I've been quite busy over the past week as I travel between Singapore, Cambodia and Taiwan. One thing struck me when I was in Taiwan was the concrete dividers and drains in the Padi fields. It is a common sight to see these Padi Fields with concrete drains by the side of the tarmac road. But when you think about it, this shows the ultimate state of farming in Taiwan, with the highest level of sophistication of having a solid concrete component. To elaborate, the Taiwanese have established farming at a level of proximity to an urban object such as a road, and accepted the co-existence of both a crop field and a road. This does capture the Taiwanese Landscape - they know that they need to co-exist with nature instead of conquering it.
In Cambodia, we have farm plots next to dirt tracks, and sometimes farm plots are overtaken by certain developers. I have heard of stories of the insecure nature of the farmland; one day you can have a fishing pond, and the next day, someone bulldozes and puts backfill into it. In Taiwanese farms, everything is secured, no one is going to bulldoze a plot of land the next day. From the geopolitical landscape, to the farm, there is a level of sophistication, the vision that each farm plot will one day have a concrete and definite drain next to it.
At r+, we develop the new rural. We advocate modern technology and sustainable techniques so that the local communities can develop sustainably, while co-existing with nature to create a better future for all.
