In 2024 the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) continued to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to organize the 5^th Young Agricultural Ambassadors New Southbound Policy Exchange Program. A delegation of 12 selected outstanding young farmers and students from Taiwan arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on August 26 to begin a six-day visit. The itinerary included trips to the regional office for East and Southeast Asia of the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), located in Bangkok; Kasetstart University, founded as an agricultural university; and “Talaad Thai,” the largest 24-hour wholesale market in Southeast Asia. The journey also included several activities related to Taiwan-Thailand public-private partnerships in the field of agricultural production technology, operational practices, and trade. The visit will be helpful to creating mutually beneficial cooperation models between the agricultural sectors in the two countries.

        Through their visit to the regional office of WorldVeg, the Young Agricultural Ambassadors learned about Taiwan’s support for WorldVeg in establishing global vegetable cooperation and an expanded vegetable research network. WorldVeg’s work includes enhancing vegetable diversity, expanding use of vegetables in order to improve overall human nutrition, and generating job opportunities for women. Yang Shihyi, the head of Young Agricultural Ambassadors to Thailand, says that he learned how the breeding program for vegetables will improve vegetable cultivation and nutritional intake in developing countries, and how the application of integrated pest management technology and techniques (currently being promoted by Taiwan’s MOA) has assisted Thailand to use natural predators to control insect pests on edible flowers, with excellent results. The Ambassadors were also deeply impressed by the price negotiations at Thai fruit and vegetable markets; Thailand’s agriproduct storage, preservation, and transport models; and its norms for GAP certification. They also learned about trends in Thailand’s consumer market for agriproducts including fruit and flowers, the impact of extreme weather on Thai fragrant rice production, and the promotion of integrated pest management by international organizations.

       The MOA stresses that the Young Agricultural Ambassadors program has already entered a new stage. In the future the goal will be to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in terms of supply chains. It is hoped that through enhancing the expertise of young farmers and the scientific knowledge of students from various agricultural fields (including farming, fisheries, and animal husbandry), issues including the digital transformation of agriculture, R&D into and application of innovative technology and techniques, and net-zero carbon emissions can be cooperatively addressed. The visit aimed to galvanize innovative thinking and methods by Taiwanese and Thai young people, promote the construction of a combined operations model for Taiwanese and Thai supply chains, and lay a strong foundation for new developments in Taiwan-Thailand agricultural collaboration.

Taiwan’s Young Agricultural Ambassadors paid a visit to the regional office for East and Southeast Asia of the World Vegetable Center, where a researcher introduced a program for implementation of biological protection of agriproducts.

This photo shows a researcher introducing Taiwan’s Young Agricultural Ambassadors to an ongoing breeding program at the regional office for East and Southeast Asia of the World Vegetable Center.

This photo shows a researcher introducing Taiwan’s Young Agricultural Ambassadors to seed collection for bitter melon, part of an ongoing WorldVeg program, during their visit to the regional office for East and Southeast Asia of the World Vegetable Center.

Taiwan’s Young Agricultural Ambassadors visited a Talaad Thai Market where they exchanged information with local pineapple business people on methods for harvesting and peeling pineapples.