Located in Jian Township, between Hualien City and Shoufeng Township, Peian Farm benefits from the fertile land between the Mugua River and Jian Creek. The soil is rich, and 85% of the area is arable land, where rice, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, corn, leeks, taro, and dragon beard vegetables are grown. Among the three specialties of Jian Township, taro is one of the five major production areas in Taiwan, and the cultivation area for dragon beard vegetables accounts for 43%, leading all other towns in Taiwan.
Text / Chun-Hui Liu
Images / D Peian Farm, Editorial Office
Inheriting the Family Legacy｜Discovering Local Organic Farmers in Jian
The owner of Peian Farm, Hou-chung Shih, started his career as a mechanic at Taiwan Suzuki maintenance shop. After losing his job due to company management changes, he turned his focus to farming. Starting with a small piece of farmland left by his father, he gradually supported his family. He named the farm Peian to honor his father.
Located at the foot of Chuying Shan in the Central Mountain Range, Jian Township has a west-high, east-low terrain. The area features loamy soil, and the large temperature difference between day and night, along with clean and abundant irrigation from Mount Qilai's southern peak, creates ideal conditions for growing dragon beard vegetables. Once the dragon beard vegetables reach harvest size, they can be collected daily for several months, making them the crop of choice for Hou-chung Shih as a professional farmer. Without the need for pesticides, he can grow a lush field of dragon beard vegetables with environmentally friendly farming methods. However, this approach requires significant labor for weeding and harvesting. Despite the hard work, Hou-chung Shih remains committed to his mission, saying softly: Although we can't make a fortune, it's enough for our family to get by. Thanks to this dedication, one of Jian Township’s three specialties can continue to thrive sustainably in Hualien.
The Challenges of Organic Taro Farming｜Discovering the Intentions of Earth-Friendly Practices
Taro, one of the three treasures of Jian, is almost everywhere in the fields of Gancheng Village, Jian Township. A few years ago, Hou-chung Shih began experimenting with organic taro farming, and he remains the only farmer in the Hualien area cultivating organic taro. Despite researching the right timing and amounts of organic fertilizers and pest control materials every year, he still hasn't found a truly effective method. After planting taro in the fall, the rising temperatures, influenced by global climate change, caused the red spider mites, a pest, to wreak havoc. This year, after planting organic taro on three-tenths of the land, only one-tenth remained harvestable. Fortunately, the efforts of local organic farmers are still visible. Currently, all of Hou-chung Shih's organic taro harvests are sold to GAEA FARM (a local produce distributor) in Jian at a good price.
Peian Farm will soon be passed on to his son, Te-kai Shih. The young farmer is working toward transforming the farm into a space for food education and farming experiences. While father and son continue to work diligently on the land, the evolving food and farming domain will create fertile ground for Peian Farm to grow even better. Visitors can experience the pure and organic rural scenery of Jian Township along Provincial Highway No. 9 and purchase locally grown organic rice, embodying the farm’s dedication to earth-friendly practices.
INFO｜Peian Farm
Address: No. 122, Jicheng 2nd St., Gancheng Vil., Jian Township, Hualien County
Telephone: 0921-976108
Lavatory: No