Can Spain continue growing corn? Should it? And what happens to the food system if it doesn’t? What’s at stake isn’t just a shift in crops — it’s a reckoning with how climate change is reshaping what’s possible, what’s profitable, and what ends up on our plates.

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So where do we go from here? The corn conundrum isn’t without responses. Scanning the present and peering into the future, we can spot a variety of responses emerging, some already in motion, others still in the early stages. From innovative strategies to time-tested techniques and controversial debates, the future of corn in Spain is uncertain but far from stagnant. What comes next will shape not only the country’s agricultural landscape but also its broader food system.


Smarter Water Use & Technology

Drip irrigation, sprinkler systems, and soil moisture sensors are replacing inefficient, water-wasting methods. Satellite-guided tools and precision irrigation software help farmers deliver water only when and where it’s needed. Spain has seen steady growth in localized irrigation systems — but scaling these up require not just investment, but skilled labor, a resource increasingly becoming in short supply.



Restoring Traditional Systems

In drought-stricken regions of Spain, communities are reviving centuries-old irrigation canals known as acequias — a network of water channels created by the Moors over 1000 years ago. In places like the Alpujarras in southern Spain, farmers and volunteers are working to clear, repair, and reactivate these ancient networks, which once efficiently diverted melting snow and rainwater from the mountains to terraced fields. A revival of the past that may help sustain the future.



Cover Crops & Soil Health

Some farmers are introducing cover crops – low-growing plants like clover, rye, or vetch, planted not for harvest but to protect and nourish the soil. Planted in between rows of corn, these living ground covers shield the soil from erosion, lock in moisture, and enrich the earth with organic matter, restoring fertility depleted by years of intensive farming. They’re simple but powerful approaches for drought resilience.



Feed Substitutes & Shifting Diets

Many farmers are moving away from corn entirely, choosing less water-intensive crops like barley, wheat, or sunflowers to feed their livestock. But the shift in the field also sparks broader questions: Should Spain continue to rely so heavily on meat production in a time of deepening drought? In the long run, resilience may depend not just on what we grow, but on what we choose to eat.



Drought-Resistant Genetics

Researchers are developing new corn varieties that can thrive on less water. Whether through selective breeding or genetic modification, the goal is clear: make corn more resilient. Still, widespread adoption will tak e time — and public trust.



Regional Shifts

As droughts worsen, corn production is quietly migrating north — to areas with more rainfall and milder summers. In Spain’s drier regions, corn fields are being replaced by different crops or left fallow. These shifts could reshape regional economies and land use patterns.



Improved Practices

Farmers are increasingly adopting regenerative agriculture practices, such as reduced tillage and crop rotation to help build healthier, more resilient soils by reducing erosion and promoting biodiversity. Agro-ecological techniques, such as intercropping (planting complementary crops alongside corn) and organic farming, are also gaining momentum, allowing for better water retention and reduced chemical use.



Global Interdependence

Spain relies heavily on imports to meet its corn needs, particularly from the U.S. Yet, this dependence on global supply chains presents risks—trade wars, shifting tariffs, political instability, and climate disruptions elsewhere could jeopardize the steady flow of corn. In an unpredictable global landscape, resilience will require Spain to strike a delicate balance between self-reliance in domestic production and a strategic approach to trade.

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Spain is at a crossroads. Climate change has rewritten the weather script. Water, once abundant enough to grow thirsty crops like corn, is now a contested, finite resource. If the climate models are right, Spain’s future will be even drier.

Corn may still have a place, but perhaps not everywhere. The country will likely need to pivot: rethinking its crops, its water use, its food system, and even its diet.

The droughts of 2023 to 2024 are a warning, but they also offer an opportunity to adapt. If water is life, then how we use it — what we grow, what we eat, how we farm — will define the next chapter of Spain’s agricultural story.

References

Rebel Roots Magazine