Taiwan Committed to Teaching us to Catch our own Fish!

Sitting at the Republic of China’s (Taiwan) Council of Agriculture were journalists from St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Palau, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Eswatini and Saint Lucia—which I was proud to represent. Council members often referred to their country as small, despite that none of the populations of the listed territories comes close to Taiwan’s 23 million.  

For the Pacific Islanders and those of us from the Caribbean, no matter Taiwan’s perceived grandeur, the challenges to its agriculture are quite similar to ours. In the 1980s farming in Taiwan was rapidly dropping down the list of desired occupations for reasons similar to those that confront rural communities worldwide. So the government introduced a policy that enables older farmers to lease their lands to more able and willing younger farmers. Loan and equipment subsidies and practical training from Taiwan’s Farmers’ Academy are also up for offer to the country’s young people.

The government also assisted with forming 302 farmers’, 40 fishermen’s and 17 irrigation associations. Establishing these associations created a way to privatise services such as agricultural extension, supply and distribution, credit and insurance, and financial services and it gives the farming population full representation when communicating with the government. Additionally, farmers and fishermen are provided with pension schemes and their children offered academic scholarships by the Taiwanese government.

The 1980s agricultural meltdown was turned around by the accommodations that the government made for its agricultural population, and rural communities focused on becoming more sustainable. But the Council relies heavily on other strategies of innovation and research to ensure that Taiwan’s agricultural sector remains adaptive to the changing economies and climates around the world. For example, ten agricultural research stations were established around Taiwan for farmers’ education and training in cultivation methods, prevention and control of pests and diseases and mitigating production loss in the event of natural disasters (seasonal typhoons, heavy rainfall, flooding, harsh winters and earthquakes).

The government has also encouraged specialized farming on larger scales through farming marketing groups and cooperatives, with priority placed on crops that can substitute for imported ones. For Taiwan’s staple crops, such as rice and fruit, they have focused on diversifying into agro-tourism.

The Taiwanese chose not to confine produce to the primary state and sought partnerships in other industries such as science, technology and biomedicine to enhance competitiveness. The innovations are endless, including the farm-to-table policies, marketing techniques and thorough strategies for environmental protection.

Taiwan’s agricultural sector still has a long way to go but the Council is proud that it is no longer a subordinate industry. The Council credits the farmers’ willingness and dedication to helping implement new strategies for the industry’s growth. Currently Taiwan generates an economic output of about US$16 billion a year. Agriculture and related practices account for 11% of the country’s gross domestic product. 

Much of Taiwan’s cross-border cooperation is through agriculture and fisheries. It’s easy for Taiwan to understand the agricultural needs of small-island developing states and it has already pledged assistance in many ways. In Saint Lucia, Taiwan has dispatched a technical mission that shares industry knowledge and training gained from Taiwan’s research. The Banana Productivity Improvement Project is also an attempt to implement mitigation techniques and help farmers understand new threats to bananas. Taiwan has also offered aid here in poultry, fish, other crop farming and flora.

Judging from Taiwan’s agricultural strategy, the necessary tools for growth are training, education and external funding, but farmers must also recognize the important uses of privatised services, technology, diversification and innovation.

Our hosts informed us that Taiwan’s strategy does not stop at handing us fish. Even more important to them is to teach us to do our own successful fishing!  –