Highland agriculture, with special emphasis on slopeland conservation and utilization in Taiwan
1998
Hsieh, Sung-ching(International Cooperation and Development Fund, Taiwan (China))
Taiwan has a land area of 3,598,976 hectares, of which 1,677,044 hectares or 46.3 percent is mountain forest area, 974,194 hectares or 27.1 percent is slopeland, and 947,738 or 26 percent is plain area. Taiwan is situated at the Pacific earthquake belt, the earthquakes and the rainfall make the vulnerable geology and soils sustainable to erosion. The average annual rainfall of 2,510 mm which is concentrated in the summer and fall seasons brings rapid run off in the steep and short rivers, causing severe erosion and sedimentation problems and thus threatening people lives and properties. The utilization of slopeland for agricultural production has been an important issue in Taiwan. Conservation measures for erosion control, soil property maintenance and ecological stability can ensure continued use of the slopeland. In order to take care of retired servicemen livelihood, the Retired Vocational Assistant Commission for Retired Servicemen (VACRS) was established in 1954. It is a government agency to help the retired servicemen to develop unused public land, including mountain slopeland into the productive land. The land is allocated to the retired servicemen to practice highland agriculture under the supervision of VACRS. Fourteen farms of this kind, including five mountain farms. These farms have been used to produce temperate zone fruits, vegetables, ornamental flowers etc. for the local lowland market with a great success in the past 44 years. However, due to the overuse of slopeland in recent years, the problem of soil erosion occurs quite frequently causing a big problem. In this paper, the past and present status of slopeland usage with special emphasis on soil conservation on the mountain slopeland in Taiwan is reviewed.
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