Maroc - TAIWANTODAY.TW - Taiwan Review - 01/Jul 00:00

Reinventing Farming

A new generation of farmers is making agriculture more productive, profitable and sustainable. Though Jimi Luo (羅永昌) grew up in rural Chishang Township in southeastern Taiwan’s Taitung County, he spent several years working in big cities far from home. Twelve years ago, he and his wife decided to move back. Their goal of reviving the family farm was a tall order, as it had been left untended for over three decades. Nevertheless, Luo felt a viable livelihood and a good life for his family was to be had in Chishang. “My fondest childhood memories are of spending time in nature: chasing lightning bugs through fields and gazing up into the starry sky on summer nights,” Luo recalled.   Luo maintains quality control by overseeing the whole production chain. (Photo by Chen Mei-ling) His reminiscences led to dreams of ­restoring the area to a more natural state. “I felt strongly that raising my kids in such an environment would have a positive impact on their health and ­happiness,” Luo said. With that thought in mind, he set himself to preserving natural resources for future generations by adopting eco-friendly ­cultivation methods such as crop rotation, organic fertilizers and natural predators for pest control. Today Luo pursues product differentiation and profitability by growing ­high-value crops like the visually striking and nutrient-rich black indica rice, which is also resistant to diseases and pests. Years of R&D by his father-in-law, an agricultural expert, on improved hybrid rice varieties went into the grain sold by Luo under his brand Origin. He has also received the Green Conservation Label from New Taipei City-based Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation for his environmentally responsible farming and restoration of habitats to preserve important species like crested serpent ­eagles, green pond frogs, Formosan Reeve’s muntjacs and pangolins.   Orice’s black rice products have received the Superior Taste Award from the International Taste Institute based in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Chen Mei-ling) Banding Together Luo was not content to make changes on an individual level, so he founded ­social enterprise Orice Co. in 2016, through which he cooperates with some 20 farmers­ in neighboring towns by providing select rice varieties and helping them ­implement eco-friendly practices. A total of NT$4 million (US$123,000) in ­funding from the Executive Yuan’s Business Angel Investment Program, which was ­established to support startup ventures with initial operating capital, investment advice and networking ­connections, enabled Luo to purchase equipment­ and set up rice milling and packaging lines to maintain quality ­control over the whole production chain. Orice’s black rice products have won ­several ­domestic and international awards and are sold to supermarkets and convenience store chains including Carrefour, PX Mart and FamilyMart. They are also ­available on ­local e-commerce platforms and ­exported to Canada and Singapore. In recognition of Orice’s business­ model and growth potential, the Hualien-Taitung Area Sustainable Development Fund, governed by the Cabinet-level­­ Natio­nal­ Development Council, ­invested NT$9 million (US$277,000) in the ­enterprise in 2022. The fund aids ­companies ­operating in eastern Taiwan in creating jobs and bolstering ­local development­. Thanks to the financial assistance, Luo established a food processing factory that develops and markets a ­variety of ­rice-based snacks and ready-to-eat meals. “We’re grateful­ for the strong government ­support,” the ­farmer-entrepreneur said. “The ­additional investment allowed us to scale up our ­operations, and we hope to ­expand planting­ to 200 hectares by 2025 to ­stimulate the rural economy and facilitate­ ecological restoration.” Even as Luo promotes cultivation of high-value crops to improve farmers’ ­incomes, he is gratified to see his land flourish as a habitat for little creatures. “It’s great to see biodiversity on our farms. There are birds singing, butterflies ­fluttering around and tadpoles swimming in drainage ditches,” he said. “Everything starts with healthy soil: It grows the best food and ­restores an ecosystem’s natural balance.”   Wang Yi-feng, left, general manager of Kouhu Fisheries in the western county of Yunlin, improves the quality and output of local tilapia farms. (Photo by Chen Mei-ling) Embracing AI Wang Yi-feng (王益豐), general manager­ of Kouhu Fisheries in the western county of Yunlin, is another farmer ­making the transition from conventional to ­sustainable techniques. Founded in 1997, his cooperative consists of over 250 contracted fish farmers from Yunlin, the ­neighboring county of Chiayi, and southern Taiwan’s two biggest cities, Tainan and Kaohsiung, with a ­combined production area of approximately 1,000 hectares and the goal of restoring Taiwan’s tilapia industry. As a third-generation farmer, Wang witnessed how natural disasters took a toll on his family business. “In the face of typhoons, floods, heat waves and droughts, risk management and the use of technology has become increasingly important,” he said. Providing contracted­ farmers with technical support and guaranteed purchase prices strengthens supply chain reliability. Efficiency is also improved through scaled up production that minimizes environmental impact and addresses issues such as land subsidence due to groundwater exploitation.   Wang monitors the status of fish pools and controls variables via a smartphone app. (Photos by Chen Mei-ling) Aquaculture involves a range of ­variables that affect fish health and growth, including oxygen levels, water temperature­ and feed input. “Developing ­artificial ­intelligence [AI] farm ­management ­systems is the best approach to ­sustainable and profitable ­seafood ­production,” Wang explained, elaborating­ on the ­real-time data ­collection and monitoring ­capabilities of smart ­aquaculture ­systems. “Tools like these give us the power to create ­optimal ­conditions for higher yields while reducing­ waste and resource usage.” Wang’s proposal to utilize ­state-of-the-art technology in fish ­farming earned an investment of NT$180 million (US$5.56 million) from the National Development Fund in 2019, allowing him to purchase ­advanced hardware and software ­systems including­ data ­analytics tools and ­sensors to ­implement his plans. By leveraging smart technologies­, Wang hopes to ­motivate local youth to stay or move back to the area. “AI is a ­transformative force that can reduce manual labor, making ­aquaculture more dynamic and appealing­. We hope it ­encourages young people to get involved in fish farming.” Looking Ahead Another of Wang’s missions is to ­maximize use of locally farmed ­tilapia by ­converting waste into a valuable ­resource. The cooperative partners with manufacturers to extract hyaluronic acid from fish eyeballs, process fish scales into fibers, turn fish skin into leather and extract oil from innards. There is even research ­underway to create an ­artificial cornea from fish scales. Wang ­remembered his mother telling him her skin became ­supple from exposure to fish slime, prompting him to look into ­collagen ­extraction. In collaboration with Tainan-based National Cheng Kung University’s Research and Development Foundation and a Japanese company, Kouhu has ­refined a collagen extraction process to develop skin care and health food products.    The cooperative partners with manufacturers to turn fish skin into leather bags and extract collagen from fish scales. (Photos by Chen Mei-ling) Kouhu Fisheries is currently Taiwan’s largest supplier of frozen tilapia fillets, selling to major supermarket chains and five-star hotels. It has also broken into Japanese, European and U.S. markets. In addition to sales, Kouhu operates the Tilapia Ecological and Creative Park to educate the public about smart and ­sustainable aquaculture, fish processing and biotechnological applications. The facility features displays, hands-on ­activities, interactive multimedia and guided tours. Farmers like Luo and Wang are leading the way toward a greener, more ­prosperous future by embracing and ­promoting sustainable practices. Their efforts advance environmental ­stewardship and ensure food security for Taiwan and the world without losing sight of the ­bottom line. “My objective­ is to build a circular business model that can ­contribute to environmental sustainability­ and consumer health while still generating profit,” Wang said. “I’m always ready to share my experience in business management and technology adoption with farm operators in other towns to promote regional revitalization and shared prosperity.”    Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw