Taiwan is gearing up efforts to revolutionize farming across the country, with public-private partnerships helping pave the way to a new era of agriculture. Case in point is the cooperation agreement inked by state-backed Agricultural Technology Research Institute (ATRI) and Taichung City-headquartered President Biotech Group in central Taiwan this January. ATRI, established in 2014 in the northern city of Hsinchu, is providing the biofertilizer manufacturer with technical assistance in setting up microorganism decomposition and fermentation equipment at its domestic and foreign bases in Australia, China and Thailand. “President Biotech’s process to transform agricultural waste into value-added products is crucial to the success of the nascent circular economy,” ATRI President Chen Jen-pin (陳建斌) said. The institute is also aiding with upgrades to the company’s production process at its new plant being built in the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture’s (COA) Pingtung Agricultural Biotechnology Park (PABP) in the southern Taiwan county.
Aquatic weed seedlings are grown in flasks at Pingtung Agricultural Biotechnology Park in the southern Taiwan county. (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)
To establish a comprehensive high-tech agricultural supply system, PABP is also assuming nationwide roles. These include overseeing construction of a cold chain distribution center near Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and management of Taiwan Orchid Plantation, a cluster of more than 80 growers in the southern city of Tainan. From 2004 to last year, the latter saw investments on facilities like reinforced greenhouses reach around NT$20 billion (US$715.1 million).
Other organizations around the country are joining ATRI and PABP in supporting the technological overhaul of the country’s agricultural value chain, including Taiwan Banana Research Institute in Pingtung, which is also chaired by Chen. ATRI is additionally strengthening connections with research organizations and experimental centers led by the COA’s Taichung-based Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute (TARI). Though the bulk of initiatives resulting from such alliances are still in the research phase, plans for widespread rollout and eventual commercialization are in the works. “By deepening cooperation on technology applications, we aim to place Taiwan at the center of the world’s supply chain for agricultural goods and services,” COA Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) said at the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding between ATRI and TARI in August 2020.
Moth orchids are among the many varieties of the plant family cultivated at Taiwan Orchid Plantation in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City. (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)
Another major move has been to expand exchanges with the academic sector, particularly the country’s top-ranked National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei City. Agriculture was one of the first departments set up at the school when it was established in 1928, and the resulting decades of research and technical advances have endowed Taiwan with high-level farming expertise. The time is ripe to combine the country’s strengths in agriculture and information and communication technology (ICT), according to Lur Huu-sheng (盧虎生), dean of NTU’s College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture (CBA) and former head of the COA’s Department of Science and Technology.
Lur was one of the architects of the COA’s ongoing smart farming project. Launched in 2017, the initiative seeks to promote the use of cutting-edge technologies like high-performance data analytics, intelligent mechanization, Internet of Things and remote sensing techniques to enhance efficiency and reduce business risks. Targeted areas include the product traceability system as well as equipment and facilities involved in aquaculture, marine fishing and cultivation of mushrooms, moth orchids, poultry, raw milk, rice and seedlings. Lur believes it is of paramount importance to accelerate the uptake of artificial intelligence applications in the agricultural sector. “Powered by increasingly sophisticated data collection and ever-evolving machine learning techniques, a precision farming model is taking shape,” he said. “We work hard to stay at the forefront of emerging trends.”
With climate change and the resultant extreme weather events posing threats to all aspects of modern life, the clock is ticking, Lur said, adding that agriculture is one of the most vulnerable sectors. This year, for instance, Taiwan saw the worst drought in decades followed by excessive rainfall and flooding in southern regions of the country. Climate-related factors such as these have led to an annual agricultural loss reaching NT$10 billion (US$357.5 million) in recent years. Another pressing issue is the shrinking labor force resulting from Taiwan’s low birthrate and aging population. “As urbanization continues unabated, farming villages are the greatest victims of labor shortage.” Lur said. “Embracing new technologies is the only way to ensure sustainable agricultural development.”
Microbial agents produced at PABP are used to make biofertilizers and biopesticides. (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)
To train up a new cohort of tech-savvy personnel, the CBA’s Center for Intelligent Agriculture Education and Research recently launched a revamped interdisciplinary curriculum integrating learning resources spanning agricultural economics, agronomy, animal science, bioenvironmental systems engineering, biomechatronics, forestry and horticulture as well as ICT-related fields. The program’s courses and internship opportunities are meticulously designed to imbue students with a thorough understanding of every stage ranging from production to consumption, Lur said.
The center additionally strives to build links with local businesses and facilitate industrial applications of R&D results. As part of industrial outreach endeavors, the university set up its Apex Agriculture Intelligence Lab at CBA’s Experimental Farm in collaboration with Tainan-based drone developer Geosat Aerospace and Technology Co. in August 2019. According to Lur, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for agricultural purposes requires extensive domain knowledge in bioinformatics, entomology, microbiology and plant pathology as well as image analysis and machine learning. “Drones do much more than spray pesticides and fertilizers,” he said. “Their digital imaging and remote sensing capabilities greatly contribute to overall crop management efforts.” Lur believes the adoption of such smart solutions can play an instrumental role in propelling Taiwan’s farming sector toward a sustainable future.
The next generation of designers, scientists and engineers are already leading the way toward a new era of smart agriculture, with the integration of superior farming techniques and advanced digital technology, Lur said, adding that such innovations will reach far beyond a farming revival. More significantly, they can be applied in industries across the board to promote the well-being of our planet and every creature residing on it. “We face uncertain times ahead,” Lur said. “But we also have unprecedented knowledge, tools and resources at our disposal with which to forge a healthy and prosperous future for all.”
Write to Pat Gao at cjkao@mofa.gov.tw