近十年臺灣地區蔬菜年種植面積呈現微幅下滑趨勢,由最高點1999年的183,600公頃減少至2005年的160,337公頃,其中以西瓜和洋香瓜二種作為水果食用的果菜類減少最多。臺灣蔬菜主要栽培地區為雲林、屏東、彰化、嘉義、臺南等縣,種植面積約佔全部栽培面積的65%。蔬菜先天上具有容易腐爛和不易貯存的特性,栽培上容易受到惡劣天氣的傷害,而造成供需失調。臺灣蔬菜氣象災害主要有颱風、豪雨、低溫、冰雹、焚風、乾旱等6類,其中以颱風和豪雨危害最為嚴重,據估計2000至2005年間蔬菜經濟損失76.7%是由颱風、21.8%是由豪雨所造成。與其他農作物相比較,蔬菜氣象災害的經濟損失較輕微,約佔所有農作物災害損失的1.2至23.0%之間。但由於蔬菜是民生必需品,具有不易替代的特性,短缺時價格容易在短期內大幅上揚,造成人民生活上的重大不便,常成為輿論關心的焦點。因應策略方面著重在事前規劃與預防,事先做好防災準備、規劃生產,分散栽培地區、改變蔬菜栽培模式、採用設施栽培、發展耐水及能快速恢復生產之夏季蔬菜種類、量多購貯而量少釋出等。災害後則採取行政措施補救農民損失與穩定供銷,在作物栽培方面補救措施效果不顯,儘速復耕較為重要。
The cultivation area of vegetables in Taiwan was slightly declined in the last 10 years, from the highest record 183,600 hectares in 1999 to the lowest record 160,337 hectares in 2005. The largest decreases were watermelon and muskmelon, which were also served as fresh fruits. The major vegetable cultivation areas are Yunlin, Pingtung, Changhua, Chiayi, and Tainan Counties, which represented 65% of the total cultivated area in Taiwan. Vegetables are easily deleterious and difficult to be reserved in nature, and their growth and development are frequently influenced by abnormal weather. The main meteorological disasters occurred on vegetables are typhoon, heavy rain shower, chilling temperature, hailstone, foehn, and drought. Typhoon and rain shower brought about the biggest disasters for vegetables, and they caused 76.7 and 21.8%, respectively, of the economical losses during the period of 2000 to 2005. Compared to the other crops, the economical loss of vegetables, from 1.2 to 23.0%, were relatively lower. Since vegetables are daily necessary and difficult to be replaced, the shortage of vegetable always caused a price-up together with a public panic. The strategies to reduce vegetable disasters may be focused on the following measures: preparing mitigation techniques against natural disasters, pre-planning the production scale, wide-distributing the cultivation areas, modifying the traditional cultivation systems, using protection facilities, developing waterlogging tolerant or easily recovered species, and adopting administrative adjustment.