| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立虎尾科技大學 === 經營管理研究所 === 102 === Agriculture has been shaped as a high value-added industry in many countries of the world. However, we are facing many predicaments in Taiwan. Not only our food supply is seriously dependent on the import with only 30.6% self-reliant rate; farming in Taiwan even keeps using chemical fertilizer and pesticide heavily. In addition, 65% of the farmers are over 60 years old. The downgrade agriculture and the issue of aged labor force are serious problems.
Young people from the metropolitan, on the other hand, are willing to give up their careers and step into agriculture in recent years, although their education backgrounds and experiences have no direct relation to agriculture. These new farming migrants, however, encountered endless problems and conflicts in mind on their journey to agriculture. This study aims at exploring the mentality of urban-to-rural farmers and its impacts on the future development of agriculture by way of narrative inquiry approach in the qualitative research.
The result shows that, the urban-to-rural farmers’ enthusiasm on farming did not diminish even under heavy mental pressure. They are optimistic for the future of agriculture development. They express their willingness to develop, improve, or even infuse new thoughts for the conventional farming. They believe farmers not only need the knowledge of farming and crops, they should also pay more attention to marketing, packaging, customer networking, branding, and promotion to raise the overall value of agriculture. There is always an issue of ‘conflict of concepts’ between them and old generation farmers. In their perception, farming is not a bad or a low- status occupation, on the contrary, farming can bring about common experience and conversation subjects among family members and makes close family relationships.
Urban-to-rural farmers know how to adjust their paces to respond to the farming environment, courageously initiate new ideas and apply their creativity on farming and business practices against tradition, and show the future, opportunities and flexibility of farming to others. Based on the stories of six urban-to-rural farmers, some common characteristics can be drawn. Instead of being called ‘rural farmers from urban’, they are entrepreneurs who devote to agriculture. They bring a new stream of hope and vitality for agriculture. With more urban-to-rural farmers, we expect to have quality changes for the development of agriculture in the stagnant rural area.
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