Rare and curious sights in farmland: take a look at those unusual and peculiar scenes in the fields

Nestled below the Xueshan (Snow Mountain) Range, Neicheng enjoys abundant water sources and is surrounded by mountains; this superior environment makes its farmland ecology exceptionally rich. In this workshop we will take farmland ecological survey as our main focus, and further explore the interactive relationship between the organisms living in this shallow-mountain environment and human production activities.

 

Host:

Rihe Education Foundation

Co-organizers:

Original Flavor Grocery Store, Xueshanjiao Mountain Wilderness Studio

Target participants:

Teachers at all levels of school, friendly small farmers, and other workers promoting farmland ecological environments, 15 people in total.

Workshop topics:

1. The importance of intact farmland ecology

2. Basic survey methods for paddy field snails and bivalves, and aquatic insects

3. Basic survey methods for insects and invertebrates in dry fields (such as vegetable gardens)

4. Introduction to the concept of community-supported agriculture

Instructor introductions:
1.Lin Fangyi

Master's degree from the Institute of Zoology, National Taiwan University; PhD in Wildlife Conservation from Virginia Polytechnic Institutes and State University in the United States. Her specialty is research on the relationship between birds and habitat. She kept searching for an entry point outside the ivory tower of academia where she could make a substantive contribution to ecological conservation in Taiwan, and unexpectedly found her place after taking up farming. She is determined that for at least the next ten years she will, in the dual role of ecologist and friendly small farmer, combine ecology with agricultural techniques to find the possibility of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature in agriculture.

2.Chen Yihan

Graduated from the Department of Biology, National Sun Yat-sen University; Master's degree in Biology from Indiana State University in the United States. He has dabbled in everything from creatures that fly in the sky to those that swim in the sea, and is proficient in research on birds, earthworms and barnacles. Farming was never an option in his life plan, yet by chance he became a full-time farmer. He currently practices rice farming in Yilan using friendly cultivation methods, growing rice on an area of 1.5 jia. Throughout the growing process he uses no pesticides and no chemical fertilizers; while producing healthy, toxin-free grain, he also puts the concept of conserving the ecological environment into practice.

Event date:

2015December12th, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm

How to register:

Online registration opens at 12:00 noon on 2015November2nd, until 12:00 noon on 11month23rd or until full. Please go to http://goo.gl/forms/7mfjNwAaC6 to complete the activity registration form. After submitting the registration form, we will confirm with you by phone within three working days (Monday to Friday), or please call (03)9228670 or 0963-765-767 to reach Mr. Pan.

Event fee:

550 yuan, including instructor fee, lunch, insurance, miscellaneous expenses, etc.

Check-in location:

Sun Farm (No. 10-1, Lane 383, Rongguang Road, Neicheng Village, Yuanshan Township, Yilan County)

Event reminders:

1. Please bring your own eco-friendly chopsticks and water bottle.
2. The hands-on survey activities will be conducted outdoors and Yilan winters are rainy, so please consider preparing spare personal clothing, or bring your own rain boots.
3. In the event of force majeure such as typhoons, earthquakes or heavy rain, the foundation will adjust the activity content according to the situation; if it must be cancelled or postponed for any reason, notice will be given no later than noon the day before the event, so please fill in a daytime contact phone number and e-mail clearly.
4. Activity footage will be filmed during the event for use by the host organization in writing its activity report.

Event content:

As in the table below; actual content will be adjusted according to on-site conditions and further explained in the pre-event notice.

Time	Topic	Description	Speaker
9:00-9:30	Check-in
9:30-10:00	Many Stories of Neicheng	l Sharing Rihe Foundation's experience in promoting friendly-environment communities	Rihe team
10:00-10:50	Hands-on ecological survey of Neicheng paddy/dry fields1	l Biological survey tools and methods explainedl Setting up biological survey traps	Lin Fangyi, Chen Yihan
11:10-12:00	Animal Rangers - Wildlife's Contribution to Farmland	l Introduction to common shallow-mountain animalsl The interactive relationship between shallow-mountain animals and human production activities	Lin Fangyi, Chen Yihan
12:00-13:00	Community Lunch Box	l Tasting the good flavors of the local area	Rihe team
13:00-13:50	Field Matters You Don't Know About	l Introduction to farmland organismsl The ecosystem in farmland	Lin Fangyi, Chen Yihan
14:00-15:00	Hands-on ecological survey of Neicheng paddy/dry fields2	l Inspecting biological survey trapsl Species identification explained	Lin Fangyi, Chen Yihan
15:00-15:30	Friendly Afternoon Tea	l Freshly picked herbal tea from the grounds	Rihe team
15:30	Closing and Feedback	Filling in reflections	Rihe team

 

Payment process

1. Please pay the activity fee within three working days after receiving the confirmation call. After payment, please E-mail (photo) or fax the remittance receipt to the foundation.

(Write 'Rihe Farmland Ecological Survey / participant's name' on the remittance slip.)E-mail: [email protected] Fax: (03)9226274

2. Those who fail to pay within three working days will be deemed to have given up their place, and the foundation may open that place to others

3. Payment method: Please pay by remittance or ATM. Account:Yuanshan Neicheng Post Office/code:700/account number:01110440090468/account name:Cai Zhixian

Refund standards

1. If the event is forced to be cancelled due to natural disaster or irresistible events, the full fee will be refunded. If the event is cancelled, notification before 11/27 (inclusive) will receive a refund of 70% of the deposit; notification before 12/4 (inclusive) will receive a refund of 50% of the deposit; withdrawal within one week before the event will not be refunded for the activity fee already paid. For the above refund operations, the registrant must pay the transfer fee.

2. If you wish to transfer your place to another person, since it involves related insurance rights, please call the foundation three days before the event date to process the change of participant information.

3. Other: The foundation will send a pre-event notice one week before the event date, so please be sure to fill in your e-mail or fax clearly. If you have still not received the pre-event notice three days before the event date, please call (03)9228670 or 0963-765-767 to confirm with Mr. Pan.