Agriculture Risks and Opportunities in a Climate-Vulnerable Watershed in Northeastern Taiwan—The Opinions of Leisure Agriculture Operators

Wan-Jiun Chen, Jihn-Fa Jan, Chih-Hsin Chung and Shyue-Cherng Liaw ()
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Wan-Jiun Chen: Department of Economics, Chinese Culture University, Taipei 111, Taiwan
Jihn-Fa Jan: Department of Land Economics, National Chengchi University, Taipei 116, Taiwan
Chih-Hsin Chung: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, National Ilan University, Yilan City 260, Taiwan
Shyue-Cherng Liaw: Department of Geography, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 106, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 20, 1-22

Abstract: This study investigated the agriculture risks and opportunities in a fragile watershed, the Lanyang River Watershed (LRW) in Northeastern Taiwan, under the current situation of climate change. Agriculture in the LRW is a traditional sector, highly vulnerable to climate change, and is a declining economic sector due to the trend of trade liberalization of agriculture. At present, the government of Taiwan encourages local farmers to transform towards recreational farm types. Leisure agriculture operators have successfully transitioned their tilling to a business model of recreational farming. A telephone survey of leisure agriculture operators was applied with a three-stage approach to obtain their opinions. The results showed that climate change may entail risks for agriculture in watersheds. Transformation to leisure agriculture can enhance farm adaptation and increase farm income. The long-term implementation of slope- and geology-based land classification and land use planning can protect the watershed, especially from extreme weather, while enhancing water and soil conservation efforts, and bolstering climate resilience. Innovative agricultural practices offer viable solutions, including greenhouse farming for high-economic-value crops, leisure agriculture, organic farming, and ecotourism. These strategies can rejuvenate the LRW’s agriculture industry, foster ecological tourism, and provide opportunities for traditional farmers to thrive in this highly climate-fragile area. The implications of this case study are that appropriate responses can improve local climate resilience, and that correspondingly well-designed adaptation measures can transform threats and risks into new opportunities.

Keywords: industrial transformation; climate change; Lanyang River Watershed; leisure agriculture operator; vulnerability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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