Good fortune arrives at the flower field, and the single mother charges forward all the way

◎Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station / Zeng Jingmeng, Shen Congming, Huang Anwei

A group of single mothers, who till the soil and grow vegetables themselves, find their own sales channels, and raise their children this way. These mothers, braver than anyone, rely on courage that yields to no one, growing a diverse range of vegetables and fruits, and in the fiercely competitive organic market, they have carved out a sky that belongs to them alone.

"Many people are very curious about why we named ourselves Huatian Xishi (Joyous Events in the Flower Field)?" explains Zhao Zilun, project manager of the Huatian Xishi Organic Farm. "Because our members are all single mothers, we hope they can forget their past unhappiness and farm with the joyful mood of holding a wedding celebration, so they will surely bear joyful fruits as well."

Being friendly to the environment matters most

Huatian Xishi grows a diverse range of crops, with 40 to 50 kinds of crops distributed across the fields. Ordinary farms do not do this, because it makes it harder to reach a certain economic scale, but Huatian Xishi has its own starting point. Besides the wide variety of vegetables and fruits, which is suitable for selling at markets, "being friendly to the environment" is the most important point.

Because diverse planting disperses the scent of the plants, pest and disease attacks naturally decrease, and the microbial phase in the soil can also be protected, so vegetables and fruits can grow up healthily without resorting to "killing" methods. "Even pests are life, beings that are inseparably linked with the natural environment." Xu Yanhua says they try to use the mutually restraining characteristics of animals and plants to reduce pest damage, "asking them to go to the side," rather than forcefully killing them.

The same goes even for weeds. Weeds in the farm are allowed to survive as long as they do not grow taller than the main crops. "Weeds are actually another kind of nutrient, and can become a medium that loosens the soil." She says weeds can retain moisture in the soil, and after decomposing they also turn into nutrients, so they really should not be viewed with hostility. Zhao Zilun, who is in charge of weeding, laughs and says that whenever the weeds must be removed, he first talks to them, asks for their understanding, asks them to go to the side first, and make way for other crops to grow.

Vegetables that can feel the love

The result of frequently talking to vegetables, fruits, and even weeds seems to have produced positive effects. "The vegetables seem to be able to feel our love, so they all grow very well." Xu Yanhua says that currently 80% of Huatian Xishi's products are sold to Taipei, and 20% are sold at the good market in Hualien, and every time they sell out completely, so much so that even their own employees who want to take a few packs home cannot get any.

This result has boosted the single mothers' confidence. At present they have already rented five hectares of land to expand planting, and in the future they also plan to form a production and marketing cooperative with like-minded people, so that more people can eat love-filled vegetables that coexist peacefully with bugs. This ideal will keep them going continuously.

• Name: Zhao Zilun, Xu Yanhua
• Business items: Corn, tomatoes, bitter gourd, okra... and more than 40 kinds of vegetables
• Contact address: No. 75, Fuxing 8th Street, Fuxing Village, Ji'an Township, Hualien County
• Contact phone: 0989-581240, 0916-701240
• Class: 100th year Farmers' Academy Advanced Training - Medicinal Plant Cultivation and Management Class, Organic Agriculture Class