As typhoon risks grow, farmers in China’s Guangdong adapt to protect their livelihoods

In the first of a two-part series on climate resilience, CNA examines how farmers in Guangdong, China, are adapting to protect their livelihoods against increasingly dangerous typhoons. Maoming, a coastal city in Guangdong, is the world's largest producer of longans, with the industry generating over $1.2 billion annually. However, the province frequently experiences typhoons, coinciding with the harvest season and putting crops at risk.

A single typhoon can wipe out an entire year's harvest, as seen in Li Ziling's family, which lost about $30,000 in their 2022 crop after a typhoon spoiled the fruit.

Farmers often try to salvage damaged fruit, selling it for a few cents to those who process it into dried longan or other products. Li Ziling said buyers' prices often drop when everyone is selling, reducing farmers' earnings. Livestreaming has become a way for farmers to quickly find customers, but the prices can vary greatly from night to night.

Li Ziling's family lives on a tradition passed down through generations; however, moving the orchard to a less typhoon-prone area is not a simple solution. Longan growers depend on ready buyers, and factors such as climate and growing conditions affect the fruit's taste and moisture. The threat of more powerful typhoons and record-breaking rainfall is growing, with ten typhoons making landfall or severely affecting the province last year, matching a historical record. Guangdong's meteorological officials warn of increasingly extreme weather conditions.

Super Typhoon Ragasa hit Guangdong in September last year, forcing around 2 million people to evacuate. In Zhuhai, Green Fingers Organic Farm, owned by Zhan Zhiyu, experienced the storm's impact. They had only two days to prepare, removing plastic sheets and insect netting from their greenhouses and harvesting as many vegetables as possible. The storm leveled one greenhouse, causing an estimated $400,000 in losses. Beyond immediate damage, trees snapped entirely, and fruit trees required three years to regrow, Zhan said.

Farmers also face other challenges due to changing weather patterns. Zhan reports unusually high temperatures during planting and harvesting, causing farms to miss sales periods. Prolonged rainfall has led to compacted soil, making it difficult for roots to breathe and expand. This has affected bitter gourd harvests, as the plants now yield fewer fruits or have damaged produce.

Despite the risks, Zhan argues for continuing farming in Guangdong due to the region's warm and dry winters, which allow the growth of vegetables unavailable elsewhere in China during the same period. Winter accounts for about 70% of the farm's annual production.