Severe drought conditions have dried out farmland on Jeju Island, placing carrot sowing schedules in emergency mode.

This environmental crisis threatens one of the region's primary agricultural outputs. Because the soil has lost its ability to retain water, farmers face the risk of total crop failure if planting proceeds under current conditions.

Continuous extreme heat has depleted soil moisture and reduced water levels in reservoirs used for agricultural irrigation. In the eastern region around Kimnyeong, the situation is particularly acute. Reporter Kim Su-yeon of KCTV Jeju said that soil moisture pressure in the Kimnyeong area reached approximately 1,230 kPa [4]. This level is 25 times the standard threshold [5].

Data from 39 observation points across Jeju Island reveal a widespread crisis [1]. Ten of these sites are reported as having "very lacking" soil moisture [2], while another 10 sites are classified as "lacking" [3].

Farmers are struggling to combat the dryness with available resources. Farm owner Song Geum-hee said that farmers are delaying carrot sowing because the water provided through agricultural channels is not enough to saturate the parched earth.

Agricultural officials are monitoring the situation closely as the window for planting narrows. Carrot sowing was scheduled for mid-July 2026 [6], but the lack of groundwater and reservoir depletion has forced a reassessment of the timeline. The persistence of the heatwave continues to strip moisture from the topsoil, making it difficult for seeds to germinate even with manual irrigation.

“Soil moisture pressure in the Kimnyeong area reached approximately 1,230 kPa.”

The critical moisture deficit in Jeju's soil indicates a systemic failure of the local agricultural water table during extreme heat events. When soil moisture pressure exceeds standard thresholds by 25 times, traditional irrigation often becomes ineffective because the soil cannot absorb water fast enough to support seed germination. This suggests that Jeju's carrot industry may require more advanced irrigation infrastructure or drought-resistant crop varieties to survive increasing heatwave frequency.