ouble Tenth National industrial innovation program—a Day festivities take on a comprehensive initiative targeting the special air in Taiwan this high-growth sectors of biotech, green EDITORIAL year. The international energy, national defense, smart machin- community is increasingly recogniz- ery and Internet of Things, as well as Ding the importance of the country as promoting two core concepts: the cir- a defender of freedom, democracy, cular economy and a new paradigm for human rights and rules-based order, agricultural development. as well as its strengthening economic The spirit of innovation and col- 台 灣 評 論 outlook and emergence as Asia’s go-to laboration underpinning the program hub for entrepreneurship and R&D. takes center stage at Taiwan Tech is healthy state of aairs, rooted Arena. e state-supported incubation in sound foreign diplomacy and far- hub has attracted dozens of startups sighted policymaking nurturing the from home and abroad, as well as lead- industries of tomorrow, has given the ing accelerators from countries includ- people great confidence. It has also ing Canada, the U.K. and the U.S. steeled their resolve to ensure Taiwan Impressive progress in cultivating remains an indispensable member of an outward-looking digital economy the family of nations. is further underscored by ramped-up Such optimism was on full dis- investment from top global tech rms, play during President Tsai Ing- with Amazon, Facebook and Google 蔡英文 wen’s ( ) Journey of Freedom, all moving to expand their local pres- Democracy, Sustainability and Oceans ence. Taiwan manufacturers that had of Democracy state visits. The former shifted production overseas are also Standing Front comprised Caribbean allies Haiti, St. pouring funds into the country. Under Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the an incentive program launched in Grenadines, and St. Lucia with U.S. January, these enterprises have pledged and Center stopovers in New York and Denver, to spend billions of greenbacks in relo- while the latter comprised Pacic allies cating production home. Palau, Nauru and the Marshall Islands Deepening Taiwan’s ties with the with a U.S. stopover in Hawaii. world and reinvigorating the economy Both trips generated a mountain of are accomplishments worthy of trum- media coverage and hammered home peting. Equally so are the country’s the message that Taiwan Can Help pro- values giving rise to a multicultural mote peace, stability and prosperity far society of various faiths, ethnicities and from its shores. They similarly showed languages regularly held up as a model that the country is a force for good in for integration and respect. the world and resolute in realizing the As a maritime country, Taiwan U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. incorporates the inuences of peoples This positivity characterizes Tai- from the four corners of the globe, wan’s eorts to cultivate closer connec- as well as its indigenous population. tions with partners such as Japan, the This is reflected in the more than 20 U.S. and other like-minded countries government-recognized languages and across the Indo-Pacific. One of the dialects spoken by the country’s citi- main pillars of this approach features zens, a mix that has grown in recent workshops staged under the Taiwan- years to include new arrivals from U.S. Global Cooperation and Training Southeast Asia and beyond. Framework, as well as tailored pro- Double Tenth National Day is grams in keeping with the objectives a chance for the people to celebrate of the New Southbound Policy. the country’s diplomatic, economic Complementing this solid founda- and cultural achievements. It is also tion of international engagement is a a time to look toward the future with raft of measures revitalizing the coun- clear eyes and full hearts, condent in try’s manufacturing base and bolstering the knowledge that commitment and its role in global tech R&D. Driving unity of purpose are the keys to a bet- this transformation is the ve-plus-two ter tomorrow. 3 Taking Root Government efforts to promote the adoption of circular agriculture solutions are 01 gaining traction in Taiwan. hih An Farm in southern BY PAT GAO Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City is a national leader in circu- PHOTOS BY CHIN HUNG-HAO lar agriculture. One of the country’s largest chicken egg pro- Sducers, the company has developed a system that collects excretion from its more than 700,000 laying hens for use in making biogas for electric- 02 ity generation and organic fertilizers for nearby farmland. In April 2018, President Tsai program. This comprehensive eco- Ing-wen (蔡英文) visited the facil- nomic revitalization initiative is ity to inspect this successful model promoting the high-growth sectors for creating value from waste. Tsai of biotech, green energy, national described Shih An’s approach as a defense, smart machinery and synergy of agriculture, the circular Internet of ings, as well as the cir- economy and renewable energy. cular economy and a new paradigm Encouraging the adoption of similar for agricultural development. solutions at other farms can help Spearheading the country’s propel Taiwan’s animal husbandry eorts to devise and integrate circular sector toward a sustainable future, agriculture solutions is the Taiwan she said. Livestock Research Institute (TLRI) under the Cabinet-level Council of Policy Priority Agriculture (COA). Headquartered Circular agriculture intersects several at a former horse-breeding facil- components of the government’s ity in the southern city of Tainan, five-plus-two industrial innovation it operates eight branch offices and 18 Taiwan Review September / October 01 & 03. The Taiwan Livestock Research Institute under the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture develops circular solutions at its cattle farm in 03 the southern city of Tainan. 02 & 04 – 06. Shih An Farm in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City, one of research stations around the country. the country’s largest chicken egg The institute’s measures to advance producers, collects excretion from its more than 700,000 laying the reuse of “leftover materials”—an hens for use in making biogas and emerging industry term for waste in organic fertilizers. Taiwan—target the agriculture, aqua- culture, forestry and livestock sectors. 02 & 04 – 06. Courtesy of Shih An Farm Co. “e terminology change reects our new mindset,” TLRI Director- General Huang Jeng-fang (黃振芳) said. “In the past, waste treatment was largely aimed at meeting the environmental standards for dis- posal. Today, it’s increasingly about facilitating the more complete use of 04 05 06 19 01 02 01 & 02. Facilities at TLRI’s cattle farm gather animal excretion. 03 & 04. Processed manure is sent to a 03 biogas production system. 05. A pig farm in Linluo Township is among a number of facilities in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County to receive government support for the installation of similar setups. 06. The biogas generator at TLRI’s cattle farm 07. A napier grass plot at the site is being used to test a liquid organic fertilizer developed from processed cattle manure. 05. Courtesy of Lin Wei-yen, Harvest Publishing Group 04 20 Taiwan Review September / October available resources through the appli- the nation’s foremost research insti- estimated 13,000 kilowatt-hours per cation of cutting-edge technologies.” tution. Also participating in these day, Donghaifong is now powered Circular agriculture projects typi- efforts are major industry think completely by renewable energy. cally convert leftover materials into tanks including Taiwan Institute The capture system was devel- either biogas or inputs for the pro- of Economic Research and Taiwan oped at TLRI’s cattle farm in Tainan. duction of feed, fertilizers, biomedi- Agricultural Science and Technology e site has served as a test bed for cines and cosmetics. “anks to new Resources Logistics Management a host of other circular agriculture upcycling processes, companies in Association (TARM), both based in initiatives, including the rst COA- Taiwan and elsewhere are generating Taipei City. supported project to develop a liquid significant value from byproducts TARM Chief Executive Officer organic fertilizer from processed and waste,” Huang said. Lee Yi-ying (李宜映) said that the cattle manure. To bolster the development of organization takes a top-down Between 2013 and 2018, TLRI related procedures and technolo- approach to advancing circular agri- conducted a trial of this compost, gies, TLRI coordinates integrated culture. “We advise on government using about 6,800 metric tons of it R&D involving such agencies as policymaking and help conduct each year on a 35-hectare pangola the COA, Ministry of Science and ensuing projects,” she said. “Together grass eld at the facility. e institute Technology, and Academia Sinica, with other like-minded bodies, we’re is now utilizing three on-site napier committed to furthering the coun- grass plots to stage a comparative try’s goal of putting materials once study of its eectiveness versus com- considered worthless back into the mon chemical fertilizers and fal- value chain.” lowing. Initial results indicate that According to TARM statistics, it outperforms in promoting crop animal manure and rice straw and growth and maintaining soil quality. husks are the two largest sources “If we don’t reuse this waste from of agricultural waste in Taiwan at the cattle farm, it’s like we’re throw- a combined total of roughly 5 mil- ing away piles of e©cient fertilizer,” lion metric tons per year. Much of Huang said, adding that TLRI is 05 the former comes from the 5.45 organizing forums, meetings and million hogs at the 7,048 pig farms training courses for agricultural nationwide. enterprises to accelerate the shift TARM has supported several toward nonchemical products. projects to tackle the manure gener- ated at these sites. Among the most Gold Rush successful is at Donghaifong pig In Tainan’s Guantian District, not farm in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung far from the TLRI cattle farm, County.