2013年1月，為了迎接即將到來的春節，有兩場彎腰農夫市集喔！
其中一場，將會在政大位於金華街的公企中心前廣場進行！
歡迎大家先把時間留下來唷！詳細的市集訊息會陸續發出～
1/13（日）10：00-17：00│政大公企中心
台北市大安區金華街 187 號
1/20（日）10：00-17：00│寶藏巖國際藝術村
台北市汀州路三段230巷14弄2號（汀州郵局對面）
2012年12月26日
2013/01月，迎接春節，有兩場彎腰農夫市集喔！
2013年1月，為了迎接即將到來的春節，有兩場彎腰農夫市集喔！
其中一場，將會在政大位於金華街的公企中心前廣場進行！
歡迎大家先把時間留下來唷！詳細的市集訊息會陸續發出～
1/13（日）10：00-17：00│政大公企中心
台北市大安區金華街 187 號
1/20（日）10：00-17：00│寶藏巖國際藝術村
台北市汀州路三段230巷14弄2號（汀州郵局對面）
2012年12月12日
12/12 台北時報（英文）報導
When youths take action
On the third Sunday of every month, dozens of farmers from around the country cart their goods to Treasure Hill (寶藏巖), set up tents and transform the hilly artist village in Gongguan (公館) into a bustling market. Featuring produce grown and harvested using sustainable farming methods, it resembles a growing number of impromptu markets established over the past several years.
But Bow to Land Farmers’ Market (彎腰農夫市集), as it has been dubbed, is more than just buying and selling natural produce. Growers from farming communities facing forced land expropriation trek to the capital to communicate with consumers about their campaigns against “land grabbing.” Meanwhile, university-aged volunteers helm the market’s communal kitchen, assist farmers and help to set up forums where participants discuss a wide range of issues ranging from food safety and agricultural development to Tibetans’ right to legally reside in Taiwan and the ongoing controversy surrounding the Losheng (Happy Life) Sanatorium (樂生療養院).
The monthly event is co-organized by the Hao Ran Foundation (浩然基金會), Taiwan Rural Front (TRF, 台灣農村陣線), a social organization that promotes land justice and ecological sustainability, and the Guyu Society (穀雨社), an agriculture club composed mainly of students from universities in Taipei including National Chengchi University, Shih Hsin University and NTU.
“Since the public rarely has a chance to know what is happening in rural areas, we want the market to not only be a site of trade, but also a venue that serves as a public forum through which issues are discussed, shared and spread,” said Hsu Chao-wei (徐肇尉), a doctoral student at National Taiwan University (NTU).
The alliance between students and farmers’ rights advocates, which gives the market its unequivocally social and political character, is no coincidence. In 2008, the passing of the first reading of the Rural Revitalization Act (農村再生條例), which was ratified in 2010, drew heavy criticism from farmers, activists, academics and other concerned citizens who found the law ill-conceived because it failed to address the overarching challenges facing Taiwan’s agricultural sector such as global trade liberalization, the lack of access to markets and the loss of a rural labor force.
“As an important agricultural policy pursued by Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration, the Rural Revitalization Act deals with only a tiny part of the problem by focusing on the improvement of rural facilities. It also leaves room for forced land expropriation,” said TRF researcher Lin Le-xin (林樂昕).
That sentiment is shared by activists who want to understand farming by experiencing it first-hand, rather than reading about it in books.
“There was a lot of debate and discussion going on, and we felt that the government didn’t know what was needed in rural communities. But when we tried to understand what was really happening in those communities, we realized we didn’t know about them either,” said Hsu, an active member of the student club since its inception in 2009.
To rectify the gap caused by years of neglecting the country’s agricultural policies and farming villages, TRF started to organize summer camps in 2009, sending young activists and university students to live and work with local residents in dozens of rural villages and conduct interviews and surveys.
To Shih Kuan-lun (石冠倫), a senior at NTU, visiting places like Meinong (美濃) in Kaohsiung has changed his viewpoint from that of an urban consumer to a grower of rural produce.
“Understanding is key to breaking existing ideas and stereotypes,” Shih said. “You must understand first in order to know why you take action and have the courage to carry it out.”
Some past participants of the camp did just that, forming activist groups to campaign against land seizure in Siangsihliao (相思寮) in Changhua County’s Erlin Township (二林) and “land grabbing” by Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Co (KPTC, 國光石化), also in Changhua County.
Lin said that farmers’ rights advocates were not aware that government takeover of farmland to make way for various development projects was a common threat facing the country’s rural villages until students and activists visited places including Siangsihliao, Erchongpu (二重埔) in Hsinchu County’s Jhudong Township (竹東), Dapu Borough (大埔) in Jhunan Township (竹南) and Wanbao Borough (灣寶) in Houlong Township (後龍), both in Miaoli County.
“We went to these places without having specific agendas. Only when we started to discuss our experiences together did we realize that what happens in each village is not an isolated case. It is a structural problem. So we began to pursue legal and institutional reform,” Lin said.
While others organize campaigns and march on Ketagalan Boulevard (凱達格蘭大道), some young advocates like Chang Su-wei (章思偉) choose to stay in villages, learn to farm and work with community-based organizations. Along with several other members, Chang answered the call of organic farmer and agricultural advocate Lai Ching-sung (賴青松) to learn traditional farming methods on a rice paddy in Yilan.
“We did everything manually from growing seeds, planting seedlings to harvesting,” Chang said. “Local farmers have watched what we have been doing ... Things have started to change. Our landlord, for example, is trying not to use chemical pesticides and fertilizers.”
The group of novel farmer successfully produced and sold 600 kilograms of rice this year. To strengthen their connection with local residents, these activists will team up with local NGO’s for a series of environmental education programs and establish a platform to market locally produced green products next year.
“Some farmers want to switch to sustainable farming but can’t afford to do so because the price controlled by wholesale dealers is too low,” Chang added.
Back in Taipei, Chen Yi-chun (陳怡君) from Hao Ran Foundation pointed out that most of the products available at Bow to Land are not certified organic since smallholder farmers don’t have the “time, money and energy to go through the process.” She added that certification costs a farmer NT$20,000 to NT$30,000 each year and has to be renewed every one or two years.
The farmers’ market carries mostly “environmentally friendly” products, which means they are grown and produced without chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.
“The business is built on trust between consumers and growers. We want to encourage human connection and mutual understanding,” Chen said. “We want consumers to buy the banana because they know the farmer who grows it, not because of the label stuck on it.”
However, the farmers at the market often face questions from consumers about their higher prices that necessarily reflect the higher cost of sustainable farming, Chen said.
“We should ask if it is fair to put the cost of producing healthy, green products on growers alone,” she added.
To Lin of TRF, an answer to the dilemma can be found in the kind of environmental subsidy programs practiced by EU countries. As Lin explained, instead of subsidizing fallow farmland and fertilizer manufacturers as Taiwan’s government has been doing, the program encourages farmers to manage farmland using environmentally friendly agricultural practices in order to receive subsidies.
“It emphasizes the idea that the function of farmland is manifold. It can grow food and have ecological benefits. Therefore, a farmer’s earnings should come from many sources too and have minimum income even if a typhoon ruins the entire harvest,” she said.
“Of course, studies need to be done before the actual implementation of such program. But the first step is to educate the public about it.”
For your information: Bow to Land Farmers’ Market takes place from 10am to 5pm on the third Sunday of every month. On the Net: bowtoland.blogspot.tw.
The monthly farmers’ market at Treasure Hill offers a platform for farmers, students, activists and consumers to meet, learn and take action
By Ho Yi / Staff reporter / TAIPEI TIMES, Wed, Dec 12, 2012 - Page 12
By Ho Yi / Staff reporter / TAIPEI TIMES, Wed, Dec 12, 2012 - Page 12
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2012/12/12/2003549938/1
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On the third Sunday of every month, dozens of farmers from around the country cart their goods to Treasure Hill (寶藏巖), set up tents and transform the hilly artist village in Gongguan (公館) into a bustling market. Featuring produce grown and harvested using sustainable farming methods, it resembles a growing number of impromptu markets established over the past several years.
But Bow to Land Farmers’ Market (彎腰農夫市集), as it has been dubbed, is more than just buying and selling natural produce. Growers from farming communities facing forced land expropriation trek to the capital to communicate with consumers about their campaigns against “land grabbing.” Meanwhile, university-aged volunteers helm the market’s communal kitchen, assist farmers and help to set up forums where participants discuss a wide range of issues ranging from food safety and agricultural development to Tibetans’ right to legally reside in Taiwan and the ongoing controversy surrounding the Losheng (Happy Life) Sanatorium (樂生療養院).
The monthly event is co-organized by the Hao Ran Foundation (浩然基金會), Taiwan Rural Front (TRF, 台灣農村陣線), a social organization that promotes land justice and ecological sustainability, and the Guyu Society (穀雨社), an agriculture club composed mainly of students from universities in Taipei including National Chengchi University, Shih Hsin University and NTU.
Raising awareness
The alliance between students and farmers’ rights advocates, which gives the market its unequivocally social and political character, is no coincidence. In 2008, the passing of the first reading of the Rural Revitalization Act (農村再生條例), which was ratified in 2010, drew heavy criticism from farmers, activists, academics and other concerned citizens who found the law ill-conceived because it failed to address the overarching challenges facing Taiwan’s agricultural sector such as global trade liberalization, the lack of access to markets and the loss of a rural labor force.
TRF was founded in the same year.
Back to the land
“There was a lot of debate and discussion going on, and we felt that the government didn’t know what was needed in rural communities. But when we tried to understand what was really happening in those communities, we realized we didn’t know about them either,” said Hsu, an active member of the student club since its inception in 2009.
To rectify the gap caused by years of neglecting the country’s agricultural policies and farming villages, TRF started to organize summer camps in 2009, sending young activists and university students to live and work with local residents in dozens of rural villages and conduct interviews and surveys.
To Shih Kuan-lun (石冠倫), a senior at NTU, visiting places like Meinong (美濃) in Kaohsiung has changed his viewpoint from that of an urban consumer to a grower of rural produce.
“Understanding is key to breaking existing ideas and stereotypes,” Shih said. “You must understand first in order to know why you take action and have the courage to carry it out.”
widespread threat
Lin said that farmers’ rights advocates were not aware that government takeover of farmland to make way for various development projects was a common threat facing the country’s rural villages until students and activists visited places including Siangsihliao, Erchongpu (二重埔) in Hsinchu County’s Jhudong Township (竹東), Dapu Borough (大埔) in Jhunan Township (竹南) and Wanbao Borough (灣寶) in Houlong Township (後龍), both in Miaoli County.
“We went to these places without having specific agendas. Only when we started to discuss our experiences together did we realize that what happens in each village is not an isolated case. It is a structural problem. So we began to pursue legal and institutional reform,” Lin said.
While others organize campaigns and march on Ketagalan Boulevard (凱達格蘭大道), some young advocates like Chang Su-wei (章思偉) choose to stay in villages, learn to farm and work with community-based organizations. Along with several other members, Chang answered the call of organic farmer and agricultural advocate Lai Ching-sung (賴青松) to learn traditional farming methods on a rice paddy in Yilan.
“We did everything manually from growing seeds, planting seedlings to harvesting,” Chang said. “Local farmers have watched what we have been doing ... Things have started to change. Our landlord, for example, is trying not to use chemical pesticides and fertilizers.”
The group of novel farmer successfully produced and sold 600 kilograms of rice this year. To strengthen their connection with local residents, these activists will team up with local NGO’s for a series of environmental education programs and establish a platform to market locally produced green products next year.
Sustainable farming
Back in Taipei, Chen Yi-chun (陳怡君) from Hao Ran Foundation pointed out that most of the products available at Bow to Land are not certified organic since smallholder farmers don’t have the “time, money and energy to go through the process.” She added that certification costs a farmer NT$20,000 to NT$30,000 each year and has to be renewed every one or two years.
The farmers’ market carries mostly “environmentally friendly” products, which means they are grown and produced without chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.
“The business is built on trust between consumers and growers. We want to encourage human connection and mutual understanding,” Chen said. “We want consumers to buy the banana because they know the farmer who grows it, not because of the label stuck on it.”
However, the farmers at the market often face questions from consumers about their higher prices that necessarily reflect the higher cost of sustainable farming, Chen said.
“We should ask if it is fair to put the cost of producing healthy, green products on growers alone,” she added.
To Lin of TRF, an answer to the dilemma can be found in the kind of environmental subsidy programs practiced by EU countries. As Lin explained, instead of subsidizing fallow farmland and fertilizer manufacturers as Taiwan’s government has been doing, the program encourages farmers to manage farmland using environmentally friendly agricultural practices in order to receive subsidies.
“It emphasizes the idea that the function of farmland is manifold. It can grow food and have ecological benefits. Therefore, a farmer’s earnings should come from many sources too and have minimum income even if a typhoon ruins the entire harvest,” she said.
“Of course, studies need to be done before the actual implementation of such program. But the first step is to educate the public about it.”
For your information: Bow to Land Farmers’ Market takes place from 10am to 5pm on the third Sunday of every month. On the Net: bowtoland.blogspot.tw.
2012年12月10日
【彎腰農夫市集】12/16 (日) 10:00~17:00│寶藏巖
【彎腰農夫市集】12/16 (日) 10:00~17:00│寶藏巖綠野地
來自台灣各地走在友善耕作路途上的小農、關心農業的友善團體、面臨土地問題的議題區農友，以及對土地關懷的人們，齊聚在這裡，帶來了辛勤耕作與加工製造的各式農產品，以及許多想要對彼此說的話。歡迎你來認識這些可親、照顧環境的生產者，也期待能夠在消費的過程中，填滿我們對彼此的想像。
（作物的生長與自然環境息息相關，彎腰農友會因季節和產地情況等不同因素參與市集。如果這個月有找不到的農友，歡迎直接在彎腰部落格的農友群像裡找到農友的聯絡方式，直接打電話關心農友和作物喔！）
【親子手作坊】12/16 (日) 10:30~12:00│綠野地舞台
手作真工夫： 瓊崖海棠種子DIY
小老師： 野上野下
材料費： 網路報名150元 / 現場報名200元
野上野下又來彎腰了，這個月小老師要帶大家一起做瓊崖海棠種子DIY！什麼是瓊崖海棠呢？瓊崖海棠是台灣的原生樹種，喜歡濕熱的環境，主要生長範圍在恆春海邊，屬於抗風海濱植物。秋天是瓊崖海棠結果實的季節，掛滿了一顆顆圓滾滾粉綠色、赤褐色果實的瓊崖海棠，相當可愛迷人哩。瓊崖海棠的種子很大，可以彩繪，也可以搭配不同配件製作成項鍊！趕快來跟著野上野下小老師一起製作瓊崖海棠種子DIY！
報名網址（採網路報名，現場如果有空缺也可現場報名）：https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHRFZnBBYnVLVHFROVU2dUE4a3VsM3c6MQ
【彎腰論壇】12/16 (日) 12:30~13:30│綠野地舞台
主題：我們要在一起—台藏婚配的故事
主講：蔡詠晴、龍珠慈仁
12月的彎腰論壇，和過去不太一樣，但帶來了一個正在我們身邊發生的事情，要請大家聽聽他們的故事。如果大家有發現，自從10月份開始，在彎腰的一個小小角落，有著流亡圖博人精緻的的手工藝品。透過這些彩色的、編織的藝品，所連結到的創作者們的生活樣貌是如何？當他們來到台灣，又有哪些我們從不知道的過程與旅途？本月份彎腰論壇，邀請你一起來聽台藏婚配的故事。
【小農講堂】12/16 (日) 13:40~15:10│綠野地舞台
主題： 認識友善地球有機棉x上下游—台灣第一個以食物與農業為主的新聞x市集平台
主講： 冶綠
薛焜中＆上下游 章雅喬
許多人來到市集，都會好奇每個小農/生產者的故事，但又總是害羞不敢靠近多聊！沒關係，歡迎大家來小農講堂聽小農說故事！彎腰將於每個月的市集邀請1-2位生產者來和大家分享自家物產的生產過程與製作理念，千萬別錯過這個溫暖的機會！
*****************************************************************
歡迎大家持續點閱彎腰農夫市集的部落格http://bowtoland.blogspot.com與FACEBOOK－彎腰農夫市集https://www.facebook.com/bowtoland.FM！
提醒大家，可以自行攜帶購物帶來裝購買的產品，而現場拿到的塑膠袋，也別急著丟，回家清洗晾乾後即可重複使用唷！
市集地點│寶藏巖國際藝術村
台北市汀州路三段230巷14弄2號
寶藏巖國際藝術村多林蔭、綠野，有豐富的自然生態，建議來逛市集的朋友可做簡單的防蚊蟲準備，如攜帶精油、穿著輕便長袖與長褲。然而來到這裡，你絕對不會失望，現場充滿農友愛心的友善農產、鮮蔬、加工品跟輕食，非常值得細細走逛，慢慢品嚐喔！
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