2024.06.18

International research exchange camp-PhD student: 黃耀斐 / Exchange location: Spain

《 Training Process》
"Introduction to Permaculture and Organic Farming" Organic farming emphasizes maintaining ecological balance, nutrient cycling, and the health of natural ecosystems. It avoids the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, employing methods such as crop cultivation, forest conservation, aquaculture, and livestock farming to provide consumers with healthy and safe agricultural products. As a sustainable living environment, organic farming is a cyclical model beneficial to the ecological environment. It employs methods like biological control to manage pests and diseases, introducing natural predators, utilizing natural resistance provided by plants, and using organically certified biological pesticides. Avoiding over-tillage and excessive irrigation, it employs conservation tillage methods, practices intercropping or crop rotation, and utilizes techniques like crop cover, water conservation measures, and plant shading to reduce soil erosion and moisture loss. Avoiding the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides also helps reduce water pollution. Encouraging natural grazing and organic rearing methods provides animals with a good living environment, reduces the use of antibiotics and hormones, and produces healthy livestock products. Because organic farming emphasizes local and regional food production, it requires more labor, promoting local economies and employment opportunities, and increasing farmers' income. This not only helps reduce the environmental burden but also generates a series of environmental and social benefits. Of course, it faces challenges. Relatively, not using chemical fertilizers and relying on ecological balance and nutrient cycling principles increases labor costs, resulting in higher production costs and, consequently, higher product prices. However, as sustainable lifestyles and knowledge become more established, organic farming is gradually gaining support and undergoing further development. Moreover, there is increasing research and innovation dedicated to addressing related issues.

《Learning the Principles of Permaculture Sustainable Living》
From the first day of arrival, it became evident that the organization's leader deeply respects life. Everything on the farm is a living entity; animals, plants, and people are all important partners supporting each other's lives and mutual assistance. The responsible person from WWOOF Spain shared the farm's "laws of nature," stating that "when humans take from nature without giving back, one day everything will disappear. Every life is a complex matter with irreplaceable relationships, making them the richest relationships. So, in this land of WWOOF, life is a cycle; animals pass away one day, plants provide us with energy, and the deceased individuals become organic fertilizer to nourish the land. We don't change, only maintain and care for, helping achieve balance and maintaining balanced relationships." Upholding this philosophy requires collective effort, leading to daily routines of assisting with animal care, watering crops, and cleaning and repairing the farm environment. It is about striving for what is needed every day, taking from nature, using in harmony with nature, and returning to nature, marking the beginning of the first lesson in the WWOOF organization.

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