How Farmers in Taiwan (Formosa) Transitioned from Raising Livestock Animals to Growing Food Crops, Part 2 of 2

This remarkable change occurred thanks to the wise Taiwanese (Formosan) government. To improve water quality, the government passed legislation, forbidding farmers to raise livestock animals in water conservation areas. First, we’ll speak with Mr Lee Huan-Sheng, a former tobacco farmer, who now makes his living growing delicious white-water snowflake. “Later I quit growing tobacco because the government ceased awarding tobacco planting contracts. When the contract was cancelled, we became jobless. So, we switched to planting white water snowflake.” Ms. Peng Yu-Wen was formerly a pig farmer in Meinong District. “In 1998, the government promoted a policy called the ‘Livestock Animals-Free Farming Policy,’ which was a nationwide policy. After leveling the land, we dug a pool and began to try planting white water snowflakes.” Although the transition was not easy, Ms. Peng is now grateful for the change. She notices many advantages. “In the past, when you just came close to Meinong Town, you could smell the pigpens from miles away because the density of pig farms was very high in Meinong at that time. But now there is none. Now when you’re in Meinong, the air quality is very fresh and comfortable.” Let’s now visit with Mr. Li Sheng-Hsiung, who formerly earned his income by leasing his farmland for tobacco cultivation but has now transitioned into growing many delicious food crops. “My income is no less than that from leasing out my lands to tobacco farmers. After switching to growing fruits and other sub-staples, it has improved our living quality and benefitted our family.” Ms. Peng also feels happier with her new way of farming. She shares some advice with other livestock animals-raising farmers who want to change from raising livestock animals to growing food crops. “Yes, being a plant-growing farmer is much happier than being a pig-raising farmer since there are many kinds of contagious diseases with pigs. Especially the disposal of dead pigs died of illness; it’s really heartbreaking and sad. I hope everyone will join our farming, grow diversified crops, and thus make the world a better place.”