Farmers' Associations Cooperate with Yunlin Prison: Inmates Join Agricultural Work to Ease Farm Labor Shortage

To ease the agricultural labor shortage, Yunlin County has been actively matching Yunlin Prison with farmers' associations in townships and cities across the county, allowing eligible inmates to work in agriculture outside the prison. Magistrate Chang Li-shan visited Dapi Township on the 8th to observe the inmates' working conditions and served as a witness to the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Yunlin County Farmers' Association and Yunlin Prison. Magistrate Chang Li-shan hopes that through this cooperation, inmates can be helped to reintegrate into society, the shortage of agricultural manpower can be addressed, and agricultural products can be exported smoothly, creating a win-win-win situation.

Magistrate Chang Li-shan pointed out that Yunlin's agricultural labor shortage is severe, and the county government attaches great importance to it and is working hard to improve it. Last year, the Agriculture Department and farmers' associations at all levels applied to the Council of Agriculture and received approval to bring in 150 migrant workers for agricultural outreach work. However, due to the pandemic, only 42 migrant workers have entered Yunlin so far. Among these 42, the Yunlin County Farmers' Association has had the most success in matching them, with about 18 already assisting with farming work in various agricultural groups.

Magistrate Chang Li-shan stated that for short-term and seasonal agricultural labor shortages, it is not suitable to bring in long-term foreign migrant workers. She thanked the Agency of Corrections for assisting in matching Yunlin Prison and Yunlin Second Prison with the Yunlin County Farmers' Association to sign the MOU, allowing inmates with excellent performance in self-managed work outside prison to join agricultural work, helping farmers plant or harvest crops, easing the seasonal labor shortage, and also enabling inmates to develop a skill to help them return to society, while allowing the county's agricultural products to be exported smoothly. This can be described as creating a win-win-win situation.