Nighttime lighting on water bamboo shoots affects the ecosystem; friendly small farmers in Puli seek a new way forward
A group of water bamboo (Zizania latifolia) farmers practicing eco-friendly cultivation in Puli, Nantou, use no pesticides or chemical fertilizers, keep artificial lighting to a minimum, and process water bamboo into water bamboo cakes. In their growing methods, unlike the nighttime lighting equipment commonly seen in the water bamboo fields of Puli, these farmers hardly use any lights, or use lights for at most four hours a day, avoiding excessive fertilization that causes soil acidification. In their processing methods, the water bamboo cakes these farmers offer are certified organic from raw materials to processing. Taking a bite of organic water bamboo cake from Puli is not only good for consumers' health, but also invisibly supports a land-friendly way of farming.
Less lighting in water bamboo fields maintains soil health
The Heart of Taiwan Greater Puli Organic Alliance named the water bamboo cake "Water Bamboo Fragrant Cake." Because it is made using organic processing methods, its shelf life is only twelve days, and production begins only after an order is placed. Usually, Water Bamboo Fragrant Cake can be bought at some markets and restaurants in Puli, Nantou, and recently water bamboo farmers from Puli also set up a stall at the "Footprints in the Field" market in the South Gate Park area of the National Taiwan Museum, sparking curiosity among many visitors: "So water bamboo can be eaten this way too?"
The dream of Hung Chuan-hung and his partners is to make Puli an organic town, growing water bamboo in an environmentally friendly way, not only without pesticides or chemical fertilizers but also with reduced use of nighttime lighting equipment, maintaining soil health for a win-win-win situation for the environment, producers and consumers.
He estimates that one kilogram of eco-friendly cultivated water bamboo can be made into thirty pieces of Water Bamboo Fragrant Cake, and if more consumers support this, it will encourage more producers to switch to eco-friendly farming. Hung Chuan-hung said, "The water bamboo planting area in Puli is 1,700 hectares, but only five hectares have been converted to organic farming so far, and adding eco-friendly cultivation it does not exceed 100 hectares. We still have a lot of room to grow."