In China’s rice-growing heartland, farmers fight to save the autumn harvest
- Poyang Lake and surrounding wetlands in Jiangxi province are parched, and rice farmers in the region are fearful about the coming harvest
- Despite the drought, analysts say China has ample rice reserves and a drop in output this year is unlikely to cause volatility in global prices
Like generations before them, Zhang Yue and her husband rely on the health of China’s largest lake for their livelihood.
The couple typically earns about 60,000 yuan (US$8,700) per year farming rice, corn and sesame on the edge of Poyang Lake, just enough to eke out a living for a family of six.
But this year, their income is likely to be cut in half due to a record summer heatwave and drought that has smothered more than 20 provinces across the country.
Poyang Lake and surrounding wetlands are an important source of irrigation for Jiangxi province, one of China’s rice growing heartlands.
Though the lake’s size fluctuates annually between wet and dry seasons – but is shrinking overall – the lack of rain across southern China since July has seen water levels fall at the fastest pace on record, reaching a low of eight metres early in September.
In late June, the body of water in the lake was 3,331 square metres (35,854 sq ft), but that had shrunk to just 727 square metres last week.
