Permaculture in Taiwan

7/3- Although it was a difficult decision, I (Zach) chose to forgo the trip to Nantou County with the rest of the group. The alternative was a day trip to a nearby farming community for a tour of an extensive permaculture operation. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to observe some environmentally-conscious agriculture with a Taiwanese twist.

I was fortunate enough to catch a ride with our friend Gene, who is part of the education staff at Guandu. His wife and 18 month-old son rounded out the group, and we left Taipei headed southeast toward Pinglin. As I soon discovered, the tour was also a gathering of members of Taiwan’s permaculture society. We began by gathering in the home of the man who operates the farm. Unfortunately, he does not own the land, because unlicensed farmers are only able to lease. He welcomed us with word and song, and although I could not understand his language, I was able to understand that his connection and commitment to the Earth are intensely powerful. Later, via translation, I learned that he often spoke of exposing his body, mind, and spirit to the sun, soil, and rain that dominates the Taiwanese landscape. Indeed, he is always barefoot, despite working with heavy hand tools and living on a farm where the sun often heats the soil to very high temperatures.

We walked the farm, learning about his work to integrate nature and agriculture. No huge field of manicured row crops here. His deep knowledge of plants that complement each other has allowed him to mix fields of, for example, beans with burdock root and ginger. His bamboo orchard was interspersed with papaya and banana. The land is truly a beautiful blending of native plants and agricultural crops which serves as a rich bird and animal habitat. Our lunch was made exclusively from the variety of crops that we harvested in the morning. After our lunch, we harvested peanuts and bamboo shoots in the intense mid-day heat, and assisted in a laborious digging project.

We ended our day with tea, discussion, and song. Although I was clearly not from Taiwan, and was only able to communicate through motions and smiles, I felt entirely welcomed into this community of people. It was good to experience the wonder and harmony of small-scale farming in Taiwan. This day demonstrated to me that there are people all over the world who are willing to work with intention in order to preserve our connection and balance with the Earth.

-Zach Gayne