An Investigation on Multifunctionality of Organic Farming–A Case of Xingjian Village, Sanshing Township, Yilan County

Organic farming has been broadly recognized by the world that it possesses multifunctionality dimensions of agricultural sustainability, biodiversity, esteem ofinterior value on ora and fauna, and even local development. Such dimensions re ect theprocess of agricultural production, which not only increases the food value of commodity output (CO), but also creates the value of non-commodity output (NCO) of food security, environmental protection, cultural preservation, multiple landscapes, stabilization ofrural area, and so on, as well as nally adjusts the agricultural orientation towards market demand.

In order to promote organic agriculture, part of villagers of Xingjian village (inSanshing Township, Yilan County) establish an organic cooperative. Through cooperative members’ reciprocal trust and help, they practice no pesticide and no chemical fertilizer farming which is very successful and characteristic that is worthy to do in-depth research. This study attempts to apply literature analysis and in-depth interview to realize the result of agricultural multifunctionality on promoting organic agriculture and difficulties ofpromoting organic farming in Xingjian Village. We nd out that the practice of organicagriculture in this case, has significant increase on multifunctionality, food security, and environmental health cognition. By transformation of productive modes and the interaction between farmers and productive environment, organic farmers improve more agricultural knowledge. Besides, organic farmers has the productive concept of health orientation and also establish its particular local character and rural culture.Farmers have the same object and close relations so that they are able to gain mutualcommunication and support on technology and knowledge. Not only farmers possess value of harmoniously coexisting with natural environment, but also the land recovers its health so that the landscape reveals diverse features. In the process of promoting organicagriculture in Xing Jiang Village, however, farmers have to confront the dif culties of lack of subsidies, complicated in the procedure of organic certi cation, and easy-polluted situation when conventional farm is next to organic farm. Therefore, this study considers that the Taiwan government have to provide organic friendly subsidies or support mechanism to assist all local farmers for transformation.