In the high-altitude Alishan mountain region of central Taiwan, tea growers cultivating prized oolong tea face mounting environmental crises: Between 2014 and 2023, local tea production dropped by 13.5% due to severe climate pressures and soil degradation. In response, a group of farmers is abandoning chemical inputs for nature-based solutions and wild cultivation, reports contributor Aylin Ho for Mongabay. Alishan has warmed by 0.7° Celsius (1.26° Fahrenheit) over the past decade, nearly triple Taiwan’s average rate. The hotter weather has caused mist to dissipate, which otherwise blocks sunlight and helps tea leaves stay moist. Warming has also intensified spring droughts. “Over the past five years, tea growers have experienced two or three spring droughts, at a time when they need water the most,” said Huang Cho-ying, chair of the Department of Geography at National Taiwan University in Taipei. Huang added that heavy winter rainfall and landslides further exacerbate crop damage. The use of chemical fertilizers over the years “has made the soil more acidic and has reduced the availability of certain nutrients to plants,” said Jiang Hong, an associate professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Lin Kuang-li, 60-year-old sixth-generation grower, transitioned away from pesticides to natural farming 30 years ago in Longyanlin village. Lin grows alfalfa to make “green manure,” and uses cut branches as ground cover to retain topsoil moisture. “My soil has a better capacity to absorb and drain water than soil treated with chemical fertilizers,” Lin said, adding…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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