Healthy Soil Wins International Acclaim for Hualien Farmers
A group of farmers in eastern Taiwan are improving the capacity of their soil to absorb carbon dioxide by using fewer chemical pesticides and fertilizers. The soil is now internationally recognized by a carbon absorption initiative and farmers can be compensated for maintaining soil health.
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00:00 Qiu Cuiquan didn't plan to be here.
00:04 After living much of his life abroad,
00:06 he returned to his childhood town of Changliang
00:09 in southeastern Taiwan in 2019.
00:12 And when Covid hit, he took up farming.
00:15 "You have to maintain a good ecosystem.
00:18 The problem is you have to let people know
00:19 how to make it work.
00:22 You have to find a way."
00:24 But it wasn't easy for the small-scale grain farmer.
00:28 Crops were being damaged by pests and rising temperatures.
00:32 And while others here had long used chemical pesticides and fertilizers,
00:36 Qiu decided to take a risk and go organic on his one hectare plot of land.
00:41 This not only increased his yields,
00:43 but also improved the quality of the soil
00:46 and its ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
00:50 "We added some organic materials.
00:55 We found that the organic carbon is increasing.
00:58 This means that we have carbon reduction."
01:02 Together, plants and soils currently absorb
01:04 around 30% of the CO2 emitted by human activities each year.
01:09 To try and curb an accelerating climate crisis,
01:12 countries around the world are looking to improve
01:15 their soils' capacity to absorb those emissions.
01:19 And that's the case in Taiwan,
01:21 which emits more carbon dioxide per person than most Asian countries.
01:26 But there are small-scale agricultural plots like Qiu's across the country,
01:31 and their rich soils are now seen as key to meeting Taiwan's climate goals.
01:38 Qiu and over 20 other small-scale farmers like him
01:42 have joined an initiative aimed at restoring soil health.
01:45 Collectively, their 150 acres of farmland
01:49 are now internationally recognized by a carbon credits program,
01:53 through which companies that emit carbon dioxide
01:56 can compensate those who maintain strong carbon-absorbing soil.
02:01 Skeptics say these sorts of initiatives place a monetary value on nature
02:05 and simply offer a way for large companies
02:08 to continue their pollution-generating business practices.
02:12 But the project's coordinators say the benefit to the community is tangible.
02:17 We provide a good model, golden model, golden standard for them to see,
02:23 "Hey, we can support this farmer."
02:25 So we can resolve the food security and climate security.
02:34 Once certified, farmers can mark their produce with a logo
02:38 to show their ecological value,
02:40 encouraging consumers to make more environmentally-friendly purchases.
02:45 It's carbon absorption projects like this one
02:48 that Taiwan hopes will help it become a climate leader on the world stage.
02:52 And the goal here is for more of the country's many small-scale farmers
02:56 to join the initiative to keep these soils rich long into the future.
03:02 Alex Chen and Sally Jensen in Hualien County for Taiwan Plus.
03:07 [ Silence ]