A new “Rural Renaissance” movement, which symbolizes the awaking of Taiwanese to a new life philosophy, has been taking shape and the government should take a leading role in making the renaissance happen, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
More people have decided to move away from the cities, either returning to their rural hometown or choosing to live in the countryside, the DPP’s presidential candidate said at campaign stop in the remote township of Nanjhuang (南庄), Miaoli County.
“These people work in all professions — farmers, artists, computer programmers, coffee shop owners, writers — and bring different dimensions that will be able to change the dynamics of development in Taiwan’s rural areas, which is why I called it a ‘Rural Renaissance,’” she said.
Photo: CNA
The “dream chasers” were far more intelligent than the government, she said, because they started to develop land and areas that had been “abandoned and forgotten” by the government and turned them into creative businesses or relaxing getaway sites.
If she were elected president, her administration would keep the Rural Renaissance alive and flourishing, Tsai said.
The government should launch a rural land reform that includes three elements — a complete review of land use across the nation, a comprehensive plan for national rural land use and a proactive effort to help people resolve current controversial land use cases.
Speaking at a coffee shop established by a career woman who returned to Nanjhuang after spending many years in Taipei, Tsai said “a new wave of awakening of humanity was taking shape in many of the places I have visited — Meinung (美濃) in Greater Kaohsiung, Sinshe (新社) in Greater Taichung and the northeastern coast — on my campaign trips.”
What these people have been working on would enrich the local culture and traditions as well as boosting local economy, she said, and the government should relax outdated regulations to “let them blossom, and not get in their way.”
One key problem confronting the government is that it has placed strict limitations on the use of “non-urban lands,” but has only divided land into two types — urban and non-urban, she said.
A successful land reform effort would benefit agricultural development and boost local economies at the same time, Tsai said, noting that those are two areas her presidential platform has emphasized.
During an earlier visit to Dahu (大湖) in Miaoli County, which is known for its strawberry crops, Tsai reiterated that focusing on the local economy was the right direction for Taiwan because developing local economies would increase job opportunities and incomes.
Tsai, who aims to establish a “new agriculture” based on precision and technology, proposed the establishment of a NT$100 billion (US$3.32 billion) agricultural development fund, a tracking system for all agricultural products and a marketplace platform to ensure fair prices for agricultural products.
Her agricultural policy also focuses on the domestic market by encouraging “local production and local consumption.”
Tsai is scheduled to conclude her four-day trip to Hakka areas in Miaoli, Hsinchu and Taiyuan today.
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