On September 25-26, the Council of Agriculture of the Executive Yuan held the “Exhibition of Achievements in Soil and Water Conservation and Rural Regeneration” at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park. Besides displaying the achievements of various plans and research projects, the event brought together representatives of industry, government, and academia to share knowledge about soil and water conservation, disaster prevention technology, and the Rural Regeneration program, in the hopes of creating a permanent legacy of experiences and knowledge on these subjects.

The event was held to coincide with the 10th anniversary this year of the Rural Regeneration program as well as the upcoming 60th anniversary of the founding of the Soil and Water Conservation Bureau (SWCB). Over the course of the two days there were a number of noteworthy speeches. COA Deputy Minister Chen Tian-shou spoke on “Agricultural policy implementation achievements and the outlook for the future,” Minister without Portfolio Audrey Tang shared “Development trends in social innovation,” SWCB Deputy Director General Wang Chin-lun delivered remarks entitled “Soil and water conservation at 60: A look back and future prospects,” and SWCB Deputy Director General Lin Chang-li shared “The past and transformation of Rural Regeneration.” Through this event, the COA hoped to bring together experts from various disciplines to mutually exchange experiences and knowledge, to inspire more creative ideas in the fields of soil and water conservation, disaster prevention, and Rural Regeneration and to continually improve work in these areas.

This Exhibition of Achievements carried on the past organization into four main aspects: “slopeland soil and water conservation,” “smart disaster prevention,” “industrial exchanges,” and “innovative rural communities.” Out of 287 project achievements, 25 were selected for oral presentations and 60 others were displayed on posters. At the same time a joint exhibition of achievements was arranged at the venue featuring 10 patents earned by the SWCB in the areas of construction project refinement and educational extension, eight industrial units that cooperate with the SWCB, and augmented reality and virtual reality interactive teaching materials for soil and water conservation. The event permitted everyone to collectively participate in the sharing and passing along of abundant achievements and innovative and interesting knowledge.

SWCB Director General Lee Chen-Yang states that on-site at the event one could hear about many achievements in the promotion of mountain management for disaster prevention and Rural Regeneration. These included studies and diversified achievements related to construction and engineering projects, monitoring for the prevention of debris flow disasters, management and monitoring of slopeland, and Rural Regeneration. It is hoped that through advanced discussion and exchange among all interested parties, cross-disciplinary integration will transform knowledge into capacity for innovation, and everyone can work together to raise soil and water conservation in Taiwan to international standards and construct a sustainable homeland of well-off and beautiful new rural communities.