Kumquat orchard in Yilan uses AI to manage crops

Kumquat orchard in Yilan uses AI to manage crops

2026-03-25

An orchard in Yilan’s Yuanshan Township is the first in the country to use AI to grow kumquats. Since they grow safely inside a greenhouse, Yilan’s rainy climate does not affect the fruit. The orchard is also a great place to pick fruit and buy processed products. Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim praised the adoption of AI in agriculture when she visited the orchard.

Two kids stir sugar in with kumquats, making sure they’re well mixed.

After the sugar is melted to coat the kumquats, people use a spoon to scoop them into their own jars. This is one of the most natural ways to make candied fruit.

Kumquats are even brewed to make tea at this orchard in Yilan’s Yuanshan Township. People can also come pick the fruit themselves and enjoy them fresh.

- It’s fun and definitely worth it! It’s my first time. A new experience.

- It’s so fresh here.

The orchard is a great place to visit and is even sheltered from the rain, because the kumquats are grown inside greenhouses. It was also the first orchard to incorporate AI into its production.

Hsu Hsi-chi
Kumquat farmer
When we first started it was just the two of us, so there was no way we could manage everything from the water and air to the nutrients. It would be overwhelming if all that was done by manual labor, so we needed this system—the most advanced system to take care of it.

Yu Shu-chen
Kumquat farmer
It’s harder to care for. It needs to be grown in a greenhouse because it doesn’t like too much water. Its harvest time coincides with the northeastern monsoon, so it rains a lot.

This orchard doesn’t use pesticides, instead relying on chickens to control pests. With fruit-picking, processing, and tourism all done here, it covers three sectors of the agriculture industry.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#kumquat #Yilan #orchard #farm #farmer #agriculture #AI #greenhouse #fruitpicking #harvest

從採果到加工一次玩! AI金柑園打造親子觀光新亮點

2026-03-25

宜蘭員山鄉一間金柑園，是全國第一個導入溫室和AI種植的園區，由於是種在溫室，因此宜蘭多雨氣候，對他的金柑不會造成影響。而這座金柑園，除了種植方式特別，他還開放採果、及製成加工品，可說是一二三級農業全包，連副總統蕭美琴來參訪時，都讚許AI農業的進步。

兩個小朋友用力攪拌灑滿砂糖的金柑，讓兩個能均勻混合。

之後等到糖加熱溶化後，再拿湯匙把金柑裝到自己的罐子裡，輕輕鬆鬆就完成了最天然的蜜餞。

宜蘭員山鄉這間金柑農場，種出來的金柑不只能做成蜜餞，還能泡茶喝，想吃新鮮的，當然也沒問題，這裡也開放民眾享受採果樂。

"很好玩，很超值，第一次，初體驗"

"這裡感覺比較新鮮"

金柑園除了可以體驗的東西多，採果完全不受天氣影響，因為全都在溫室裡長大，更是全台第一個導入AI顧水果的果園。

[[金柑農許錫淇]]
“當初在蓋的時候，我就想說我只有兩夫妻而已，我們沒有辦法面面俱到說，管理到水啊，空氣啊，營養啊，如果你這邊全部用人工的話，真的會受不了啊，所以說我們還是需要這套設施，用最先進的設施來照顧”

[[金柑農游淑珍]]
"它就是比較不好照顧，要種在溫室裡面，因為怕水分，因為要採收的時候，東北季風下來，都很容易下雨"

除了有先進的AI設備，果農不灑農藥，靠養雞，除蟲害。果園業者說，他現在已經有初級農業的採果、和二級農業的加工，三級農業的觀光，打造一條龍的產業鏈。

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The Pingtung County Government has revitalized the area around the historic Zhutian Station, bringing together Hakka restaurants, accommodation, art spaces, and more to create the new "Zhutian Station Takeda." At the formal opening of the site, Pingtung County Commissioner Chou Chun-mi praised the township’s slow pace of life and deep Hakka influence. She hoped that with the revitalization of the space, more visitors would come to experience the charm of this new Hakka landmark.

Golden scissors in hand, Pingtung County Commissioner Chou Chun-mi cuts a ceremonial ribbon to mark the official opening of Zhutian Station Takeda, Pingtung’s new Hakka landmark.

Chou Chun-mi
Pingtung County Commissioner
Zhutian Station was a major hub for freight shipping for a while during the Japanese era. So nearby the station, there were lots of warehouses for storing goods. We’ve preserved them well. Now that many young people from Zhutian are coming back, the county government has stepped in to restore two large railway warehouses.

Inside, you can still clearly see the building’s original structure. The county government refurbished the buildings surrounding Zhutian Station, which now house Hakka restaurants, a hostel, and arts spaces. Every corner contains traces of its locomotive history.

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Everyone is invited to come visit, just like it were a Hakka village or restaurant. They can also walk around and stay in the rest of Zhutian Township. I think it’s a great place for the trend of “slow travel.”

Many tables were also set up in front of the station for Taiwan’s first-ever immersive Hakka theater banquet. Guests were treated to theater and music while enjoying Hakka cuisine, giving them an authentic cultural experience. The county hopes the new space will become a jumping off point for people to experience the many charms of Zhutian.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Keratoconus, a disease affecting vision, needs to be caught early

Many people are nearsighted, but if you find that your myopia or astigmatism is getting worse, that your glasses are no longer effective or you experience double vision, beware! You may be having symptoms of Keratoconus. If you delay in getting treatment, it can lead to irreversible damage to your vision. Let’s find out more.

Ms Chang, a sprinter, had a history of allergies but did not have symptoms such as coughing or sneezing. She’d unconsciously rub her eyes. Because she often felt like she had a foreign body in her eye and even experienced vision abnormalities, she got a check up and was diagnosed with Keratoconus.

Ms Chang
Keratoconus sufferer
When I was in high school, I found that my astigmatism was especially severe. By the second examination, my astigmatism was over 800 degrees. Last June, I started to feel that my eyes were red and itchy. Actually, I have never realized that I rub my eyes, but I went to see an ophthalmologist and they said that I might have a slight allergy that was causing me to rub them.

Keratoconus is related to factors such as constitution, genetics, and prolonged eye rubbing. It is estimated that there are as many as 40,000 people in Taiwan with the disease. Because symptoms often appear between adolescence and age 30, and are frequently mistaken for worsening myopia or astigmatism in the early stages, most people only discover the condition when their vision has severely deteriorated, at which point irreversible damage has already occurred.

Sun Chi-chin
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If your astigmatism or myopia is constantly worsening and cannot be corrected with lenses within a short period, you should seek help, as this usually indicates a problem with your cornea. We have found that about 90% of clinical cases are related to allergies, so you need to be more vigilant.

Fortunately Ms Chang received a course of treatment involving new technology and her vision has improved significantly. This surgery is considered to be a major advancement in Taiwanese medical circles. Doctors also remind high-risk groups to take good care of their corneas, including avoiding rubbing them, avoiding over use of the eyes, and most important, getting regular checkups to effectively protect their vision.

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Two years ago, plant lover Tu Sung-i from Tainan created his own business selling staghorn ferns that he learned to cultivate entirely on his own. In a greenhouse he built himself, he has crossbred ferns to produce over 100 different varieties. He’s participated in regional plant expos many times as well as the Taiwan International Platycerium Competition, drawing attention from international buyers. He now sells the ferns to Japan, after successfully turning his passion into a career.

Tu Sung-i carefully scrape the spores from under a leaf. All starting from these spores, he’s grown an entire garden of staghorn ferns.

He built his own greenhouse and taught himself how to grow the ferns, from crossbreeding to spore propagation. Two years ago, he created his own business. He takes studio photos of every fern he grows and gives them an ID tag. He’s made a name for himself by participating in expos and competitions, and now even sells to the Japanese market.

Tu Sung-i
Staghorn fern proprietor
I made improvements to create the most suitable environment for staghorn ferns to grow. I’ve made everything they need by myself.

The daily work of caring for his plants is what makes Tu happiest. To him, the ferns are not just beautiful, but also therapeutic.

Tu Sung-i
Staghorn fern proprietor
It’s like food for the soul. When you’re feeling down, if you look at them, you’ll feel, wow, it’s not bad. It relieves stress. I’ll probably be with these ferns the rest of my life.

Learning to put all of his passion into what he loves is the most valuable lesson his experience has taught him. And luckily, his family also supports what he does.

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This younger generation is so creative. They can think for themselves. We older folks shouldn’t limit them. We should support them as much as we can.

The family has a background in farming. Tu studied aquaculture in college, but following his childhood passion fell head over heels for plants. In his eyes, Taiwan’s staghorn ferns have just as much market potential as its orchids. When watered properly, the plants will flourish in the most spectacular fashion.

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A Taiwanese traveler visiting Busan in South Korea, made a shocking discovery right after landing, finding hidden pinhole cameras installed in an airport restroom. Thankfully, she had prepared in advance by bringing opaque stickers, which she quickly used to cover the suspicious lens. What’s even more alarming is that she later found similar hidden cameras in restrooms at subway stations and department stores. Disturbed by how widespread the issue seemed, she took to social media to warn others, reminding travelers to stay vigilant and take precautions when using public facilities abroad.

A woman had just entered the restroom when she noticed punctures on the partition panel. She covered them with round label stickers she’d prepared specifically for this trip.

Voice of Ms. Lee (voice altered)
Tourist
Just two to three days before I was about to leave for Korea, I saw a Threads post cautioning that the punctures you see on restroom partitions are in fact, pinhole cameras. The video was taken at the airport. Yes, this happens even at the airport. So I reached for the stickers to cover up the two punctures.

Ms. Lee had just landed at Gimhae International Airport when she noticed the hidden cameras. But that would only be her first encounter with this notorious activity in Busan.

Voice of Ms. Lee (voice altered)
Tourist
Every single day, I’d run into this problem in one or two stalls. Usually it’s at the restroom in metro stations. The wooden partition panels would have four punctures, and you’d see that someone had already tried to cover them up. There’s sticky residue where the stickers were and got peeled off. It’s really frightening.

Fortunately, Ms. Lee made sure to carry stickers with her on the trip, so that she could cover up suspicious-looking holes whenever she saw them. Voyeuristic secret photography is not unheard of in South Korea.

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Inside the storage room are racks fully stocked with figurines of deities in folk religion. It looks no different than any other warehouse, except everything here was stolen.

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Fengshan Precinct, Kaohsiung City Police
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The store that got stolen by its own employees is located on Sanmin Road in Fengshan and well-known locally. The owner said that in June last year, a customer told the store that they’ve seen listings of their goods online. That was when the long-running theft was discovered and reported to the police. The instigators were identified as longtime employees of the shop. More ironically, the truck driver involved in the scheme was a Taoist priest himself.

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Early Wednesday morning, the Army’s Huadong Defense Command Second Combat Zone conducted the live-fire “Justice Exercise” at the Taimali River estuary in Taitung, deploying M60A3 tank guns, 155mm howitzers, and 120mm and 81mm mortars and filling the area with flashes and smoke. Locals say that during the rehearsal the day before, their windows had already shaken, but seeing the actual exercise made waking up early worthwhile.

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The drill marks the second time the military has held exercises in Taimali since last December, and US personnel were present in plain clothes observing the operations and underscoring the close military cooperation between the two countries.

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