U Japanu, sve intenzivniji toplotni talasi primoravaju poljoprivrednike da pomere rad na noćne i rane jutarnje sate kako bi zaštitili useve, stoku i zdravlje radnika. Starija demografija farmera i visoka vlažnost dodatno povećavaju rizik; 2024. je zabeležen nagli porast smrtnih slučajeva od vrućine. Gubici radnih sati i prihoda su značajni, dok država uvodi regulative i podstiče tehnologiju, ali mnoge prilagodbe ostaju ručne i zahtevne.
Noćne Smene U Japanu: Poljoprivrednici Se Prilagođavaju Smrtonosnim Talasima Vrućine
Motoaki Iijima, 36, owner of the Nikko Engei flower farm, harvests gerbera flowers inside an illuminated greenhouse at night in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 8, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Daleko posle zalaska sunca, staklenik Motoakija Iijime severno od Tokija sija kao lampa dok gajitelj cveća bere ružičaste i narandžaste gerbere — izbegavajući danje sunce koje može biti smrtonosno.
Toplotni talasi i noćne smene
Kada sve češći i intenzivniji toplotni talasi pretvaraju japanska leta u test izdržljivosti, poljoprivrednici — od uzgajivača cveća i špargle do proizvođača jaja — preispisuju svoje radno vreme. Nekada prometni popodnevni sati sada se izbegavaju kao ozbiljan zdravstveni rizik, pa se rad premešta na noć i rane jutarnje sate kako bi se zaštitili usevi, stoka i ljudi.
Iijima (36) je pre deset godina porodičnu farmu pirinča u Nikko preobrazio u plantažu cveća. Pre tri leta, nakon što je jedan sezonski radnik doživeo toplotni udar dok je brаo suncokrete u stakleniku, Iijima je radikalno promenio radni režim. Spoljašnje temperature iznad 35°C — koje su u njegovom regionu sve češće — lako podignu unutrašnju temperaturu staklenika preko 40°C. Sada radi noću i prestaje tek kada jutarnje sunce ponovo postane nemilosrdno.
"Sati oko sumraka su zaista dragoceni. Tada možemo biti napolju," kaže Iijima brišući znoj pod redovima halogenih svetala. "Postepeno smo postali noćne životinje. Radi se o zaštiti tela, a na kraju i života."
Posledice za radnike i privredu
Japan je posebno ranjiv: oko 70% poljoprivrednika ima 65 ili više godina, populacija posebno osetljiva na toplotni stres, dok visoka vlažnost dodatno pojačava opasnost. Rekordnih 59 poljoprivrednih radnika preminulo je od ekstremne vrućine u 2024. godini — više nego dvostruko u odnosu na 2021. Prema Lancet Countdown, izloženost vrućini koštala je japansku poljoprivredu 926 miliona izgubljenih radnih sati u 2024. — vreme koje radnici nisu mogli bezbedno provesti na poljima — a ukupni gubici u svim sektorima približno su 46 milijardi dolara, ili oko 1% BDP-a zemlje.
Da bi se prilagodili, radnici na Iijiminoj farmi sada počinju rad i do dva sata ranije. Jedna iskusna radnica, 68-godišnja Miyoko Asada, dolazi ubrzo posle izlaska sunca i sa ekipom pokušava da završi berbu pre nego što temperature pređu bezbedne granice.
Noćna rutina u peradarskoj proizvodnji
Proizvođač živine Tetsuya Usuba izgubio je pre šest leta više od 500 nesilica tokom trodnevnog talasa vrućine. To iskustvo ga i dalje progoni. Sada mu je rutina fiksna: svetla u dva objekta se pale u 2:30 ujutro da probude 4.400 nesilica u kavezima kako bi pojele pre nego što vrućina utiša apetit. Usuba je ugradio dodatne ventilatore, prska krovove vodom i dodaje citričnu kiselinu u vodu za piće, ali i dalje gubi ptice pri naglim skokovima temperature — nedavno je izgubio 130 nesilica kada je termometar prešao 35°C.
"Leto je postalo nova pretnja za proizvođače poput nas — ponekad čak i strašnije od izbijanja ptičje gripe," kaže Usuba dok proverava ptice koje otežano dišu pri 33°C.
Vladine mere i tehnološke opcije
Vlada je odgovorila novim uredbama koje od 2025. zahtevaju od poslodavaca uspostavljanje procedura za prijavu toplotnog udara i planova hitnog odgovora. Japan takođe podstiče primenu pametnih poljoprivrednih tehnologija — dronova, robota i automatizacije — kako bi se smanjila izloženost radnika vrućini.
Međutim, na terenu je prilagođavanje još često ručno i naporno. Na Iijiminoj farmi radnici u ranim jutarnjim satima žurno pregledaju ubrano cveće zbog uvelih listova pre nego što ga natovare na kamione. Pre podne je i dalje podnošljivo, ali svi znaju da će vrućina uskoro opet udariti.
"Pogledajte — ti listovi već venu," viče jedan radnik dok Iijima zabrinuto gleda u oblačno nebo.
Boris Brown chickens inside cages at the Usuba poultry farm in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 9, 2026. Usuba wakes hens to eat at 2:30 a.m. during the summer before daytime temperatures suppress their appetite. REUTERS/Issei Kato
An employee at the Usuba poultry farm collects eggs inside a free-range coop housing Boris Brown chickens in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 10, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Boris Brown chickens inside a free-range coop at the Usuba poultry farm in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 10, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Boris Brown chickens and eggs inside cages at the Usuba poultry farm in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 10, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Tetsuya Usuba, 48, owner of the Usuba poultry farm, places eggs laid by Boris Brown chickens into trays in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 10, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Boris Brown chickens inside cages before barn lights switch on automatically at the Usuba poultry farm in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 10, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Tetsuya Usuba, 48, owner of the Usuba poultry farm, carries trays of eggs through a free-range coop housing Boris Brown chickens in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 10, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Tetsuya Usuba, 48, walks between cages housing Boris Brown chickens and stirs feed after barn lights switch on automatically at 2:30 a.m. at the Usuba poultry farm in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 10, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Tetsuya Usuba, 48, operates a system that sprays water onto the roofs of poultry barns to lower temperatures at the Usuba poultry farm in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 10, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
An employee at the Nikko Engei flower farm harvests asters during the early morning in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 9, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Greenhouses are illuminated as workers harvest gerbera flowers at night at the Nikko Engei flower farm in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 8, 2026. Some farmers in Japan are shifting work to cooler hours after sunset as increasingly intense summer heat affects agricultural production. REUTERS/Issei
Tetsuya Usuba, 48, works inside a poultry barn after lights switch on automatically at 2:30 a.m. at the Usuba poultry farm in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 10, 2026. Usuba turns on lights before dawn during the summer to encourage hens to eat before daytime heat suppresses their appetite. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Aster branches showing severely stunted growth due to extreme heat at the Nikko Engei flower farm in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 9, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Miyoko Asada, 68, an employee at the Nikko Engei flower farm, prepares harvested asters for shipment in an air-conditioned workspace in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 8, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Motoaki Iijima, 36, owner of the Nikko Engei flower farm, harvests gerbera flowers inside an illuminated greenhouse at night in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 8, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
An employee at the Nikko Engei flower farm harvests asters in a field in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 9, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
An employee at the Nikko Engei flower farm harvests asters during the early morning in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 9, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Yumiko Taniguchi, 63, and Miyoko Asada, 68, employees at the Nikko Engei flower farm, prepare asters for shipment in an air-conditioned workspace in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 8, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Akira Okada, 33, an employee at the Nikko Engei flower farm, harvests gerbera flowers inside an illuminated greenhouse at night in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 8, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Ryo Hirota, 34, an employee at the Nikko Engei flower farm, prepares harvested asters for shipment in a shaded workspace in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 8, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Ryo Hirota, 34, an employee at the Nikko Engei flower farm, harvests asters during the early morning in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 9, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Motoaki Iijima, 36, owner of the Nikko Engei flower farm, and an employee harvest gerbera flowers inside an illuminated greenhouse at night in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 8, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Motoaki Iijima, 36, owner of the Nikko Engei flower farm, and employees harvest gerbera flowers inside an illuminated greenhouse at night in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 8, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Excess flowers and leaves trimmed from asters during preparation for shipment at the Nikko Engei flower farm in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 8, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Miyoko Asada, 68, an employee at the Nikko Engei flower farm, harvests asters as sweat drips from her face in a field in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 9, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
A drone view shows greenhouses and aster fields at sunrise at the Nikko Engei flower farm in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 9, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
A drone view shows employees at the Nikko Engei flower farm harvesting asters during the early morning in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, August 9, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
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