The island gets most of its rain during the winter. Little rain falls from March to October, and the air becomes even drier because of a hot, dry wind called the sirocco. This wind blows across the Mediterranean Sea from the deserts of North Africa. Sicilian rivers dry up in summer, and the land becomes parched in unirrigated areas. Sicily was once heavily wooded, but most of the trees have been cut, leaving the mountainsides bare and easily eroded.
Farmers use much of the island for growing wheat and for grazing goats and sheep.
Along the coasts, irrigation provides water for such crops as almonds, grapes, lemons, olives, oranges, and potatoes. Sicily has often prospered in its long history. But since the 1400's, its economy has become underdeveloped. Most of the land was divided into large estates owned by a few people. Farmers used outdated methods and did little to stop soil erosion.