Farming Is New Hope as Droughts Erase Truffles

If you thought wild truffles were already an indulgence, climate change is expected to make the fungal delicacy even harder to obtain. However, the newer practice of farming truffles may save the industry, Modern Farmer reports. In terms of the problem, "the climate's no good," Italian truffle hunter Alessio Galie tells the New York Times after an unsuccessful trip into the woods. Dry summers and autumns have made finding them in the wild harder in Italy year-after-year, driving up prices, and these conditions are becoming more common. "Once trees go into drought conditions they cannot provide as much carbon to truffles," says Dr. Brian Steidinger, who studies climate change's effects on truffles, "which means the harvests plummet."

Truffles grow underground in a symbiotic relationship with tree roots (poplar, beech, and oaks are typical hosts)—as they feed off the roots, they enrich the soil with nutrients. Scarcity is what makes them so pricey. The current market, valued at $378.7 million, could skyrocket to over $900 million by 2033. And within this market, the elusive Alba comes at a premium. Alba is a rare, buttery truffle that grows in Italy, and other than one secret region in France, has not seen successful cultivation elsewhere. Bianchetto truffles (or white truffles) can run up to $1,000 per pound, while Winter Black Truffles can get up to $2,000 a pound. In a recent auction, Alba truffles sold for the equivalent of $7,731 an ounce, per Modern Farmer.

As the number of wild truffles declines, truffle farms are on the rise, including in the US (though the Alba remains famously difficult to cultivate). "I see the truffle industry in the US like the wine industry," says Kentucky truffle grower Margaret Townsend. "We are the pioneers. We're laying the groundwork for the future." Townsend is president of the North American Truffle Growers' Association, which now boasts 175 members. Some believe farmed truffles will weather climate change since cultivators can alter conditions including light sources and irrigation, but others are skeptical. "There are limits to the extent that farmers can modify their practices to adapt," says mycologist Dr. Charles LeFevre. (Is truffle oil a "remarkably successful con"?)