The Council of Agricultural launched the “Take Off of Wandervogel” program on 1st of August. The Wandervogel Program is part of the new agricultural movement. Mr. Su Jia-Chyuan, the Minister of the Council of Agriculture hosted the Flag presentation ceremony of this new agricultural movement at 9AM on 1st of August.

The Council of Agricultural said that their 7 regional Agricultural Research and Extension Stations joined forces with the Council in ensuring that the Wandervogel Camp be successful.Its participants are divided into 42 camps under 7 organizing stations. A total of 554 participants signed up for the camp, and there are still 286 slots. The activities held are all very interesting. For example, the Magpie Camp in Miaoli has participants producing vegetables and fruits, flowers, and experiencing life in a leisure farm pasture.At the Blue Magpie Camp in Taoyuan, the participants learn about bamboo shoot cultivation and tea manufacturing. The Egret Camp in Taichung shows them the winemaking technology and the Alauda Gulgula Camp exposes them to agriculture. The camps have names that reflect their different themes, like Blue Magpie Camp in Taoyuan, Magpie Camp in Miaoli, Egret Camp in Taichung and Alauda Gulgula Camp in Kaoshiung.

The Council of Agricultural said that since the Wandervogel Camp started to accept online applications on 7th of July, the program has received very good responses from the public. In order to make sure that the participants really experience agriculture, every camp only accepts 20 participants. The first camp from August 1 to 3 in 7 stations had 140 participants soon after the start of registration. Minister Su Jia-Chyuan said that it showed how the youth yearn to return to the land where they grew up. He also emphasized that the program is for youth from 18 to 35 years old. For those above 35 years old, the Council of Agricultural is planning to hold a program called Gardener Project in September.

The Council of Agriculture plans to make some adjustments to the Wandervogel Program in response to the good feedback from participants. The Council will especially pay attention to the youth who are willing to get more involved in agriculture business, by giving them financial support and consultation. The Council plans to hold 35 more Wandervogel Camps before the end of the year at seven venues around the country. Those who are interested may visit the website: straybirds.coa.gov.tw and register online.