【New Taipei City News】 New Taipei City Government cooperated with IFOAM Asia to organize the 4th IFOAM Asia Organic Youth Forum, gathering promising organic talents from various fields in Asia and Taiwan. One participant, Yi-Hsiang Cheng, who wore traditional indigenous costumes, was eye-catching. Inspired by the forum, she created a riverside marketing channel to make organic production more stable.

Yi-Hsiang Cheng is from Bunun Indigenous Tribe in Xinyi Township, Nantou County, and has been engaged in organic farming for seven years. She has planted about 0.088 hectares of farmland at the foot of Yushan (the Jade Mountain), two third of which grows short-term vegetables, and the other third grows fruit trees. The marketing channels of the crops she produces are purchased mainly by her relatives and friends and sold on the Tribal E-shop Website of the Association of Taiwanese Indigenous Peoples’ Development (ATIPD). In the beginning, only 2 or 3 farmers in the tribe were willing to engage in organic methods. The crops failed and suffered losses because they did not use pesticides or fertilizers. She thought about giving up, but ATIPD provided support, including agricultural technology learning and teaching marketing channels; she eventually continued to engage in organic farming.

Yi-Hsiang Cheng realized the importance of group participation since she participated IFOAM Asia Organic Youth Forum. She has connected with the local tourism industry through mutual support and cooperation among organic farmers to develop organic farming features. She hopes to set up small-scale organic farms in the future. In addition to producing crops, it also leads consumers to understand the countryside, experience food gathering, and plan agricultural education courses. She hopes that more people can see and understand the necessity of organic farming.

Wen Lee, the Commissioner of the Agriculture Department, said that Agriculture Department, New Taipei City Government, also became an official member of IFOAM Asia in July to continue to integrate with international organic agriculture, which was the first organization in Asia to join the alliance in the name of a local government. Joining IFOAM Asia will help the world see Taiwan. New Taipei City Government will also set up the Center of Excellence for Intelligent Organic Marketing in Asia (CEIOMA) so that organic agriculture can adjust to the international development trend and bring the latest organic concepts to farmers. It is committed to creating a friendly production environment and expanding the global organic life field.

More Information:
Agriculture Department, New Taipei City Government Forestry Section Chia-Wen Huang / Chief Tel: 2960-3456 * 3105