Amidst the vast orange groves of Chungliao Township is a plot of land in Pahsien Village known as "Hsitiyao" which is distinguished for its organic farming techniques. Following a four-year experimental period, it has succeeded in developing an innovative production and marketing approach, infusing fresh hope into this depressed village.

By day, this group of community workers and farmers roll up their sleeves, pick up their hoes, and engage in a battle of wits with troublesome insects. By night, they hit the computers, making records of their farming activities and communicating with customers on the Internet to establish a relationship of mutual trust. Their motto, "changing the world by changing consumption patterns," is based on the premise that their work will influence others as it progressively expands outwards in a ripple effect.

At present, most farmers in Chungliao are skeptical and are taking a wait-and-see attitude towards the laborious and time-intensive practice of organic farming. Nonetheless, the Hsitiyao Educational Farm continues to endeavor to be a friend of the Earth and break agriculture's sad downward spiral by helping the land recover its vitality and farmers restore their faith.

In the sultry afternoon heat, a small, winding country road brings us to the roadside Hsitiyao workstation. Inside a simple building with a sheet-metal roof and white concrete walls there are farming tools and boxes of plant food stacked high in one corner. A bookcase covering one wall and a simple and elegant long wooden table exude a scholarly atmosphere, making it apparent that this no ordinary farmhouse.

With her straight hair and the carefree appearance of a student, Kuan Hsin-i is busy loading boxes with orange vinegar and condensed longan ginger soup in a hallway full of mosquitoes.

"These products are for Hola; the last batch of the season!" exclaims Kuan, the administrative manager and only salaried employee of Hsitiyao. She explains to her guests that Hola--the household goods sister chain of DIY chain B&Q--is planning to promote high-quality organic produce grown in Taiwan. The boss and secretary go all over the island scouting out products. They visited Hsitiyao at the beginning of this year and were quite satisfied with the sample products they took away; thus began the collaboration between the two organizations.

Kuan, nicknamed "Sparky," explains matter-of-factly that the "green orange vinegar" is made by soaking unripe whole green oranges in organic vinegar, which retains the oranges' nutritional value. Helpful for weight reduction and the prevention of cardiovascular disease, it can be diluted and drunk, or used to make condiments such as steamed dumpling sauce and salad dressing.

Kuan says that Hsitiyao's orange vinegar sells for NT$400 per bottle, while their longan ginger soup sells for NT$350 per bottle, and that this year they have already sold 3,000 and 2,000 bottles respectively. The demand has outstripped the supply, and quite a few eager customers have to wait until next year. Actually, before they began manufacturing these processed products, Hsitiyao sold around 24,000 kilos of fresh organic oranges for between NT$50 and NT$58 per kilo--about three times the market price of non-organic oranges--and around 720 kilos of dried longan. Although the scale of their production and sales is still quite modest, it's impressive that this was achieved by a few young people who had no previous experience in agriculture. So just how were they able to succeed at organic farming, something which even experienced fruit farmers are reluctant to try?

After another month of standing firmly at attention in the fields, the pineapples will be sweet and ready for harvesting, the result of one and a half years of labor.

Affinity in disaster

The story begins with Taipei native Feng Hsiao-fei. After completing a graduate degree in sociology at Tunghai University she helped a friend run a bookstore in Taichung, and later set up a cultural studio and began to engage in cultural studies and editing projects.

Following the September 1999 earthquake, she and a few like-minded female friends visited the devastated township of Chungliao, hoping to offer assistance. Discovering that the disaster victims had not only lost their homes, but also their previously tight-knit social network, she and her friends set up a newspaper in order to help people reconnect with their fellow villagers. Thus the Chungliao News was born, and they began to undertake in-depth journalism. With their sympathetic and detailed portrayals of the effects of the disaster as well as the history of Chungliao, they provided a voice to the outside which helped bring in both governmental and non-governmental assistance. Their newspaper also helped engender an increased sense of stability in the anxious atmosphere which followed the disaster.

Two years after the earthquake, after the collapsed buildings had been rebuilt and the roads had been repaired, she discovered that what the area really needed was to renew its agricultural vitality. While the aid groups where gradually pulling out, Feng handed over the Chungliao News to the local youths and became increasingly involved in agricultural reform.

When Feng moved to Nanchungliao she happened to run into Liao Hsueh-tang, an old acquaintance engaged in community work. Thinking that it would be nice to increase her understanding of agriculture, she began to help Liao's father take care of his orange grove, including packaging and sales. As a result of this experience she came to learn how fruit farming was harming the land around Chungliao.

(above) Sweeping orange groves punctuated by areca palms ("betel nut trees") dominate the scenery of Chungliao. Although once the orange capital of Taiwan, in recent years bumper crops have resulted in a crash in the price of oranges, leaving farmers in the lurch.

The mournful song of the oranges

"Chungliao was once the orange capital of Taiwan, but this was due to an over-reliance on herbicides, insecticides, and chemical fertilizers which was causing a lot of damage," says Feng. "Of all the farmers I knew in Chungliao, eight died of cancer, but you would expect that a farmer living in the countryside would live to a ripe old age!" Long-term misuse of chemical fertilizers not only makes the soil extremely acidic, it also shortens a fruit tree's lifespan because it lowers its ability to resist disease. (Citrus trees have an average lifespan of around 30 years, but the average lifespan of the orange trees in Chungliao is only 13 to 14 years.)

Moreover, these bumper crops weren't even bringing in a reasonable income for farmers. After deducting the cost of materials, a family of four taking care of one hectare of oranges can earn little more than NT$100,000 per year--less than the average worker makes in two or three months. Thus, farmers end up cultivating larger amounts of land and becoming even more reliant on chemical farming, trapping them in a vicious cycle.

What finally made Feng go from writing into agriculture was the distress she experienced while helping Liao's father during the harvest season at the end of 2003. Feng recalls how she and Liao Hsueh-tang worked so hard for more than one month picking and washing oranges that they were aching all over. There was a bumper crop that year and everybody was in a hurry to sell at discounted prices, so all through the harvest Liao's father was worried about whether or not the produce broker would even come to buy his crop. After much entreaty, one day the broker finally came, paying him around NT$8 per kilo. Not only had she and Liao Hsueh-tang worked for nothing; Liao's father had worked hard all year only to make less than NT$5,000 per month.

"When the buyer's truck came and opened its doors I couldn't help but cry," says Feng, who swore she would never allow such a humiliating experience to happen again.

In order to eliminate harmful competition and increase the value of their produce, she tried to convince farmers in the area to give organic farming a try, saying, "Specialists can guide us in the techniques, and we can do the marketing ourselves." Nonetheless, many farmers either lacked faith in the idea, or were afraid that their fruit trees would be destroyed by insects. Unable to persuade the farmers, Feng decided to go into the orange groves herself and make an experiment. Since Liao was a native of Chungliao, he played the key role of finding a piece of land.

(facing page) Orange trees blossom in late February, and after the flowers fall the fruits grow steadily. Because they don't spray any pesticides, organic farmers must carefully tend the orchard in a timely way to insure that the oranges grow well.

Searching for running water

A graduate of the police academy, Liao Hsueh-tang once served as a police officer and has worked in a number of different professions in Taipei. At 30 he returned to his hometown and began to work in the township office, but due to his straightforward manner and his penchant for speaking out against injustice, he often neglected his duties in order to join demonstrations. In 1995, when the head of the township wanted to enlarge the local landfill, Liao joined the protest, and found himself facing off against his boss.

Following the 1999 earthquake, Liao was deeply impressed by the extended and sincere work done by outside volunteers who were helping to rebuild Chungliao. Amongst them were Yu Chao-ching, professor of architecture at Chung Yuan Christian University; Yang Jui-chen, one of Yu's students; and Feng Hsiao-fei, who was publishing the newspaper. As a result, Liao threw himself into community building work, and joined with other locals to establish the Chungliao Community Workshop. Encouraged by Yu Chao-ching, he led villagers in the effort to restore the Fusheng Canal, an old irrigation channel which had been covered over by vines for more than 20 years.

"When the water began to flow again, people began to think, 'How much traditional wisdom have we already lost? Just what sort of agriculture do we want to be engaged in?'" recalls Liao.

"Farming ought to be very dignified work, and it should be able to adapt to changing times and circumstances," says Liao, pondering how to revitalize his hometown. When he happened to meet Feng, she was already considering making a career change. Things clicked, and they established the Hsitiyao Educational Farm, hoping to bring about agricultural reform based on organic farming.

Liao's elderly father was very skeptical when his son first asked him if they could use his orchard for their project. He'd been farming for over 30 years already, and believed that his trees couldn't survive without spraying pesticides. Liao persisted, though, and his father was gradually won over by these earnest young people.

The organic challenge

In farming, certain difficulties are to be expected, but the challenges Feng Hsiao-fei had to face far surpassed her expectations.

Due to their fragrant, sweet flavor and ten-month-long growing season, citrus trees are highly susceptible to pests and diseases. Taiwan's hot, humid climate and poor pest management only make it harder. In general, organic farming is only suitable in soil which contains at least 5% organic matter, but 65% of the soil in Taiwan contains less than 2% organic matter, and in Chungliao the figure is only 0.9%.

On the advice of Professor Cheng Cheng-yung of National Taiwan University's Department of Horticultural Science and his wife, Lin Pi-hsia, as well as Professor Tsai Tung-tsuan of Chunghsing University's Department of Plant Pathology, they started by adopting the minimum standard, known as "no pesticide residue." According to this standard, small amounts of pesticides can be applied to the crop during its initial growing period, but after harvesting, the crop has to pass an inspection to assure that no residue remains. Their plan was to first revive the fertility of the soil and then continue to work toward going "pure organic."

But this doesn't mean that insects were no longer a threat, since none of the pesticides that do not leave behind residues is effective in warding off long-horned beetles (Anoplophora sp.)--the greatest headache of citrus farmers. According to Professor Lin, who has been doing research on organic farming for many years, every year, around April or May, long-horned beetles lay their eggs near the base of tree trunks. As soon as the larvae hatch they begin to bore into the trunk, and continue eating until they have devoured the entire pith of the tree. The conventional way of dealing with them is to spray a highly toxic systemic pesticide around the base of the tree. This gets absorbed by the tree's roots and is circulated throughout the entire tree; even the fruit at the tree's extremities absorbs it, so that it can't be removed even by washing or peeling.

At Hsitiyao, instead of spraying pesticides, they wrap the base of the tree in a plastic net which prevents the adult beetles from laying their eggs in the trunk. In the first year, unfortunately, they were still unclear about the proper timing, so by the time they began to put up the nets, the beetles were already boring their way into the trees. Feng was obliged to hire other farmers to help her inspect each tree for holes. When they found a hole, they applied rags soaked in camphor oil and secured with metal wire in order to drive out the beetles. "One day I would go out on inspection and not find any holes, but the next day there would be new holes; you just never know where these beetles will bore next," Feng recollects with a shudder the two or three months she spent continuously catching beetles.

In addition to pesticides, excessive use of fertilizers is also a big problem.

"As soon as a farmer sees that a tree isn't growing well, the first thing he does is apply some fertilizer," explains Lin Pi-hsia. Sometimes it's a transient physiological phenomenon, or it may be that the roots are damaged, so it's necessary to use the right remedy. It's the same with humans; nutritional intake has to be properly balanced. How can overeating lead to good health? Moreover, overuse of fertilizers also does much damage by making the soil acidic. But farmers have become so accustomed to using fertilizers that they don't even question it any more, and it's very hard for them to change their views. Thus, how to use fertilizers judiciously has become a contentious issue between Feng and the farmers who have been assisting her.

Growing organic oranges at Hsitiyao is labor intensive. For example, after the trees are pruned, the clippings have to be collected and hauled away in order to avoid damage due to the pathogens which proliferate in rotting foliage. (facing page, lower right:) In order to prevent long-horned beetles from laying their eggs near the base of the tree trunks, it is necessary to put up posts and wrap nets around each tree, and then continuously inspect and repair them.

Speaking to the trees

"During the first year, my greatest concern was understanding what the trees were saying," says Feng. Although she wasn't much troubled by the fatigue, sweat, and insect bites, she did have one nagging fear: making one wrong move which would result in the loss of the orange crop. Then there were the people who would come around from time to time and say, "This will never work. The trees won't survive." Even though she had expert guidance, farming is not as standardized as factory production. There are quite a few natural variables which are difficult to control, so sometimes it just comes down to groping in the dark and trying things out.

"Only after a year did I have enough understanding of fruit trees to confidently communicate with farmers, and as my confidence gradually grew, I knew there was definitely no turning back." Afterwards, Feng began to concentrate on marketing, leaving the tending of the orange orchard to some farmers recruited by Liao. She also invited her primary school classmate Tsai Tsung-hsiu, a longan farmer, to join in and continue with her experiment in growing longan without the use of pesticides, and also to help out with the cultivation of organic pineapples which began last year. Every week Feng, Liao and other farmers hold a meeting, and continue to look for ways to improve their methods.

During one of their regular meetings at the end of March, the main topics of discussion were their plan to try to grow organic longan on a large scale, and how to best prevent the litchi fruit borer (Conopomorpha sinensis, a type of moth) from laying its eggs on the fruit trees, including insect zappers and covering the fruit with either nets or paper bags. During the discussion, Tsai Tsung-hsiu expressed his reservations about using fruit coverings: it would be labor- and time-intensive, since the longan grove is on a steep hillside, and the results are uncertain.

"Even though last year's experiment with seven longan trees showed good results, if we don't try it out on a large scale it will be impossible to assess the results in comparison to conventional farming methods. One way or another, we have to give it a try," says Feng. She adds that if not spraying pesticides results in a smaller harvest, then she will do her best to prevent a reduction of Tsai's profits.

Due to the many insects which live in pesticide-free orchards, birds naturally build their nests there.

Changing consumption patterns

Hsitiyao takes great pains to cultivate good relationships with more and more customers--no easy task in Taiwan's indifferent and fickle market. Thumbing through Hsitiyao's guest book, a number of interesting messages can be seen. One person thanks them for their effort and affection; another person bought several thousand NT dollars worth of their products and gave them away to his friends and relatives; somebody else was so touched with admiration that she wants to bring her child to meet "these farmers who cherish the land;" then there are quite a few people who offered to provide books as soon as they heard about the plan to start a community learning center.

All these appreciative messages reveal that the relationship between the customer and consumer at Hsitiyao is more than just an exchange of money and goods: it has been raised to the level of a partnership for the protection of the earth. Thus it is evident that Hsitiyao's ideal of "changing the world by changing consumption patterns" is beginning to bear fruit.

When asked how she was able to persuade consumers to purchase Hsitiyao's products despite the high cost, Feng proclaims, "The key to the success of organic products lies in trust." They have been able to gradually establish a relationship of mutual trust by using their website to make an unstinting effort to explain to consumers such things as the efficacy of their products. Furthermore, for the first two years substantial support was provided by several wealthy patrons. One example is Chiang Le-ching, a Taichung architect who spent NT$100,000 at one time, regardless of the amount and type of products. Then there is the owner of the Best Giving and Treasure Dragon construction companies, who once ordered a large batch of oranges to give to his customers. Many people who received the gifts identified with their way of thinking and became loyal customers.

Feng says that initially, a third of their customers were wealthy patrons. Now the situation has become more stable: half of their products are sold through channels such as the Homemakers' Union and Foundation (HUF), while the other half are sold to various smaller customers.

"Another reason why Hsitiyao's products have been well received is the good quality," points out Lin Pi-hsia, who is also a director of the HUF. For instance, Hsitiyao produces lots of orange juice with just the right ratio of sweet and sour. She has found that many farmers in Taiwan don't understand the importance of planting in accordance with the particular qualities of the soil and crops, which results in produce which is not very tasty and of dubious quality. "However well founded the idea of organic farming may be, consumers are certainly not obliged to support it unconditionally," says Lin.

Citrus extract production

Without the use of pesticides and by applying a suitable amount of organic fertilizer, Hsitiyao's orange trees are vigorous and healthy. At present, their one hectare of land produces more than 30,000 kilos of oranges per year--conventional farming methods only produce around 24,000 kilos--so it could be said that their production and marketing activities are a success. According to Feng, however, such a small scale of operations is an absolute waste of community resources, and only when more farmers join in will it be possible to provide adequate protection for the land.

"A farmer can make a decent living by working only one hectare of land. Then he can leave the rest fallow and let nature take care of it. Twenty years later, when the next generation inherits the family property, it will be an excellent piece of land ready for cultivation!"

Feng estimates that last year in all of Taiwan there were less than ten hectares being used to grow organic and pesticide-free oranges. One reason is the reluctance of many consumers to spend extra money for organic oranges when they need to be peeled anyway. The main reason, however, is that follow-up processing lacks an industry chain. In recent years Lin Pi-hsia has come up with an essential-oil cleaner extracted from citrus peels, a product which holds a lot of potential.

Extracting essential oil from citrus peels requires at least ten hectares of produce to make it profitable. The first step is to process the pulp while keeping the skin, which lends itself well to producing orange juice.

"If we can sell the orange juice produced from ten hectares, that would allow ten farmers to join this chain!" With Lin's support, Feng is currently assessing how to process 15,000 kilos of orange juice, keep it in cold storage, and ship it, as well as what kind of finances will be required.

"I think it will take at least ten years to find out whether this scale of operations is economically viable." She is 38 this year, and with her boyfriend's support she is planning to settle down in Chungliao and continue to pursue her dreams relating to organic oranges. She estimates that it won't be until she is 50 that she will really know whether or not her plans have succeeded. She hopes that in the long run other farmers will join in and take over the project and take good care of this piece of land, and that the fruits of her efforts will make a meaningful contribution to society.

(above) Taipei native Feng Hsiao-fei (center) helped rebuild Chungliao following the 1999 earthquake. In recent years, she has been promoting organic farming amongst farmers and youths, and has succeeded in helping local agriculture turn over a new leaf.

During a meeting at Hsitiyao, Liao Hsueh-tang (standing in the center) holds up a sample litchi bag used to prevent insect damage, and suggests that it can also be used on longan trees, while the whole group discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the idea.