Hsinchu Natural Farming Club 2016 Spring-Summer Producer Training Second Enrollment

The second round of recruitment is because we need more people who want to make farming their livelihood to join the ranks of learning to farm. If you share our vision, you are welcome to write in and sign up~

[About the Hsinchu Natural Farming Club]
The Hsinchu Natural Farming Club was established in 2012 with sponsorship from the Qingtian Foundation, a juridical person. It is an organization dedicated to training producers of Shumei Natural Agriculture. The Shumei Natural Agriculture practice site is located in Ruanqiao, Zhudong, where teacher Zhan Wulong leads the learning and assistant instructor Gao Quanyao leads the hands-on work.

[About Assistant Instructor A-Yao]
After returning to Taiwan, I joined the club and started practicing farming. Time flew by, and it has already been almost a year.
While planning next year's spring crops, I looked back on this past year. In fact, far more crops failed than succeeded. Next, I will be leading new students as a senior, shouldering more responsibility, and honestly, I feel very uncertain inside. This year I planted crops I felt had potential, and I thought of ways to improve the management of those crops. Will I actually be able to grow them successfully next year? It is completely unknown. I think it is precisely this characteristic of agriculture that gave rise to conventional farming methods.
As Mr. Masanobu Fukuoka said, all the farming techniques humanity has developed are aimed at preventing reduced yields. However, even conventional farming is at the mercy of the weather. Even if you do not farm, you are still governed by the larger environment. Stable income and life have always been relative, and I believe that being born into this world means being connected to all things. The more such connections are severed, the more painful it is.
Even if it is unstable, even if I am exploited, even if I lack confidence, I still choose to be a farmer and practice natural farming.

[Recruitment Information]
1. Number of recruits: 2, open to both men and women
2. Recruitment period: from today until 2/15/2016
3. Course start date: February 2016
4. Study period: one year
"Trial Period"
1. The trial period is 2 weeks, during which the assistant instructor will lead participants in farm work.
2. Trial period farm work hours are Monday to Saturday (Sundays can be arranged on your own).
3. During the trial period, rent and land rent are provided by the foundation, with subsidies for water, electricity, and gas; meals are self-catered.
"Trainees"
1. Those who pass the trial period and are determined to stay and farm.
2. Farm work hours:
– Joint planting study: one week of indoor classes and planting practice, 36 hours in total; practical work is led and planned by assistant instructor A-Yao.
– Independent area planting: time outside the 36 hours per week is your own; you independently manage about 30 ping of land, adjusted according to ability, and you may also choose not to plant independently.
3. The foundation provides dormitory, farmland, necessary agricultural production equipment, accident insurance, and a 2000 yuan visit subsidy; water, electricity, and gas are split evenly with roommates; meals are self-catered.
5. Other notes
1. You must farm full-time and participate in Tuesday morning field observation and reading group, as well as other related study courses.
2. During the study period, you must comply with the dormitory agreement, public property use regulations, and the teaching and planning of the technical director and administrative director, and learn planting, sales, and other related matters.
3. During the study period, those who are not committed to farming will first have a discussion; if there is still no improvement after the discussion, they will be dismissed.
4. Income from production and sales belongs to the trainee (income is not guaranteed).
5. If you cannot attend meetings, workdays, field observations, classes, etc., please request leave from the administrative director or technical director. For long leave of one month or more, the completion date will be postponed; if you are unable to manage the field area, the land will first be reclaimed. Unless there are special circumstances, please try as much as possible not to request leave on days with already scheduled weekly routine activities.
6. In order to help small farmers learn smoothly and develop independently in the future, course and sponsorship contents will be adjusted as circumstances require.

[Basic Learning Courses]
1. Indoor classes
• Shumei Natural Agriculture Level 1 and Level 2 courses (taught by Teacher Wulong) (tuition-free)
• Reading group (all club members)
2. Cultivation practice
• Raising seedlings, sowing, transplanting, thinning, hilling, weeding, grass and leaf mulching, making beds, trellising
• Rice transplanting, harvesting, drying grain
3. Sales practice
• Picking vegetables, trimming vegetables, packing, delivering vegetables, mailing, etc.
4. Teaching on tool use, farm machinery operation, and maintenance
• Hoes, weeders, cultivators, iron ox, etc.
5. Outdoor teaching and practice
• Supporting farming households in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli that practice friendly land cultivation, learning through hands-on work and observing other farms' planting and management methods
• Visiting Shumei Natural Agriculture farming households

[Continuing to Develop in Ruanqiao After Completion]
1. Target: those who, after completing the one-year study course, are determined to continue staying in Ruanqiao to make farming their livelihood
2. Purpose: to help graduating students become independent and self-reliant as soon as possible and make a living from farming
3. You must submit an agricultural production (startup) plan
• Application time: please submit 2 months before completion, so the foundation can evaluate and arrange related resources.
• It may be operated by one person or by multiple people cooperatively
• The plan content must include:
Planting plan (must plan the main crop based on the first year's planting situation)
Cost analysis
Expected yield and income
Sales plan
• Foundation sponsorship contents: land, dormitory, shared materials, accident insurance, 2000 yuan visit subsidy
• If you have other subsidy needs, please list them in the plan as well so it can be assessed whether sponsorship will be provided
• At the end of each season's production, a review report must be submitted and improvements discussed with the teacher
• In the last month of each year, you must summarize that year's planting results in a report and propose corrective and improvement plans for the following year; after review and assessment, the full-subsidy period may be extended for up to three years

[How to Apply]
Those interested, please reply with the following information and send your letter to [email protected]
1. Name
2. Gender
3. Date of birth
4. Contact phone number
5. Brief description of family situation and whether family members support you
6. Brief description of your motivation for farming and future expectations
7. Financial situation and whether you can endure 1 to 2 years of unstable income
8. Physical condition and whether you have any major illnesses

Natural Small Farmer/Rain :)