Edo-Tokyo Vegetables Face Extinction
Traditional vegetables cultivated in Tokyo for generations are facing a growing threat from extreme heat and a shortage of farmers willing to carry on their cultivation, with some growers reporting that seeds are failing to germinate or young plants are dying in increasingly severe summer temperatures. (News On Japan)
Edo-Tokyo vegetables, cultivated for generations in the Japanese capital, now face extinction due to extreme heat and a scarcity of farmers willing to maintain their cultivation. In Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, visitors can experience harvesting locally grown vegetables, but some of these crops are now deemed "endangered vegetables" due to the challenges in keeping their varieties alive.
Traditional Edo-Tokyo vegetables, passed down through generations, are particularly vulnerable to changing environmental conditions, risking disappearance. Traditional regional varieties are especially at risk from extreme weather and the decline of farmers. Farmer Tomohiro Hanjo, who has cultivated 10 varieties of Edo-Tokyo vegetables for a decade in Ome, western Tokyo, has noticed the impacts of climate change on seed germination and plant survival.
The shortage of younger farmers further complicates efforts to preserve these traditional varieties. Hanjo remains committed to cultivating these vegetables to showcase their unique flavors, emphasizing their richness and deliciousness. Climate change and declining farmland pose significant challenges, with two typhoons expected to affect Japan's Ogasawara Islands and eastern Pacific coastal areas, while cyberattacks disrupt business operations and expose sensitive customer data across Japan.
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.
