Korean staple kimchi faces climate threat

South Korea

's famous

kimchi

is falling victim to

climate change

, with scientists, farmers and manufacturers saying the quality and quantity of the

napa cabbage

that is pickled to make the ubiquitous dish is suffering due to rising temperatures.
Napa cabbage thrives in cooler climates, and is usually planted in mountainous regions where temperatures during the key growing summer season once rarely rose above 25C.

Studies show that warmer weather brought about by climate change is now threatening these crops. Data from the govt statistics agency shows the area of highland cabbage farmed last year was less than half of what it was 20 years ago: 3,995 hectares compared to 8,796 hectares. According to the Rural Development Administration, a state farming thinktank, climate change scenarios project the farmed area to shrink dramatically in the next 25 years to just 44 hectares, with no cabbage grown in the highlands by 2090.
"We hope these predictions don't come to pass," plant pathologist and virologist Lee Young-gyu said. Spicy, fermented kimchi is made from other vegetables, but the most popular remains cabbage-based.
Researchers cite higher temperatures, unpredictable rains and pests that become more difficult to control in the warmer climate as the cause for the crop shrinkage. "Kimchi is something we cannot not have on the table," said farmer Kim Si-gap (71).