The Council of Agriculture is using science and technology to help Taiwan’s farming sector better respond to the challenges presented by global warming.
“Agriculture is fundamental in maintaining Taiwan’s national security,” COA official Fang Guo-yun said July 19. “We have to respond quickly to head off the looming food crisis.”
To better prepare Taiwan’s farmers for the challenges ahead, Fang said the COA is striving to make agriculture more sustainable and environmentally friendly under its five-year Agricultural Biotechnology Industry Development Plan.
Launched in 2009, the program seeks to help Taiwan’s crops adapt to the changing conditions through such initiatives as introducing a specific type of rice genetically engineered to resist climate change-related insect infestation.
“The COA has also developed a handful of pesticides and fertilizers made from biological and biodegradable materials to replace chemical ones,” Fang said.
Another key development, Fang said, includes a special formula of flour consisting of up to 80 percent of rice powder can reduce the use of imports and help local rice farmers. The product was developed by the COA Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Tainan.
These achievements will be on show at the COA pavilion during Bio Taiwan 2011, a biotech exhibition running July 21 to 24 in the Taipei World Trade Center.
Staged by the Taiwan Bio Industry Organization, the event showcases the nation’s biotechnology development in different fields, including agriculture, cosmetics, fishery sciences and pharmaceuticals.
