Taiwan has more space for growing vegetables in winter than in summer because of the agricultural rotation system and the use of land in tropical and subtropical climate. This often results in overproduction. In summer and autumn, however, heat and humidity induce blight. Typhoons and rainstorms also affect vegetable production and supplies may not meet the demands. The Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction is taking various steps to remedy this condition and increase production of summer vegetables for the benefit of both growers and consumers. The commission is using special funds to speed up an agricultural development program that has established 17 special production areas for vegetables. The estimated benefits to vegetable growers are about NT$114 million.
Improvement of vegetable species is another main task of JCRR. In 1973 the government of the Republic of China, in cooperation with some other neighboring nations, established the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center in Tainan, to improve species and culturing methods. More than 10,000 varieties of breeding plants were brought from all over the world for the cultivation and development of new vegetable species which are heat tolerant, high yielding, resistant to insect pests and wind resistant. In addition, Sino-American cooperation projects are studying Battelle-Northwest's pullulator system.
Vegetable gardens: pai-tsai, cabbage and radish
Weeding the tomato garden at AVRDC
Tending the vegetable garden
Soil analysis in the AVRDC lab
Spraying to combat insect pests
Cross-breeding tomato species
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