Extreme weather, agricultural carbon emissions, adaptation, and mitigation strategies.
Today, 13 October 2024, marks the 35th International Day for Disaster Reduction. Established by the United Nations, this observance aims to draw international attention to the importance of disaster prevention and mitigation. Over the past year, increasingly erratic natural disasters ravaging regions across the country remain the greatest threat to…
Last week, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region endured back-to-back strikes from two typhoons registering Category 10 or above, all within four days—a historic rarity. Around 7:30 am on 16 September 2024, Typhoon Koppu made landfall near Lingang New City on the Pudong coast, Shanghai. At landfall, it packed Category 14 winds near…
This summer, relentless rain across North China has made farming feel like opening a blind box. Vegetable prices have also surged. Summer is traditionally the harvest season for fruits and vegetables, yet this year there is little to reap. Sowing, normally carried out in August, was postponed until early September.…
I. Catastrophic Harvest Collapse: Lychees Face a ‘Super Lean Year’ Conghua District in Guangzhou is one of Guangdong’s main lychee-growing regions. July is normally the peak of the local harvest, yet familiar sights are disappearing. Branches that once bowed under heavy fruiting are now just lush with green leaves; you…
“These oats were sown in mid-October last year, and we found the ‘Eagle’ variety gave the best performance. If we opt for closer planting, the yield per hectare will be higher.” “Have you ever tried wider spacing?” On 12 June, at Gut Wilmersdorf, an organic farm an hour’s drive from…
Foodthink Notes This year’s rainfall across southern China has been deeply concerning. Beyond the news reports of widespread damage, we have also begun receiving troubling updates from our farming partners regarding diminished yields. Kouzi, a long-standing friend of Foodthink based in Fujian, has seen his onion and wheat crops nearly…
Foodthink Says Now that the Grain Rain solar term has passed, the peak season for this year’s spring tea harvest draws to a close. During the Qingming Festival holiday, Foodthink shared a story about the climate resilience of a natural farming tea garden in Xinyang. We are now publishing the…
Foodthink says Since returning home in 2013 to establish Chengdu’s Liangliang Farm, Tang Liang’s work has been a constant source of inspiration for those concerned with food and farming. In 2018, his The Ledger and Lifestyle of a Family Farm offered a candid answer to the question, “How does one…
Foodthink Says “Tea plucked before Qingming is worth its weight in gold.” Spring teas harvested and processed ahead of the Qingming Festival often command premium prices, representing the most crucial annual yield for many growers. Should extreme weather trigger a shortfall, the notoriously brief harvesting and market window for this…
“Save our rice!” “IRRI, get out!” In October 2023, these furious chants echoed across several Filipino farmer protest rallies. The demonstrations took direct aim at the Sixth International Rice Congress, hosted by the International Rice Research Institute (hereafter IRRI). Against the backdrop of climate change and the drive to cut…
