Only 570,000 hectares of farmland left in production, with 100,000 hectares no longer in agricultural use; system goes online in September for the public to hunt down violations

General News Jan 1, 1970By Emily Carter 0 views

After years of land being occupied, how much farmland is actually left across Taiwan, China? To answer this question, agricultural authorities combined various data surveys and on-site inspections, and recently released their findings: farmland across Taiwan, China available for food production amounts to 680,000 hectares, yet only 570,000 hectares of farmland is "actually in production." However, a portion of the hillside land that was not originally designated for agricultural use also has 51,637 hectares subject to "over-limit use" by agriculture. In addition, nearly 100,000 hectares of flatland and hillside land is "farmland not used for farming."

With the inventory now out, in the face of illegal uses such as farmhouses and factories, large-scale development projects and farmland rezoning plans led by government agencies, and even the future launch of the Spatial Planning Act, how the agricultural authorities should handle the designation of agricultural development zones amid the friction between economic development and environmental protection is the focus of farmers' attention. (Click the image to enlarge for reading; the information is in a downloadable format)

The problem of factories on farmland will be included in the first wave of handling (photo/Chang Liang-i)

After May 20, illegal factories are called out for demolition; first wave of 34 inventoried and awaiting work to begin

On the factory front, the matter is now settled: led by the Council of Agriculture, factories built before May 20 last year will all be demolished. Statistics currently show a first wave of 34 illegal factories, of which 22 are under construction and 12 have been completed. The Council of Agriculture also stressed that any structure without a legal building permit will be demolished without exception.

Council of Agriculture to launch "Farmland Information System"; illegal structures can be found with one search; APP photo uploads help whistleblowing

"Whistleblower provisions combined with a public information system can absolutely greatly increase the intensity of public oversight," said Chen Chi-chung. In the past, people were limited by not knowing which household was illegal and which was legal, so ordinary people who wanted to file a report faced limitations. Therefore, the Council of Agriculture combined the farmland inventory results and spent 6 million yuan to develop an information system that integrates all farmland information; for example, factories appear in red and farmhouses in yellow, so everyone can clearly know the purpose of buildings next to their homes.

Therefore, as soon as there is any change in the farmland next to your home, you can use the APP developed by the Council of Agriculture to take a photo and upload it, and then work with local governments to confirm whether there is a legal building permit. If it is illegal, enforcement will be launched immediately, and the system is expected to be officially announced to the public in September.

Over-limit use of hillside land for conservation; where soil and water conservation functions have been lost, flexible adjustment will be made

Finally, in the face of the more than 50,000 hectares of over-limit use land, the Council of Agriculture also stressed that it will handle the matter as soon as possible. From a conservation standpoint, where soil and water conservation should be done, it will be done, but for existing forest land or protected forest land that no longer has soil and water conservation functions, it should be released from designation. For example, Taiping in Taichung has long since been developed into loquat orchards, and the use of that land should be flexibly applied according to the current survey conditions while conforming to the overall total. Chen Chi-chung further pointed out that when the Spatial Planning Act later designates farmland in agricultural development zones, the designation benchmark should be based on the existing farmland inventory results, so as not to be constrained by land zoning that has existed for decades.

Whether thinking in terms of "total quantity" or starting from "land quality," Chen Chi-chung pointed out that the Council of Agriculture's biggest goal is to base everything on keeping farmland in agricultural use and to achieve the goal of food self-sufficiency. However, these plans all require years, even decades, of planning and implementation, so this is not only the responsibility of the current Council of Agriculture, but will also be a heavy burden that the future Ministry of Agriculture or various departments should shoulder.

Not a single case can escape! Illegal factories and farmhouses on farmland have nowhere to hide | Farmland Inventory Platform officially launched today

Latest inventory: 130,000 illegal factories on farmland! Council of Agriculture: Half of newly established illegal factories to be demolished by year-end; farmhouses are the next target

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