Hakka Farmers Get Creative With Sorghum Amid Climate Challenges

TaiwanPlus News

Young Taiwanese Hakka farmers and culinary talents are pushing through water shortages to introduce sorghum, a grain commonly used for making kaoliang liquor but rarely in cooking, to the dinner table.   For the original report in Hakka, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inSwqgOVAxY

Transcript

00:00These tiny brown seeds mixed with white rice are sorghum,

00:08a grain that's become popular in rice farms in northern Taiwan.

00:12Growing sorghum requires a quarter to a third of the amount of water as rice.

00:16With climate change depleting water reservoirs,

00:19and Taiwan's population and tech industry increasing demand,

00:22there's been a public push to grow more sorghum in recent years.

00:25But farmers like Liu Zhenyu in Xinchu County say

00:28it hasn't been an easy shift.

00:46The challenge doesn't end at planting.

00:48Sorghum has a tough husk and takes a long time to cook.

00:52That's why it's most commonly distilled into Galeang liquor.

00:55But not everyone can produce or sell alcohol,

00:57as Liu's wife, Xu Yishan explains.

01:21Looking to explore other ways of incorporating sorghum

01:24into people's daily lives, Xu Yishan used her baking talent,

01:28mixing sorghum and regular wheat flour to make delicious bread.

01:32She has also partnered with a Hakka chef to edit two traditional dishes.

01:35Xu Yishan has also helped promote other produce grown by Hakka farmers.

01:40These mandarin oranges are used to make the jam spread on the sorghum bread.

01:41Xu Yishan has also helped promote other produce grown by Hakka farmers.

01:45These mandarin oranges are used to make the jam spread on the sorghum bread.

01:49Xu Yishan has also used to make the jam spread on the sorghum bread.

01:54Xu Yishan has also helped promote other produce grown by Hakka farmers.

01:59Xu Yishan has also helped promote other produce grown by Hakka farmers.

02:03These mandarin oranges are used to make the jam spread on the sorghum bread.

02:07The taste is like a tree.

02:08Xu Yishan is like a tree.

02:09Xu Yishan is like a tree.

02:10Xu Yishan is like a tree.

02:11Xu Yishan is like a tree.

02:12Xu Yishan is like a tree.

02:13Xu Yishan is like a tree.

02:14Xu Yishan has been working on improving the soil for mandarin trees since he took over his family's orchard.

02:19But typhoons and unpredictable weather often affect harvests.

02:23By working with Xu, he says their jam has created new markets for the less popular fruit.

02:28Xu Yishan is like a tree.

02:50It's unclear what the future holds for sorghum and these local farmers.

02:53But Xu says she hopes her produce can teach more people about this crop.

02:57Xu Yishan...

03:00In the face of climatic and economic changes,

03:29these hot-cut farmers are steering through the challenges,

03:31lifting each other up along the way

03:33and staying true to the image as a hardy and resourceful people.

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