National Parks of Taiwan

Farmers in Xibao settlement picking green peppers.

Ten minutes away from the Tianxian section of Tarokonational park, Xibao is the first settlement in the national park that hastransformed into practicing organic farming. After this transformation, notonly can resources in the environment be used wisely, the relationship betweenTaroko national park and local residents has also improved a great deal.

First in Taiwan, Xibaoorganic village in Taroko national park

Xibao as the first transformed settlement to practice organic farming in Taiwan’s national park.

In early years when the government wasbuilding Central Cross-Island Highway, the Veterans Affairs Council helpedveterans move to settlements along this highway and start the Xibao farm inorder to provide vegetables to the construction workers. In 2010, Tarokonational park headquarters commissioned Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundationto assist with the local development of friendly agriculture for laying thefoundation of promoting ecotourism. Some tangible results have been achieved.About ten hectares of farmland in the settlement have obtained the organiccertification and many local farmers have participated in the GreenConservation projects. This is the first example of Taiwan’s national parktrying to conserve the ecosystem by going organic.

Organicproduce in transformed Dongpu settlement at foothill of Yushan and organic ricein Nanan

Bird’s-eye view of Nanan settlement.	Harvest completed.

In 2012, the Yushan national park headquarters (YSNPH) introduced organic farming to the Dongpu settlement in the perimeter. Currently YSNPH has helped many farmers acquire the organic produce certification and green conservation labels as well as sell products regularly in the market. In 2014, YSNPH extended their help to Nanan settlement at the entrance of Walami trail in the east of the park. They started to promote organic farming and agriculture transforming project and invited E Sun bank to sponsor the project. The settlement also works together with Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation and the R&D team of Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station to grow organic rice. After the rice is harvested, E Sun bank buys it at a good price and sells the rice on the market in nicely designed gift sets named “Yushan Walami,” This project has worked so well that more farmers have been attracted to grow organic rice.

Yushan Walami gift set.

Zhuzihu Ponlai Rice Foundation Seed Field Story House.

Time of Longjin, working holidays to harvest organic rice in Kenting

Experiencing rice harvest in Longshui community.

Longshui community near Longluan Lake Nature Center has precious spring water resource. In recent years, local people have devoted to organic farming and cultivated the famous “Langqiao rice”. This organic farming trend started in 2007. Now, all people are welcome to work on the farmland to harvest rice and take it home, which has become one of the features of local ecotourism. Kenting national park headquarters continues to promote organic farming and developing exclusive travel packages such as “Time of Longjin working holidays” and “organic rice growing working holidays.” National Pingtung University of Science and Technology was invited to design the package for the locally grown organic rice and market the product as “Langqiao Rice.” The success of this product has generated the transforming force for this little agriculture community.

Popular “Langqiao Rice” cultivated in Longshui community.