South Korea’s favourite cabbage kimchi is under threat due to the rising temperatures and changing weather patterns in the region.
According to Reuters, the farmers, scientists, and manufacturers have warned that the quality and quantity of the napa cabbage that is used to make the iconic kimchi are suffering due to climate change.
Napa cabbage is planted in the mountain regions where the temperature does not rise above 25 Celsius (77 Fahrenheit), but studies have suggested that the ubiquitous dish is at risk as the temperature in South Korea is rising.
Lee Young-gyu, a plant pathologist and virologist, said, “We hope these predictions don’t come to pass. Cabbage likes to grow in cool climates and adapts to a very narrow band of temperatures. The optimal temperatures are between 18 and 21 Celsius."
He warned, “If this continues, then in the summer time we might have to give up cabbage kimchi.”
Moreover, the government statistics agency data revealed that the cabbage farmland area in 2023, 3,995 hectares, was less than half of the area it was 20 years ago, 8,796 hectares.
While the Rural Development Administration, after analysing the climate change effects, suggested that the cabbage farming area will be shrunk to 44 hectares in the next 25 years and no cabbage will be cultivated in highlands by 2090.
