National Taiwan Ocean University USR Project - “Together in Gongliao - Creating Beautiful Natural Landscapes of Symbiosis, Coexistence, and Shared Benefits”

Topic: Environmental Sustainability

Theme of the Article: A Creative Couple in the Northeast Coast of Taiwan

Gongliao 20 years ago was a place where I worked to earn wages during winter and summer vacations. It was very hot in the summers and damp and rainy in the winters, and it lacked the bustle and glamor of the cities. Twenty years have passed, my child now studies at Aodi Elementary School, and I became the president of the parents association. Many children at school are being raised by their grandparents; their parents need to work elsewhere because Gongliao lacks job opportunities. The elderly grandparents and children are left in Gongliao as the district gradually loses its vitality.

Gongliao, a district in the easternmost part of Taiwan, is a place with wetlands and rivers. Gongliao’s main economic source is the marine industry. In the early days, yams, bamboo, and rice were grown in wetlands and in the mountains. However, the water terrace fields were abandoned after the population moved away from the area. The bamboo huts also closed their doors. And yet, some elderly people in the area still grow yams. In community care activities, the elders often chat about yams, and they all generally have good yields every year. This is when we realized that the quality and yields of Gongliao yams are worth enhancing. But we lacked sales channels and marketing expertise. This meant that we could not attract young people back to Gongliao to develop the agricultural sector, and we could not set a price for the yams. Hence, the team took up the responsibility of marketing, aiming to come up with 1 or 2 special products. We first added services in regards to special experiences and then strove to increase production output, making progress by realizing the concept of collaboration.

Our team became acquainted with the National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU) USR Project in 2020 when we attended the “Gongliao, together we bring greatness” event. Gongliao is a rural place, so not many instructors are willing to teach here. Initially, our team had to make great efforts to find instructors who would assist in community care events. Fortunately, the National Taiwan Ocean University USR Project team proactively gave a helping hand to assist us in cultivating local instructors. The team had chosen to focus on yams, but due to a lack of personnel and funds, we were unable to hire product development professionals. Though some of our team members have marketing ideas, they lacked the capability to develop products. Through the introductions by Ms. Yi-Fen Huang, a specialist at the National Taiwan Ocean University USR Project, we found that under the leadership of Professor Wen-Jer Chang, Director of the Project, the USR Project is playing a pioneering role. Every professor involved in the Project has rich experience and has developed many products that have market potential. In particular, the yam ice cream made by Professor Jenn-Shou Tsai amazed us. We were very surprised to find that delicious and healthy yam ice creams can be made without additives; this is in line with people’s impression of yams as a healthy food. After further discussions, National Taiwan Ocean University USR Project and Professor Jenn-Shou Tsai of the Department of Food Science at NTOU all expressed their willingness to support our team in future industry developments. The technology behind Professor Tsai’s yam ice cream was also transfered to us, providing a robust support to our cause.

In the future, our team wants to be the connecting bridge so that yams in Gongliao can have diverse developments and that youths will be willing to return to their rural home towns, therefore increasing the value of Gongliao produce. More importantly, we aim to inject more vitality into Gongliao, providing opportunities for people to return to Gongliao to take care of their parents and young children. Together, both the elderly and youths can create value. Together, we can take care of the elderly and support the young. Together, we share the happiness of families reunited.