Warming Climate Brings Sweet Potato Farming to Hokkaido
Climate change is reshaping Hokkaido's fishing and agricultural industries, contributing to declining salmon and pink salmon catches while allowing crops such as sweet potatoes, once considered unsuitable for large-scale production in Japan's far north, to take root. (News On Japan)
Climate change is affecting Hokkaido's fishing and agricultural industries, with declining salmon and pink salmon catches allowing sweet potatoes to become a viable crop in Japan's far north. In Shari, a fishing town on the Sea of Okhotsk, fishermen are experiencing a rapid decline in fish stocks, with pink salmon catches dropping to just two per month.
Meanwhile, in Obira, northern Hokkaido, farmer Kota Kato started growing sweet potatoes three years ago, tapping into a new opportunity created by rising temperatures and the aging farming population. Hokkaido-grown sweet potatoes are also being used to develop new products, such as a sweet potato shochu, reflecting the community's adaptation to changing circumstances.
Written by urgent.news from News On Japan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
