Flood-Affected Farmers in Baoding, How Are They Doing Now?

After the heavy rain, not only the field crops but also the melons, fruits, and vegetables grown in greenhouses were not spared. The water and electricity facilities in the fields were destroyed, and some even vanished. The heavy rain that hit Baoding, Hebei at the end of July lasted only a few hours, but its impact continues two months later. Time waits for no one in agriculture. The battle to compete with nature for time truly begins after the floodwaters recede. Farmers may not be able to explain the complexities of climate change, but the extreme weather they have experienced quietly reflects the changing climate patterns in North China. The heavy rain that hit Baoding, Hebei at the end of July lasted only a few hours, but its impact continues two months later: Yang Zhiguo, head of the planting department of the Agriculture, Rural and Water Resources Bureau of Fuping County, has blisters on his hands that look like bells, even though they have scabbed over…