A great climate
And rich soil
Is nature's gift to Kaohsiung's agriculture
With Kaohsiung striving to become an innovative agricultural city
Green agriculture in all of its diversity
Will one day become Kaohsiung's new economic miracle |
Develop Agriculture to Strengthen City Competitiveness
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Agriculture is the foundation of a nation. In a modern world suffering from uneven food distribution, the diversification of agriculture has become an indispensable part of each city and even the whole nation.
Kaohsiung has exceptional conditions for agriculture. The plentiful sunshine and rainfall means it is possible to harvest rice up to three times a year. Fruits and vegetables are also planted as well, so agriculture in Kaohsiung is not only characterized by its diversity but also by their high nutritional value, high quality and high volume. Kaohsiung is therefore well-positioned to meet the agricultural needs of southern Taiwan. |
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The increase in demand for boutique agriculture from the general public in recent years has led to many local experiments with new forms of agriculture such as organic agriculture, boutique farms and high-tech agriculture. The experiments sought to identify a new path for traditional agriculture through different specifications, target markets and farming practices. Government agencies also lent their support to the marketing of agricultural products. Apart from creating channel platforms based on a partnership between local community organizations and private enterprise to boost the profile of Greater Kaohsiung's agriculture, government resources were also used to export agricultural produce to Japan, China and other Asian countries. In the second half of August this year for example, deputy mayor Chen Chi-yu represented Mayor Chen Chu on a delegation to Japan to promote flame plants and bananas. All of these initiatives helped to promote agricultural export! |
| Finding Local Flavor through Produce Processing Classes |
Increasing environmental awareness as well as a push to save energy and reduce carbon emissions has led to people seeking out foods that are in season or grown locally to reduce their carbon footprint. Seasonal produce can also be processed to increase farmer incomes by improving keeping qualities and added value.
Many community colleges and local farmers' associations in Kaohsiung have begun setting up produce processing classes. Local people or disadvantaged families are encouraged to enroll in these classes to learn processing techniques such as brewing and pickling. Apart from cultivating a community industrial culture and tourism potential, it also boosts employment, helps disadvantaged farmers and has even persuaded young people to return to farming villages. Agriculture has therefore become a pillar of urban development. |
| Qimei Community College Turns Agriculture into a Force for Life |
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Since it was established in 2001, "Qimei Community College" has emphasized field observations and actual participation in the agriculture experience. The immersion in local rural life and culture is used to discover the wisdom of the rural villages. As the college's mission is serving the community, courses were set up based on the principles of "learning from the rural villages" and "helping rural villages learn". Apart from emphasizing the preservation and promotion of rural community features, the college also helped the people of the local community identify with their local culture during the transformation of the rural village. |
To this end, Qimei Community College not only teaches students about maintaining the natural ecological balance through organic cultivation but also disseminates the accumulated agricultural knowledge to other regions in need of assistance. For example, after Typhoon Morakot the people of Qinhe Village in the Taoyuan District grew high quality plums and planned to use the income to support the reconstruction of their village. Many of the plums had to be dumped however because external road links were cut. Eventually, Qimei Community College set up the "Plum Processing Class" to teach residents how to make their own pickled plums, crunchy plums and plum extractQ梅. As all of the plum products are made from toxin-free green plums without any artificial additives or preservatives, they have quite a unique taste.
Qimei Community College not only helped local farmers find another opportunity to embrace their local culture through knowledge agriculture and transformation, but also helped other disaster victims to find new path that balanced their livelihood with the environment. Here agriculture has become a powerful force for supporting life. |
| Pickled Plums with Quality Guarantee from the Jiaxian Farmer's Association |
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The "green plum" is one of the Kaohsiung's key crops and is mainly produced in the Taoyuan District, Namasia District, Jiaxian District and Liouguei District. Jiasian Farmer's Association in particular took on the responsibility of promoting green plum processing. Apart from setting up a processing factory that has continued to develop new processed products, it has also set up its own brand for marketing indigenous produce.
Kaohsiung is the largest plum growing area in Taiwan and produces very good quality green plums. To export such a high quality product around the world, Jiaxian Farmer's Association taught farmers about processing green plums and also partnered with CAS-certified vendors to develop plum extracts, plum vinegar, plum wine and other processed plum products. The plum food factory also became the first farmer's association-owned plum factory in Taiwan to be certified as an organic factory. Thanks to ISO and HACCP certification, the safety and reputation of Jiasian's green plum brand has been enhanced as well.
At the moment WTO constraints mean that much of the fresh fruit grown in Taiwan can't be exported overseas. If the quality of processed agricultural produce can be improved however, processed products such as Jiasian green plums can be exported overseas. This will not only increase farmer incomes but also provide an indirect boost to the local tourism industry in Jiasian. |
| Inter-Industry Alliance Benefits Both Farmers and Business |
| Apart from the assistance of the farmer's associations and community organizations, the KCG Agricultural Bureau has continued to work closely with the business community. Local businesses are encouraged to use local ingredients for developing processed products, increasing fruit distribution and creating new opportunities for agriculture. |
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The well-known local brand "Eat 120" for example emphasizes healthy and natural foods. Best-selling products like the Longan Cake, Longan Sun Cake, Longan Nougat and Pineapple Cake once used mainly longan and pineapple from other regions. At the urging of the Agricultural Bureau, local dried longan and Gold Pineapple from Neimen are now used instead. The change not only realized the LOHAS principle of "low food mileage" but also helped solve the problem of unsold produce.
The cross-industry alliances helped give new value to agricultural produce and created a win-win outcome for local industry and farmers. At the same time, it also gave a boost to the agricultural sector and natural environment of Kaohsiung. |
| Integrating Marketing Resources through the Kaohsiung Produce Shop |
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The city government, farmers' associations, production & marketing groups and private enterprise have all developed new processing technologies and taught farmers how to make use of excess produce. This not helped farmers extend the time their produce is available but also enabled all the different types of produce to benefit from niche marketing. After the amalgamation of Kaohsiung County and City, the KCG set up the "Kaohsiung Produce Shop" at the Zuoying High Speed Rail Station to provide Kaohsiung's many growers with additional sales channels as well as offer the general public and tourists with a place to buy agricultural produce. Once the store opens in September this year, travelers from the north and south will be able to easily purchase Kaohsiung's high-quality processed products, agricultural/fishery produce and fresh fruit. The KCG is also planning to upgrade the existing Lianchi Lake Scenic Area Administration Office into an even larger "Kaohsiung Produce Shop" to offer the most comprehensive selection of Kaohsiung produce. Integrating Marketing Resources through the Kaohsiung Produce Shop Apart from putting more agricultural produce and processed fishery products on display, the new shop will also host cooking classes on seasonal ingredients. The second floor will feature an agricultural culture museum with exhibitions on people that made important contributions to agriculture or won agricultural awards. The new shop will open for a trial run in early October in support of Zuoying's Wannian Festival. When the shop officially opens in May next year, it will give another boost to the development of a green economy in Kaohsiung.
There is no doubt that the green economic miracle of Kaohsiung will soon take flight in the near future! |
Data source: Kaohsiung Pictorial 2011/09
翻譯資料來源(正體中文)：來源 |
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