December 5 is the U.N.'s World Soil Day, which aims to promote the importance of soil health around the world. Taiwan’s agricultural sector continues to be one of the country's main industries but climate change and extreme weather patterns in recent years have started to threaten soil quality and agricultural output.
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00:00What started out as a labor of love has become a family business.
00:04Ms. Yang has run this small farm just outside Taipei for nearly four decades.
00:10She along with her husband grow a variety of organic vegetables on a plot of land right
00:14in front of their home to sell to local customers and vendors.
00:19But this year has been tough.
00:21Three powerful typhoons made landfall in Taiwan more than any calendar year since 2008, which
00:27has put a strain on Ms. Yang's livelihood.
00:39But despite the losses and the extreme weather here, Ms. Yang is staying put.
00:45The high altitude, cooler temperatures, and volcanic, mineral-rich soils provide the ideal
00:50conditions for Ms. Yang's crops.
00:53In fact, it's transformed the entire area into a farming community.
00:57At this specialized soil museum in Taiwan's premier university, researchers are tracking
01:03soil health across the country.
01:05And they're working to raise awareness about how global warming and unusual weather patterns
01:10are threatening the quality of Taiwan's soil.
01:23As researchers keep an eye on Taiwan's soil health, Ms. Yang has rolled up her sleeves,
01:38busy replanting her typhoon-damaged fields for the third time this season.
01:43Though there's little she can do to evade the destruction brought on by extreme weather
01:47and climate change, she says she's determined to bounce back from this year's setbacks,
01:52one tender sprout at a time.
01:55Chris Ma and Wesley Lewis for Taiwan Plus.