Small farmers team up to farm in harmony with nature and still make a profit

2022-09-28

Farming in harmony with nature is never easy. There are lots of economic pressures pushing farmers to sacrifice the health of soil or water. But many small farmers in Taiwan still do their best to work in sync with the land. Today we meet a group of small farmers who have found some innovative ways to market their natural produce. They teamed up with a media expert to find new customers.

A handful of dried fish mint. This customer swoons at the delightful smell. Nearby bundles of white vermicelli noodles are firm favorites.

Member of public
I really think their products are a cut above. You can taste that they’re different from the typical stuff on the market.

A vast array of farm products is laid out here. They’ve been collected from local farms by the founder of the Farm Crafts Development Association. The products here boast ingredients grown with natural methods. They claim to be helping regenerate local ecology, and to be good for consumers’ health, as well as delicious.

Yu Meng-fen
Farm Crafts Development Assoc.
Coming back here, I notice another new turning point. The lifestyles of our ancestors, the ways they adapted to nature, these are the only lifestyles that can allow us to really live sustainably alongside nature.

Yu Meng-fen gave up her old media career in Taipei three years ago, to move back to her family home and care for her mother. She was inspired by the ecologically-friendly and respectful farming she saw around her. But the farmers were struggling to market their produce. So she decided to put her media savvy to good use, getting the growers to form an association. Over five months, they renovated an old red brick building that had lain disused for years, and turned it into a retail center for their produce.

Kuo Yu-chien
Farm Crafts Development Assoc.
The energy you get, or the feeling you get, is very different, when you give a lot or when you support a lot. Especially when I see that they are being respected, when I can see in their faces that they feel they have a lot of worth, then like a reflection, I also feel like I have a lot of worth.

We took a stroll round the nearby herb garden, and met this lady in her eighties. She’s out here in the sun in her bamboo hat, growing natural produce. These farmers are finding new ways to market their harvest and to passion the grounded spirit that has served them for generations.

媒體人留鄉號召小農耕作無農藥無污染作物

2022-09-28

原本在台北從事媒體業的余孟芬，三年前因母親年事已高，回鄉照顧，卻被桃園當地小農的耕作方式深深吸引，促使她留鄉，號召多位小農，組織發展協會，一群人把廢墟改建為銷售中心。無農藥無汙染的耕作方式種出的作物，也讓顧客讚不絕口。

從竹簍裡抓起一把日曬魚腥草，特殊香味讓客人讚不絕口。一旁一綑綑白色麵線，也早已套牢饕客的心。

[[民眾]]
“我覺得他的產品真的有鑑別度，就是吃得跟市面上是不一樣的”

放眼望去，各種農產品應有盡有，這些都是小農手匠創辦人聯合當地小農，開創的商品，主打以純天然方式栽種，不僅以愛護環境為號召，更要讓顧客吃得開心也安心。

[[小農手匠發展協會理事長余孟芬]]
“我覺得回到這裡，我發現另外一個新的契機，這些老祖宗的生活方式，跟大自然應對的方式，才是真正我們可以跟自然永續生存的生活方式”

原本在台北從事媒體行業的余孟芬，三年前返鄉照顧媽媽，看到當地農夫敬天愛物的耕作方式，深受感動，無奈銷售慘澹，她毅然決然，結合附近農民，組成發展協會，一群人花了5個月時間，發揮惜物精神，整理荒廢多年的鐵皮紅磚屋，改建為小農產品展售中心。

[[小農手匠發展協會總幹事郭于倩]]
“當給予很多的時候，或是協助很多的時候，自己得到的那個能量，跟那個感受是很不同的，尤其當看到他們自己被尊重了，看到他們那個滿臉，感覺是自己很有價值的時候，反觀的，我自己也覺得自己很有價值”

繞道香草園，看見頭戴斗笠年過80的婆婆，頂著太陽耕土，一群人靠自己的力量組織銷售，推廣小農產品，同時也希望能夠讓堅忍不拔的鄉土精神，傳承下去。

US will continue to support Taiwan’s self-defense: Harris

2022-09-28

Businesses must recognize risk of doing business with CCP: Pompeo

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Tsai Ing-wen gave opening remarks at an annual business conference in Kaohsiung on Wednesday. In his address, Pompeo identified China as the real culprit behind regional threats. He also emphasized that the U.S. has come to recognize the risk associated with doing business with China, walking back its trade policy of several decades.

On Sept. 28, President Tsai Ing-wen and former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo opened the annual conference of the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce, held in Kaohsiung this year. Tsai thanked Pompeo for once again visiting Taiwan.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
I look forward for us to keep working together in the future, more opportunities for exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. On this occasion, I would like to express my gratitude to Taiwanese businesses for promoting our diplomacy and deepening other countries’ knowledge on Taiwan.

The occasion also coincided with the third day of Pompeo’s Taiwan visit, during which he emphasized that threats to the region cannot be attributed to the U.S., nor to Taiwan. Rather, the Chinese Communist Party is culpable, he said.

Mike Pompeo
Former US secretary of state
We’ve seen your president and others in your country talk about basic rights to defend their own sovereignty and make decisions for themselves. Some in the global news, and many from the Chinese propaganda machine, will say: this is provocative, this is threatening. We should never forget who’s threatening. It is not the great people of Taiwan. It is not the United States of America.

Addressing the Taiwanese business community, Pompeo said the U.S. no longer encouraged its businesses to invest in China as it used to, large and attractive the Chinese market may be. Instead, he added that one must understand the risk posed by the CCP to the free world.

Mike Pompeo
Former US secretary of state
Over the past decades, [the U.S. government] has encouraged American businesses to invest inside of China, to invest alongside the Chinese Communist Party. It was American policy for decades. It’s no longer the case. We should all understand the risk associated with working alongside the Chinese Communist Party.

The evening before, Pompeo attended a banquet held by the Kaohsiung City government. Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai made a case for investing in Taiwan under a global restructuring of supply chains, as a means to safeguard regional security.

Chen Chi-mai
Kaohsiung mayor
Democratic countries, apart from promoting democracy and collaborating on security issues, should construct an integrated global supply chain, which will be immensely helpful for Taiwan’s security.

After 30 hours in Kaohsiung, Pompeo went on to Tainan, for more engagements with Taiwan’s local business community.

2022-09-28

Premier inspects Taoyuan Airport ahead of border easing on Thursday

Premier Su Tseng-chang went to Taoyuan International Airport on Wednesday to oversee the final preparations before Taiwan lifts a series of border restrictions on Thursday. Starting tomorrow, saliva PCR testing will no longer be mandatory for all arrivals. Instead, travelers will be given four rapid test kits to take with them and use if necessary. Also starting tomorrow, quarantiners will no longer be required to stay alone in one residence. That means they will be able to quarantine with other people at home, as long as they each have a room of their own.

Accompanied by CECC head Victor Wang and transport minister Wang Kwo-tsai, Premier Su Tseng-chang is walked through the new arrival procedures for international travelers, which will take effect on Thursday.

Su Tseng-chang
Premier
There will be major changes to preparations, crowd management, space allocation and labor distribution. I ask for front-line COVID workers at the gateway to Taiwan to hold fast and make sure every step of the process goes smoothly.

Wang Kwo-tsai
Transport minister
The mandatory saliva tests will be removed. But passengers who present a fever will still be asked to do a saliva test.

Starting Thursday, Taiwan will lift a series of COVID restrictions at Taiwan’s borders. Travelers will no longer be asked to perform a mandatory saliva PCR test on arrival. Instead, they will be handed four rapid test kits to take with them. At the luggage carousels, signs inform travelers when to get tested. An infrared scanner detects passengers with fevers, who are then required to do a saliva PCR test at the airport and take a designated taxi to their quarantine site. Premier Su reiterated government plans to do away with travel quarantines as early as Oct. 13.

Su Tseng-chang
Premier
Tomorrow, the Executive Yuan will listen to a report from the CECC. Only after a consensus is reached, will the CECC announce the possible reopening of Taiwan’s borders on Oct. 13.

Premier Su inspected all COVID preparations, from quarantine arrangements to quarantine taxis, as Taiwan’s international entry points get ready to reopen.

2022-09-28

Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival kicks off

The 2022 Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival opened on Sept. 23 at SPOT Huashan Cinema and will run until Nov. 20. The festival features 11 local and foreign films that focus on human-rights issues and museums. Our very own Stephany Yang has the highlights.

The 2022 Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival is back. This year’s opening film, titled “Returning Soul,” follows the journey of a group of young Amis seeking to restore their connection with their ancestors.

Wang Chun-chi
Curator
The documentary revolves around the issue of whether we should have the pillar back to the village or if it should be kept in a museum. Of course, if the pillar is kept in the museum, more people can see it and researchers and scholars can extend the research on it. But then, like I said earlier, it’s an object for Indigenous people. It’s part of their culture. It’s part of their history.

For the first time this year, a feature-length film is being shown. The film, titled “Good Madam,” is set in post-apartheid South Africa.

Wang Chun-chi
Curator
This year we have films that talk about apartheid in South Africa and how that trauma is like a ghost hunting over the years. It’s a thriller film. The genre is a thriller film. We hope this film could be a reference for a lot of contemporary directors in which we see lots of contemporary feature films that deal with historical issues. This film could be a reference for them to see how you can combine a very serious matter with popular genre.

The theme of this year’s festival is “The Power of the Museum,” and is divided into two segments: “Whose Museum is it?” and “Human Rights Lens.” Eleven works from Taiwan and abroad were selected. The film festival hopes to encourage people to reflect on human rights issues.

Wang Chun-chi
Curator
This year, we echoed the theme of World Museum Day. The theme of this year is the "Power of the Museum." For us, these selections and displays in the museum are never neutral. It has to do with the history of colonialism and it is also about national identity. So, we selected films that deal with the issue of collections in relation to territory, national identity, cultural identity, as well as colonialism. Another major section is the "Human Rights Lens.” We want to address the very important task of the Human Rights Museum which is transitional justice.

Throughout the festival, there will be talks, online workshops, an online film festival, and collaborative screenings. Collaborative screenings for selected films will be screened in 35 organizations and communities around Taiwan from Oct. 15 until Nov. 20.

2022-09-28

Flu vaccines to roll out Oct. 1, next-gen COVID shot eligibility to expand Oct. 3

2022-09-28

Specially designed thermometers key in MOE program to improve rural school lunches

By using the latest technology, the Ministry of Education is making sure that children in rural areas can get a warm meal that’s just as good as what their peers in the city eat. One of the technologies is an online platform that collects data through a variety of specially designed food thermometers. The system was developed in collaboration with a research center at National Cheng Kung University. It provides detailed data of every step of the process, from cooking the food, to transporting, to delivering the meals to schools around Taiwan.

To ensure food safety, the Ministry of Education’s plan uses two different thermometers to test the food’s temperature. One has a long probe and is used to check for food doneness. The other, used during deliveries, has a shorter probe to prevent contamination when monitoring the temperature of the food.

Wang Jeen-shing
National Cheng Kung University AI4DT Center
You have to take a temperature reading of the very center of the food, which is why the probe is pointed. That allows nutritionists or the people in charge of lunches to check the internal temperature of the meals, to get a reading from the middle. Then, there is this thermometer with a shorter probe. It’s used after the food is cooked, as we wouldn’t want anything to touch the meals and create a risk of contamination.

During delivery, the meals are tracked with a GPS system. Data on the food’s temperature and the location of the delivery van is updated every 30 seconds and uploaded to a smart platform. This allows school nutritionists to have a full grasp on the food’s temperature, lowering any chances of food safety problems from arising.

Wang Jeen-shing
National Cheng Kung University AI4DT Center
This ensures that the food is safe. The most important thing is that children in rural areas can also enjoy a piping-hot meal.

The Ministry of Education hopes that through its school lunch upgrade program, all students in Taiwan can get a tasty warm meal, no matter where they are.

2022-09-28

New Taipei mayor promotes freshest crabs in Wanli District

2022-09-28

Voluntary doctor team brings healthcare to remote villages in Yilan

In the mountains of Yilan, healthcare can be a tricky business. There are some remote villages where there is still no regular healthcare, but one team of doctors is determined to change that. Led by Dr. Huang Chien-tsai, the voluntary clinic travels to villages up and down Yilan, providing medical care to anyone who needs it. We spoke to Dr. Huang and met his patients as well as his former teacher, to find out more about his mission to bring medicine to the mountains.

A doctor’s car winds between paddy fields and the streets of country towns, and finally arrives at the community center in Leshui Village.

It’s been turned into a medical center, today ringing with the sounds of laughter. Lots of folk have turned up to see the doctor specially.

Most of the residents of Leshui are farmers, used to a life of hard work in the fields. Many have knee problems. Some have liver disease and need long-term treatment or monitoring. Yilan County is so close to Taipei, but despite apparently simple transport links, some villages still have no medical provision. Many of these older adults have no reliable access to doctors and that can mean they delay getting checkups. But the new voluntary clinic is a big improvement.

In his black-rimmed glasses, Dr. Huang asks about his patient’s health. Years ago he opened a clinic in Yilan after graduation. One day, a patient came in with late-stage liver disease. They hadn’t seen a doctor about it because they lived in a mountainous village with little medical services. That’s when Huang realized how tough things were, and decided to begin the voluntary clinic.

Dr. Huang Chien-tsai
Doctor
I’m so grateful to the voluntary team of doctors, nurses and volunteers, who have come with me into these remote spots.

At first, Huang was alone, with nothing but a junior doctor’s bag and a stethoscope. Over time, more volunteers joined his team. Now nine years old, the team has visited many country locations, winning awards from the Yilan Doctors’ Union, as well as the Keep Walking prize, an award for charitable projects. Huang’s teacher from university told us how proud he felt.

Dr. Lin Yi-min
Wufu Eye clinic
As the saying goes, the student has surpassed the teacher. The Yilan Doctors’ Union has already awarded him the Doctor’s Merit Prize seven times. He’s given more than 30 years of his life to Yilan. He really is an unbelievable young man.

Dr. Huang Chien-tsai
Doctor
In the future we want to establish the first remote voluntary clinic association in Yilan, so that we can reach any place that needs healthcare.

No matter how high the mountain or how remote the lane, Dr. Huang’s team is on a mission to care for everyone who needs it all across Yilan.

2022-09-28