Yilan FUN Market Invites You to Make Friends with Small Farmers
"The reason it is called a friendly market rather than an organic market is that it is not only about friendliness toward nature, but also friendliness between people," says Ah Bao, the founder of the market.
The Yilan Dazhaiyuan Market, which emphasizes organic farming and interaction with consumers, stepped out of Dongshan Township for the first time and, in cooperation with the Cultural Affairs Bureau, held an event at the Yilan Performing Arts Hall. At nine in the morning, the owners of the various stalls at the market stood in a circle and sang "Autumn Cicada," giving thanks to nature through poetry recitation; the market began with this special morning circle ceremony.
With healthy natural ingredients, a parent-child DIY purple rice workshop, and street performers singing and playing, the market attracted people from the surrounding community. There were mothers carrying their children who came to cook a healthy life for their families; there were also office workers in suits and ties who came to see what it was all about after hearing about it. This was the first time the market was held in a community, and Ah Bao hopes that this time, with the help of the community's local management and everyday purchasing, organic farming can be transformed from a conceptual model into one tied to the economy and people's livelihood.
No chemical agents added, no chemical fertilizers applied, no herbicides used, and apple snails removed by hand, all 19 stalls participating in the market insisted on organic and healthy farming methods, but each person had a special story behind them.
Ms. Chen Mei of Xingjian Village in Sanxing Township is 63 years old this year. From personally leading the way in switching to organic rice when she served as village chief, to persuading 17 farmers in the village to change their farming concepts, she went through a bitter period of being misunderstood; now even the old farmers who once mocked her have joined the ranks of organic farming. In the 90th year of the Republic of China, when she served as village chief, she discovered that farmers were harming their own health when using pesticides, and that conventional farming also produced poor harvests, so she held lectures in the village, invited the Hualien Improvement Station to teach, and vigorously promoted organic farming methods. "This generation must do a good job so the next generation can see it," she said with a smile. "Letting consumers eat good rice is the reason for our happiness."
There were also farmers who, agreeing with the practices of organic farming, changed careers and became gatherers. You Lihua of Huatiancuo Farm was originally a volunteer on the Thousand-Mile Trail. She came into contact with the concept of organic farming through the media, and while hiking she also saw farming practices in the fields, and finally, despite her friends' puzzlement, she rolled up her pant legs and went into the fields herself to become a bean-growing farmer.
The parents' community of the Waldorf School also set up a stall at the market, selling handmade works by parents and children as well as donated clothes from various sources to raise funds for the Anthroposophical Education Foundation. Parent Mr. Lin said, "Waldorf is a school based on anthroposophy, and we hope this trial stall can provide more support for students' development."
Since the Dazhaiyuan Market was first held in 2009, its reputation has gradually become known to more people. However, because people do not take farmers' organic costs into account when looking at organic food, the small farmers' sales have not increased accordingly. Therefore, this market added a lecture segment, and Ah Bao personally took the stage to talk about "how to cultivate one mu of friendly farmland," promoting the concept of organic farming to the public. Each farmer also took advantage of consumers' lingering footsteps to introduce organic practices.
Yilan FUN Market
At the invitation of the Yilan Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Dazhaiyuan Friendly Market will hold the Yilan FUN Market in the first and third weeks of November and December at the Yilan Performing Arts Hall plaza, specially inviting many community and handmade stalls. It will be wonderfully lively, with rich and interesting activities, and everyone is welcome to come and join in week after week!
Market times: 11/5, 11/19, 12/3, 12/17 (Yilan FUN Market, Yilan Performing Arts Hall plaza) 11/12, 11/26, 12/10, 12/24 (kindergarten)
Dazhaiyuan Friendly Market
Friendly Farming Small Farmers Alliance Facebook
Baolian Garden, Ah Bao's website
