Returning to the Nest: A Postcard Sent to 2013

The postcard released this year was taken in the fields early last summer, and I wrote the narration. That day I was wandering around the fields when I happened upon a Chinese bulbul (Light-vented bulbul, Pycnonotus sinensis) hurrying home. The nest among the bushes was the home of the pair, and when I peeked in, the warm little nest where the sunlight fell held the mystery of the bulbuls' passing from one generation to the next. Perhaps for the bulbul returning to the nest, it is merely biological instinct, but for me, it carries a tremendous emotional attachment. I carefully pondered this road home to the nest.

More and more young people are returning to farming, and the environment is gradually becoming friendlier

It seems the economy really is not doing well, and jobs outside are not easy to find (bitter smile). Perhaps the young people returning home are not influenced by the external economy, but rather by the pursuit of quality of life and personal career choices. Over the past year I have noticed more and more young people going back to the countryside to farm, and several friends around me have thrown themselves into growing cherry tomatoes and corn after graduating from graduate school.

Not only that, last year I joined several university students in the selection for the CITA Taiwan agricultural improvement case program. During those days visiting the countryside in Yunlin, the hundreds of young students taking part were full of passion for agriculture. I thought to myself that Taiwan's agriculture has hope. The more young people who enter agriculture, the greater the chance of improving the originally lifeless agricultural environment, especially young people who hold ideals and are not afraid of failure.

It has been four years since I returned home to farm. Thinking about it, the agricultural environment's friendliness toward young farmers is gradually improving, though of course it is still not enough! Years ago I once asked the responsible officials of our Council of Agriculture face to face where our country's youth agricultural policy was, and they were speechless. Now it is clear the government has still not thought about or formulated any policy in response to the aging of rural areas and the aging of producers. Compared with neighboring Japan, which in a super-aged society can still get young people to return to the countryside to farm, they have put in a great deal of effort.

Fortunately, social trends are gradually growing amid concepts that value nature and health, and many associations and media outlets friendly to farmers have emerged, which gives young people just entering agriculture a little encouragement and hope. I think this is also a factor that has made some students begin to dare to take up agriculture as a profession!

And yet the momentum is still not enough! So create a favorable agricultural environment for yourself

We will open applications to everyone for the three postcards in this article. To keep farmers from going bankrupt over this giveaway, we will open it to 100 friends by mail, with a limit of 1 per day, and those picking up in person can arrange a time!