With most of Spain on high alert as temperatures rise above 45 degrees Celsius, farmers in Catalonia are facing almost empty ears of barley and wheat, even as the price of cereals has increased. Farmer Joan Vidal says that 50% of his production has been lost this year due to successive heat waves, falling from 4,000 kilos of grain per hectare to 2,000. The nearest village, Sant Marti de Tous, is almost a ghost town, with empty streets and bars as residents hunker down at home to protect themselves from the heat. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES