A village strewn with gemstones: farmers pool funds to start a company, co-create a brand and share the profits

An imbalanced population structure is closely tied to industrial decline, and the crises of an aging population, a falling birth rate, population outflow and industrial decay are playing out for real in Dongpian Village, Neipu Township, Pingtung County. Xu Rongming of Chuanyong Biotechnology Farm and Huang Riyang of Dongbao Farm, who have long promoted organic and eco-friendly farming and community building in the area, brought together eight farms in Dongpian Village to establish Taiwan's first rural social enterprise, "Dongpian Gemstone Village Co., Ltd.," hoping to build a shared brand, expand sales channels and raise farmers' incomes, with 5% of revenue flowing back to the community, with a focus on elder care.

Gemstone Village's social enterprise model was not built overnight; the villagers' sense of solidarity comes from years of community building and rural revitalization. Gemstone Village CEO Huang Riyang said, "The people who live here are the greatest gemstones." If a corporation were brought in to create a hundred jobs, only a few would benefit; local revitalization should mean that local people are willing to take part together, sharing, prospering and surviving together.