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Photo Credit: Baojing Energy
The former Lao Pi Farm, which experienced a golden age, now faces the dilemma of uncultivated land and overgrown weeds. Located in Pingtung, the Lao Pi Farm once flourished with a period of pineapple prosperity under the hard work of farmers. However, the turning of time brought change, with tea rising in prominence and leading the farm towards another journey of tea gold. This wave of tea fragrance pushed the old farmers through various difficulties, creating a golden age for the Lao Pi Farm and bringing rich natural ecology. However, due to international trade restrictions, competition from Vietnamese tea, and the loss of rural population, the operational status of the Lao Pi Farm is not as prosperous as before.
Today, the farm is in urgent need of renovation, with the coexistence of agriculture and light becoming a possibility for the farm’s transformation. By utilizing smart applications of solar energy, establishing a sustainable circular system, is there a chance to lead the Lao Pi Farm towards a new future of sustainable revival?
A Group of People, a Piece of Land, a Historical Period
“Lao Pi Farm is located in Neipu Village, Pingtung, with soil texture of sticky loam soil and a pH value ranging from 3.7 to 4.8, classified as acidic soil with limited options for crop cultivation,” stated water conservation technician Guo Yulin. Initially managed by Taiwan Fung Company, this vast 717-hectare land was leased to tenant farmers and cultivated with pineapples, bananas, papayas, and other fruits. However, due to the sandy clay characteristics of the soil, coupled with the continuous cultivation and rotation of crops, the farm had a large area of exposed land. This led to the risk of sediment transport downstream during heavy rains, causing siltation in channels and subsequent flooding. In 2015, Taiwan Agriculture and Forestry Company acquired ownership of the Lao Pi Farm and converted it to tea cultivation. In comparison to crops like pineapples, tea planting does not require frequent tilling, as the root system can stabilize the soil and reduce erosion, minimizing the likelihood of flooding. With the implementation of water conservation plans and the construction of drainage systems, flood and siltation issues were significantly improved.
However, year after year, international competition has intensified, especially with the influx of cheap tea from Vietnam and other regions into Taiwan, causing the operational status of the Lao Pi Farm to gradually fall into distress. Furthermore, according to statistics, the agricultural population loss rate in Pingtung in recent years is the highest in Taiwan, with the proportion of people over 65 reaching 20.14%, meeting the standard of a “super-aged society.” This situation has led to inefficient land use in Pingtung— with young people leaving for urban job opportunities, elderly individuals unable to bear the heavy agricultural workload, resulting in abandoned farmland and decreased agricultural output. However, the farmers who are still striving in Pingtung have not given up. They are trying to introduce new agricultural technologies and management models, hoping to transform the current situation and even find a sustainable agricultural model to increase income and stimulate rural development. Lai Xixian, a cocoa farmer who also operates the Niu Jiaowan Chocolate Coffee Farm, stated, “Our land cannot compete with the large-scale farms in Vietnam, Indonesia, the United States, or Ukraine, where costs can be significantly reduced due to their large quantities. But we are suitable for refined agriculture or high-value-added products. While we may not match them in quantity, we can surpass them in quality.”
In light of this, over the past few years, technologies that reduce labor costs and enable precise cultivation of crops have been continuously introduced in Pingtung, with strong government encouragement and farmer acceptance. For instance, some cocoa farms have pioneered the use of AIoT sensors, automatic irrigation, soil monitoring, and water-fertilizer management in smart agriculture technology. These technologies not only allow partners in cocoa farming to establish a comprehensive planting management information system but also integrate planting data, record complete traceability information and production history, help reduce technical barriers, and encourage more second-generation farmers or ordinary citizens with agricultural ideas and passion to return to the planting ranks, enabling Pingtung’s rural areas to discover new alternative “black gold” business opportunities.
A Holistic Approach to Addressing the Multiple Challenges of the Lao Pi Farm
If technology intervention can open up new planting routes for cocoa farms, can the once prosperous Lao Pi Farm, nurturing Pingtung’s rural areas, also attempt to change, break through the market deadlock caused by aging population and external exports, and allow the land to rest and recuperate properly?
First and foremost, the selection of suitable crops for the Lao Pi Farm must be considered. Asian Daily Agricultural Consultant Li Hualong suggested, “The soil characteristics of the Lao Pi Farm require soil and water conservation. After reviewing and evaluating six indicators, it is recommended to maintain the current tea production and consider introducing a new industry—cocoa.” The overall operation must be able to combine leisure farms in the future, elevate to a six-level industry, and drive the development of local leisure agriculture. In the primary agricultural production aspect, smart agriculture elements should be incorporated to become a demonstration zone for local smart agriculture applications in Pingtung. There are many agricultural products in Pingtung that follow small-scale independent economic models. When selecting industries, it is hoped that Baojing can serve as a locomotive to drive the development of local industries. Simultaneously, it should also connect leisure agriculture and tourism consumer experiences to realize sustainable development.
Furthermore, according to the Ministry of the Interior’s survey of non-urban land areas, forest land accounts for 50%, and agricultural land accounts for approximately 30%. In land-scarce Taiwan, if we want to fully achieve the ideal of “maximizing land utility,” can we make this land more valuable beyond planting crops? Solar photovoltaic power may be the answer.
Solar energy generation utilizes the photovoltaic effect to convert sunlight into electrical energy through processes like battery module assembly and inverter conversion, achieving electricity generation and utilization. The entire process does not require the burning of fossil fuels, is low in pollution, renewable, and is an important pathway to achieving clean energy and sustainable development. In the sun-rich Lao Pi Farm in Pingtung, setting up ground-mounted photovoltaic modules not only efficiently harness solar energy but also, by selecting grass species with covering and soil-stabilizing capabilities under the photovoltaic modules, can increase soil erosion resistance and surface infiltration. “However, we believe that the potential of the Lao Pi Farm goes far beyond this. Through more comprehensive planning, this land has the opportunity to increase in value, bring greater economic benefits, and have a broader impact through further appreciation,” said Baojing Energy Project Manager Cai Haoyang.
Focusing on New Energy, Revamping for a Fresh Start
As Baojing Energy invited experts from various fields to collectively assess the Lao Pi Farm, a reasonable and comprehensive distribution plan was made for the land’s utilization. Nearly half of the land will remain in its current state or undergo ecological restoration, with a strategy of rewilding in collaboration with Chairman Pei Jiaqi of the Taiwan Wildlife Conservation Association to restore soil fertility, increase biodiversity, protect habitats of rare plants and animals, reduce impacts on surrounding ecosystems, and preserve the existing tea plantation land. Apart from planting economically beneficial crops, the tea plantation land will be retained to maintain the current tea production value (approximately 150 million yuan/year). This not only protects special tea varieties within the park but is also in line with the Agriculture and Forestry Company’s submission in 104, approved by the Ministry of Agriculture as the “Accepted Cultivated Land Management and Utilization Plan.” As for the vertical projection coverage area of ground-mounted photovoltaic modules, it will account for approximately less than one-third. As mentioned earlier, grass species with soil-stabilizing capabilities will cover below the photovoltaic modules to enhance soil conservation capabilities. Additionally, there are plans to plant nectar plants below and enhance the diversity of bees and butterflies, benefiting crops within a three-kilometer radius, providing habitats and food for wildlife, and reducing the risk of land erosion. Baojing Energy has deep roots in the local area and continues to communicate with local small farmers, hoping to propose beneficial operating models for the community.
With such utilization distribution, Baojing proposes an innovative approach of agricultural sixth-level industrialization, combining photovoltaics with agriculture, further developing leisure agriculture and farm tourism, enhancing the added value of agricultural products, promoting diverse sustainable operations. The plan encompasses marketing, cultivation, sales, expansion, and sustainability. In terms of marketing, the development of distinctive agricultural products will attract local tourism crowds, with the aim of supporting the establishment of local unique brands. However, the most crucial aspect is sustainability, through assisting local areas in conducting agricultural carbon assessments, establishing green agricultural supply chains, the Lao Pi Farm aims to become a new rural area of light and agriculture. This sustainable development capacity will then expand to the entire development of Pingtung, creating a green living base.
From the golden pineapple era to the tea prosperity and now to photovoltaics, the Lao Pi Farm is like a slowly unfolding painting, showing us its transformation process. In this transition, we witness the resilience of agriculture, the miracles of nature, and the new vitality injected into agriculture by integrating photovoltaics. In the complementary relationship between nature, economy, agriculture, and photovoltaics, the story of the Lao Pi Farm will usher in a new chapter, blossoming into a sustainable rural area and an innovative future.
