Asparagus farmer Zeng Guanwei carves out his own plot through friendly farming

Arriving in Madou, Tainan, a simple township whose economy is mainly agricultural, there is a young man who farms in harmony with the land and is about to share his farming journey, as well as tell everyone how to cherish the land through friendly cultivation methods. He is Zeng Guanwei, owner of Guanfeng Asparagus Farm. Guanwei was originally a career soldier, and after retiring he worked for two years in interior design. A few years ago, seeing the aging of the agricultural population and a generational gap in farming, plus his own interest in agriculture, he decided to switch careers and began his farming life in 2009.

Getting used to and enjoying the solitude of the farming path

At present, Guanwei also uses online marketing to expand his customer base, mainly through online platforms, social networking sites, and customers cultivated over more than four years; he also uses the "Find Products" service of the Farmer Academy website to increase exposure channels for Guanfeng Asparagus Farm's products. At this stage he is also actively participating in marketing activities held by farmers' associations or the city government, jointly promoting the concept of safe, locally produced food. Guanwei says that when he first entered the field he thought the threshold for agriculture was very low, but only after committing did he realize that experience can be accumulated, while there are many problems with the investment costs of land and facilities. Fortunately, he has no loan pressure, and his mother and family fully support him.

Different trades are as far apart as different mountains. Guanwei advises newcomers who want to enter the field of agriculture to first make assessments in all aspects, such as personality, financial situation, business philosophy, and market analysis. They must also enrich their own professional knowledge and expertise, and can choose a direction that suits them through courses offered by the Farmer Academy. At first he treated the courses as a channel to enrich himself, and there he met professional teachers and new entrants to agriculture, and was able to ask the veterans about difficulties encountered in field cultivation or share experiences with them. These are experiences that cannot be gained in the classroom.

Although the farming path is lonely and hard, because when working in the fields you are often alone, you must learn to get used to that loneliness and learn to enjoy it. Otherwise, in today's dazzling world, suddenly having to enter a daily routine of repeated movements, facing the same crop day after day, if you cannot get used to it and enjoy it, it will be very hard to keep going. So adjusting your mindset is very important; attitude determines everything. This is also why "contentment brings happiness, and being optimistic and accepting one's lot" is a phrase Guanwei often uses to encourage himself during the past few hard years when things did not go well or when he was at a low point.