5/29/23
A fabulous timeline of events was already provided by author Jay Chung, so I will just share some observations from the day. Some impressive facts about the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology were that it had the biggest campus in Taiwan, and ranked 1st in the country as the greenest campus. It would be interesting to learn what criteria determine that ranking. In the morning lecture, Ms. Faith Lee mentioned a large issue facing Taiwanese farmers (especially in the southern and coastal areas) is the overconsumption of groundwater. When too much groundwater is extracted it causes seawater to creep inland underground, infiltrating the water supply which can have disastrous consequences for plants. Jumping ahead to the Microbial Agent Research and Development Center, it was interesting to learn about the bacteria Bacillus amyloliquefaciens PMB05. Its ability to strengthen plants’ resistance to diseases might be a solution that can extend beyond Taiwan. During the smart farming presentation, Mr. Ricky Ke talked about a bachelor program in agriculture and science that allowed farmers to receive free education for four years on the condition that they would then farm for four years afterward. I think that is a great way to promote more sustainable agriculture and wonder if similar programs exist/could be adopted in the US. Something I didn’t quite understand was why smart farming on campus couldn’t incorporate organic spraying and biodegradable plastic methods. That way, for example, spraying could be targeted (less) and also not as harmful.
Some fun facts of the day:
I’m pretty sure I hypnotized two angel fish.
At the urbarium, I saw the biggest bean pod of my life!
I really enjoyed watching the chicken preen and settle down to nap as we learned about the university’s partnership with tribal communities to produce natural goods.
Alysa discovered a plant growing in the grass that closed its feathery leaves every time it was poked.
Ian tricked me into eating pig stomach.
At one point in the day, it felt like 102 degrees!
