A-Cong Grows Eagle Bamboo Shoots and Cultivates Farmers' Confidence
Text and photography by Liao Jing-hui
July and August are among the hottest months of the year, and this is still the season for green bamboo shoots.
In the bamboo shoot garden at the foot of Guanyin Mountain, several friends from downtown Taipei, hoping to taste fresh shoots, brave the high heat and weave through the uneven bamboo groves in search of shoots poking out of the ground.
The garden's owner, A-Cong (Lan Cong-ren), skillfully digs out the shoot heads and teaches the friends accompanying him how to successfully unearth the shape of a shoot, then cut it off cleanly in one stroke without splitting it. His son Lan Yi-xiang, a fourth-grader, is also nearby; ignoring his father's explanations, he has already found the shoot heads around the bamboo clumps and is waiting for his companions to come dig them up.
Eagle bamboo shoots living in harmony with nature
"I can only control the conditions I can control, not using pesticides or chemical fertilizers, but the conditions of the air, rain and soil depend on everyone's determination," A-Cong says. Taiwan is an island nation, unaffected by other regions, which is an advantage for organic farming; its agricultural conditions are better than other countries', yet it willingly pollutes itself.
"Exhaust emissions from cars, motorcycles and air conditioners, as well as industrial pollution, make it impossible to grow organic, healthy agricultural products." A-Cong believes that until technology can solve these pollution problems, everyone must work together to make the environment better in order to reach organic farming standards; it absolutely cannot rely on farmers' consensus alone.
A-Cong says that if the government is willing, it could start by building organic agriculture block by block, step by step. For example, some areas of Miaoli and Yunlin could farm in a more natural way, with everyone doing it together; gradually, changing one piece of land at a time, growing healthy food such as rice, vegetables and fruit.
Confident farmers
A-Cong believes Taiwanese farmers have long been marginalized by society and not valued; for a long time their status has been low and their economic power insufficient. With conditions unfavorable in every respect, of course they do not want their children and grandchildren to continue farming. By contrast, Japanese farmers are respected in society and have status; farming is regarded as a noble profession, and what they grow is respected.
Even so, A-Cong believes a change in mindset is important. Identifying with the land and being willing to change give him confidence in his crops, so that he can speak freely with others about his work and his beliefs.
A-Cong says that spending the whole day in the bamboo shoot garden never feels tiresome. Seeing this fertile, healthy land grow delicious shoots and agricultural products, A-Cong takes great pride in it.
A-Cong says the land left by his elders must be used properly and sustainably. His son chats comfortably in Taiwanese beside him, and his understanding of bamboo shoots is no less than anyone else's. To A-Cong, such a proud profession must be handed down to his son!