Last year's flood in the Matai'an barrier lake caused up to 773.9 hectares to be buried in silt, with the deepest point even reaching 7 or 8 meters. The Hualien Agricultural Reform Center of the Ministry of Agriculture assessed that farmland below 50 centimeters can be re-cultivated, with a total area of 383 hectares. Today, the Agricultural Reform Center signed an MOU with National Cheng Kung University. National Cheng Kung University will provide related monitoring of microorganisms and soil physical and chemical properties, provide basic data, and hope to attract corporate ESG-related sponsorship in the future.
The MOU signing ceremony between the Hualien District Agricultural Improvement Field of the Ministry of Agriculture and National Cheng Kung University was held today at the National Cheng Kung University Science Workstation in Hualien Sugar Factory. It was signed by Executive Yuan political commissar Chen Jinde, Hualien Agricultural Reform Field Director Yang Daji, National Cheng Kung University President Shen Mengru, National Cheng Kung University Dean of Biology Wang Yumin and others.
Cai Yizhen, crop environment section chief of the Hualien Agricultural Reform Farm, said that she hopes to work with Cheng Kung University to provide scientific solutions to help farmers improve their soil. The total area of mild and moderate disaster areas covered with soil less than 50 centimeters is about 383 hectares, of which about 200 hectares have been removed by farmers. Re-cultivation was carried out, and about 180 hectares of agricultural land were divided according to depth into mild disaster areas of less than 20 centimeters and moderate disaster areas of 20 to 50 centimeters. Using a hierarchical counseling strategy, a total of 16 post-disaster soil samples were collected from the flower garden and sent to National Cheng Kung University for analysis.
In the mildly affected areas, in the past two months, power disc plows and strange hands have been used to deeply plow and mix the soil, breaking the impermeable layer on the surface of the "jelly soil", cleaning up foreign matter underground, stirring in rhizobia, and applying organic fertilizer. The corn yield in the demonstration fields has exceeded expectations, which has restored farmers' confidence in returning to farming. Traditional tribal beans that were previously protected are also provided so that Amis farmers who have lost their seed bank after the disaster can resume cultivating tribal wild vegetables. About 30 hectares have been cultivated so far, and tenders are expected to be held in moderately affected areas next month.
Yang Daji, director of the Hualien Agricultural Reform Farm, mentioned that the bidding did encounter some difficulties. Many contract farmers were reluctant to join the bidding. The main reason was that there would be a lot of garbage in the soil. For example, in a pitaya orchard, the machinery and tools were immediately stuck in the mesh as soon as they entered the field. It took two hours to clean up, which may damage the machinery and tools.
Wang Yumin, dean of the College of Biological Sciences and Technology at National Cheng Kung University, said that the soil required for the growth of crops not only has organic components, but also microorganisms play an important role. Preliminary tests have found that the microorganisms are indeed quite poor, because these soils come from deep soil, with simple bacteria and low nutrients. Unlike the surface soil where there is sunlight and organic matter left by the growth and death of plants, which becomes nutrients for bacteria.
He said that it currently provides basic soil data for agricultural administration units and provides microbial analysis as a reference for soil improvement by agricultural administration units. It can respond quickly, continue to establish a post-disaster microbial flora database, and provide subsequent assistance in agricultural product processing, food safety and other aspects.
