Happy Food 1000 Co, a social enterprise based in Syuejia District of Tainan, is developing a joint farming approach between older and young farmers. The company adopts a non-toxic farming method to sow black turtle beans, corn and wheat, and enters into a contract with older farmers, so that they can let Happy Food use the land they are incapable of cultivating. The enterprise supplies farming labor, fertilizers and machinery, and will buy the crops at a price higher than the market price when they are harvested.
In collaboration with Happy Food, CDF took the group's volunteers to help farmers prepare their fields and build perches for "black-winged kites" in the fields, in support of the wildlife-friendly farming methods for mutual benefit between young farmers and the environment. The black-winged kite is one of the most beautiful medium-sized raptors in the field, and the perch increases the time it spends in the field as a predator of rats, contributing to ecological conservation and balance. Thanks to the perches and cameras set up by the CDF's volunteers, the ecological research unit has continued to collect a large number of images and films of raptors hunting the rodents. Tens of thousands of photos have been gathered to share the types of prey caught by the raptors in the fields and the positive benefits that the birds can bring to the farmland ecosystem, thereby encouraging more farmers to adopt eco-friendly farming practices that are symbiotic with the environment.
The volunteers also worked with Happy Food to make “biochar” and learned more about land-friendly practices through learning by doing. Each volunteer involved is a seed for the spread of eco-friendly farming practices, and through the hands-on approach, more people are able to understand and support environmentally friendly farmers and social enterprises.
CDF has been advocating sustainable inclusion for a long time. Through volunteering activities, CDF lends practical support to land-friendly and senior-youth farming models and encourages young people to return to their hometowns and turn agricultural production around by means of regional revitalization. CDF aims to be a solid anchor for young farmers to start their own business by combining its core competencies in finance and offering a series of financial literacy programs to help young farmers promote local economy and practice environmental sustainability.