In a show of what has been achieved over the years for organic agriculture research and in an effort to promote organic farming concepts, the Taitung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station (TTDARES) of the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan held the 2016 Taitung Organic Agriculture Development and Experimental Research Achievements Conference in the second floor meeting room of the TTDARES regional education center. A total of 140 people attended, including those from the agricultural industry, government, and academic sectors, along with farmers and government agricultural administration agency personnel.
TTDARES Director Chen Hsin-yen stated that the theme of the conference was “organic Lohas,” which is one of the TTDARES’ three core technology focal points. Agricultural administration agency personnel from the Central Government and local government agencies, colleges and universities, experts in the field, growers, and others working in the agriculture sector were invited to partake in discussions on such topics as strategies for the development of the organic agriculture industry in Taiwan, the future of organic farming policy in Taitung, what organic farming entails and its effects, management of organic processing, and marketing experiences. In addition, staff from the TTDARES shared their research achievements on organic farming made over the years, including the creation and management of biodiversity in orchards, how to process dried organic fruit, management strategies for organic rice growing, organic cultivation and management of crops grown by indigenous peoples, the status of the development of food and agriculture education in Taitung, and research on labor-saving machinery in the organic cultivation of Taiwan quinoa.
Through the sharing that took place at the conference, those present were able to gain a better understanding of the future direction of organic farming in Taitung as well as major research topics, setting the stage for the TTDARES to continue to work at creating innovative technology and building up a local organic farming industry that will be known for a diversity of high-quality, unique products.
