In order to obtain young human resources for agriculture, the Council of Agriculture (COA) has actively promoted new farmers’ training programs. The program is not only holding various agriculture training camps but also planning such measures as agricultural professional training, consultation services, farmland acquisition, financing and marketing channels to help those young people smoothly realize their dream of engaging in agriculture. COA Minister Chen Wu-hsiung asked aspired youths to join agriculture with the Council’s assistance while announcing at a May 31 press conference that the 2010 agricultural professional training camps are open to registration starting on June 1.

The Council noted that helping youths to engage in farming has been evolved from sponsoring stray bird camps to more integrated new agricultural operaters cultivation programs. A total of 108 camps are planned for this year to train 3,157 potential young farmers. In addition to short-term professional agricultural training camp for those interested young people, the Council has specially planned short-term advanced training for various agricultural products production for them to experience farm work in order for aspired youths to learn more of agricultural knowledge and practices. Various camps are open to registration starting on June 1. For further information, please check http://academy.coa.gov.tw/.

Just like planting seeds, the COA said agricultural professional camps and various agricultural products production trainings are aimed at offering those young people who have never touched agriculture previously an opportunity to understand this important industry. Professional agricultural training and farm work experience are designed for the seeds to sprout, while various successive guidance and assistance measures provided by the COA, including “Small Landlords, Big Tenants,” special agricultural loan projects, farmers market and technical guidance and assistance, will help the aspired youths engage in agriculture steadily just like fertilizers make plants grow firmly.

This new farmers training program has since its beginning assisted more than 900 youths in starting their agricultural careers. The COA specially introduced at the May 31 press conference six such cases. Although with different backgrounds, the six young people had the same dream of becoming a farmer. After undergoing a short-term professional agricultural training last year, they received practical training at Jianfu Organic Farm in Gongguan Township, Miaoli County. They made their dream come true by cultivating the land during the day and discussing problems and sharing what they had learned in the evening. The desolate land covered formerly with weeds had become a neat farmland and reaped gradually the harvest under their diligent tilling. Through the “Small Landlords, Big Tenants” program, the six youths rented farmland early this year and officially joined the Agriculture Production and Marketing Group. Although being green hands in the field of agriculture, they are not alone on the road to becoming farmers. With Director Lo Wen-hsiang of the Jianfu Organic Farm as their field production instructor and Miaoli District Agricultural Research and Extension Station as their consultant and local farmers association has helped these six young people find appropriate farmland and provided them with preferential loans, their future can be expected.

The story of Mr. Huang Wen-cheng and other five youths has fully demonstrated the function of the new Farmers Cultivation Program. Their dream of becoming a farmer has come true via the program in combination with complete guidance and assistance provided by all concerned parties. Minister Chen expressed the hope that the various cultivation programs this year will find more excellent budding young talents for Taiwan’s agriculture by attracting more interested young people from the society.