Video
Bitter loss in tea harvest: Plantation owners in Taiwan complain about the consequences of climate change
Tea as far as the eye can see in the southwestern part of Taiwan. Plantation owner Chien Shun-yih lives and works here – and here he worries too. Extreme drought last year and torrential rain this year destroyed around half of his most recent harvest. Climate change – so his assumption – does not stop at the island and its tea farmers either. “The weather cannot be controlled, not even when growing tea. We can control other things with certain equipment, but we are powerless against the climate. We can only try to compensate for it.” Here in Meishan tea has been grown since the 19th century. The tea pickers also notice that something has changed, for example with a view to the drought. “We also earn less money. Less harvest, less earnings for us.” The leaves stayed small for a longer period of time, which is why they now have to be harvested several times per season. Chien took over the plantation after his father died four years ago. Since then he has been looking for ways to deal with the consequences of climate change. So he digs deep into the ground in order to pump water up from there. Lin Shiou-ruei should help. The scientist conducts research in the north of the island and works for the government in Taipei. She reports on other challenges in recent years: pests that attack tea plants, for example during a period of drought. “If these encounter a weakened plant and these environmental influences are not properly dealt with, then they can even lead to the plant dying.” And her supervisor, Tsai Hsien-tsung, adds: “Tea is very sensitive. The watering, the temperature and the humidity influence the chemical composition of the leaves.” And with it the taste too. Whether climate change is actually the reason for the more extreme weather conditions and thus for the problems of the tea farmers is a controversial issue in Taiwan. At any rate, the National Center for Science and Technology has doubts about the direct link between the recent drought and climate change. But it could well be that there will be regular droughts in the future.
This means a significant loss of earnings not only for the tea pickers on a plantation in the southwest of the island.