In 2000, the Agricultural Development Act (農業發展條例) lifted the restriction that prohibited non-farmers from purchasing or selling farmland. As a result, illegal farmhouses have become so prevalent that the government cannot keep turning a blind eye.
To address the issue, the Ministry of the Interior and the Council of Agriculture amended the Regulations Governing Agricultural Dwelling Houses (農業用地興建農舍辦法), which stipulates that individuals applying for permission to construct farmhouses and buyers of farmhouses must be farmers — except in cases of inheritance — so that farmland is used for agricultural purposes.
The new regulations are likely to be announced and implemented later this month. However, some groups and lawmakers are opposed to the amendment, saying that it would affect farmland prices.
Nonetheless, in order for agriculture to be sustainable, Taiwanese should support the implementation of such regulations.
The importance of farm produce for national security and livelihood is unquestionable. In addition to addressing the issue of illegal farmhouses, the government should look at how much farmland is idle and draw up a comprehensive plan for land use.
Currently there are more than 800,000 hectares of farmland in Taiwan, more than 200,000 hectares of which are idle, fallow or uncultivated, which is not only a waste of precious land resources, but also a burden for the government, which pays nearly NT$10 billion (US$323.39 million) in subsidies for fallow land yearly.
Taking into account structural changes within industry, economic development, the environment, eating habits, trade liberalization and the reality on the ground in farming villages — the aging population in the industry, lack of labor, low incomes and water allocation for agriculture, which currently accounts for 72.6 percent of total water resources — it is debatable whether there is a need for so much agricultural land.
The government has not devised a comprehensive plan for how much land should be set aside for agricultural use, how much water should be allocated to agriculture and what regions should be allotted to farmland. Consequently, farmland and irrigation pipeline systems have fallen into disrepair, which impacts food supply, and water and land conservation.
There are some factors that authorities should pay special attention to when devising a new plan.
The first thing to consider is water supply. According to a Japanese study, for food self-sufficiency to increase 10 percent, an extra 16 billion tonnes of water is needed.
The key factor for food supply is not land, but water. The UN listed Taiwan as the worlds 18th-most water-scarce region; since water demand increases yearly domestically and water resources are difficult to track, it is vital to efficiently combine agricultural production and water utilization in agriculture.
Land resource allocation tends to be discussed in terms of economic benefits since land used for industrial or commercial purposes can produce more profit than land used for agriculture.
The problem is, the profits created by consortiums are shared by the consortiums, minus the cut given to government, and the activities are often environmentally damaging. The documentary Beyond Beauty:Taiwan From Above (看見台灣) explores this issue.
On the other hand, agricultural production can stabilize commodity prices, benefit the public and allow the land to be reused. Agriculture has many advantages that cannot be distilled purely to the economic value of what is produced on it, and planning should reflect this.
Last, for farmers whose land is categorized as high-quality and cannot be used for other purposes, the government should provide them with large subsidies and help them improve their facilities, so that they can increase their incomes, and in turn encouraging farming.
This way, farmers would not feel frustrated when their land is categorized as farmland. Taiwan would also be able to continue to pursue economic growth, efficiently distribute and utilize limited water and land resources, and save its agriculture.
Du Yu is chief executive officer of the Chen-Li Task Force for Agricultural Reform.
Translated by Ethan Zhan
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