Location: Nonsan, South Korea
(Kwon Gye-soon, Watermelon farmer)
"These watermelons are like my own children. They were supposed to be sent to market in 10 days, but they are now rotting in the fields. I don't know what to do for our farm for next year. It is so hard and sad."
Kwon has been farming for 25 years
She says it's the first time extreme weather conditions had caused such severe damage
(Kwon Gye-soon, Watermelon farmer)
"It was pouring with rain during the day, so I went to the fields and the water was up to my knees. But it was too early to harvest the watermelons. So, there was nothing I could do except just looking at them despondently."
Torrential rains swept across South Korea's farmlands in the central region in July
leaving more than 40 dead or missing, and large swaths of fields under water
In Nonsan alone, more than 1,690 farms were damaged, city government records show
South Korean farmers have called for stronger preparations for global warming
and asked the government to build more facilities to prevent damage from extreme climate changes
(Kwon Gye-soon, Watermelon farmer)
"I was worried about heavy rain. But after the heavy rain, then the weather is extremely hot now. I'm exhausted. I've lost hope in farming."
