What makes someone leave a promising academic path or industry career to become a farmer?
For Dr. Fa-Hsien Lee (李法憲) and Dr. Ching-Hsiang Hwang (黃慶祥), known as “田龜/ farm turtle”), the answer lies in their shared belief — to plant seeds both in soil and in people. True education is not confined to classrooms or labs. It’s lived, modeled, and passed on through actions that nurture the land and the next generation.
Both are 海歸博士 — overseas-educated PhDs who returned home with dreams of making an impact. Mr. Lee (UK) hoped to become a professor, but during postdoctoral research, he faced the harsh reality of Taiwan’s private higher education system: dwindling enrollment, administrative overload, and the need to “sell the school” rather than simply teach. Instead, he joined the corporate world — until a food safety scandal and his wife’s passion for organic living brought him to微風市集 , an organic farmer’s market. There, he began volunteering on a small farm and fell in love with the land, eventually becoming a full-time organic farmer and youth mentor.
Mr. Hwang (US) did become a professor — one known for practical teaching. But after 26 years of service, he felt a stronger calling. He still remembers the villagers who rented a bus to go to airport to welcome him home 43 years ago. He is still the only PhD from his hometown. So he returned, not just to retire — but to farm, to serve, and to educate in a new way: hands-on, heart-first, and rooted in community.
Though their paths and styles differ, both are reshaping the definition of success — and guiding others to find creativity, purpose, and hope through the soil.
Impact So Far
Dr. Lee and Dr. Hwang have each taken bold, personal steps to challenge conventional agricultural thinking — and inspire change from the ground up.
李法憲 — Farming is Just the Starting Point
- Helped establish the 「方舟農業生產合作社」 (Ark Farmers’ Co-op) in 2022 to foster collaboration, address labor shortages, preserve farmland from commercial development, and create pathways for the next generation to reimagine agriculture.
- Co-leads the annual 梓感農村文化節 (Zigan Farm Culture Festival) since 2022, to spark new connections across agriculture, education, and community.
- Founded植未來行動聯盟 (Planting Future Alliance) in 2024, a cross-sector coalition advancing organic farming and rethinking the value of agriculture for future generations.
- Teaches 食農教育(“Beyond-Food” Agriculture Education) across ages to challenge the outdated image of farming as low-income, exhausting, or weather-dependent.
黃慶祥 — Teaching, Caring by Doing
At 76, he is a living model for his community. “I’m not doing this to make money,” he says. “I want to show that anyone willing can do this — and do it responsibly.”
Grows three non-traditional superfoods — amaranth, chia, and quinoa (ACQ) — for their nutritional value, adaptability, and income potential.
Since 2012, has built a trusted email list of over 3000 members, focused only on the 3 superfoods — never expanding to generic commercial products.
What Makes Them Special
From both educators, three themes stand out:
1. They Cultivate People, Not Just Crops
Their work centers on human growth — from youth to elders, and from self-reflection to social contribution.
- Off the field, Dr. Lee mentors young people through career counseling, urging them to seek clarity, trust themselves, and choose paths aligned with their values — not social pressure.
- Dr. Hwang travels Taiwan to give talks on 長照 (long-term care), guiding seniors, social workers, and volunteers to see aging not as decline, but as a meaningful phase. He also co-created 舊社故事書, a 10-year effort to preserve oral histories of elders in his village.
2. They Blend Tradition, Technology, and System Thinking
- Dr. Lee sees pests and weeds not as enemies, but as signals. He teaches farmers to look deeper — at soil microbiomes, plant resilience, and whole-ecosystem health. His organic philosophy centers on balance, not just the absence of chemicals.
- Dr. Hwang brings precision and modern tools to the field, refining harvesting and post-processing to ensure both food quality and farming dignity — proving that farming can be smart, strong, and age-inclusive.
3. They’re Small and Mighty
Each runs a single farm, yet their persistent, values-driven actions ripple far beyond.
- Neither chases the spotlight, yet both lead by example — earning trust, building community, and showing that education can happen anywhere, especially when it’s rooted in care and lived experience.
What’s Challenging – and What’s Next?
Both educators are optimistic but realistic about the road ahead. Taiwan’s agriculture faces structural and cultural challenges:
- Aging and Perceptions of Farming
The average age of Taiwanese farmers are over 60, and few young people see farming as a viable or desirable path. This is a multi-dimentional challenge— social, economic, and educational — including how we fairly share the consequences of natural disasters. Without succession, farmland risks abandonment or repurposing. And if lost, it’s not just farmland — it’s culture, technique, identity, and the food security we risk by relying on imports. - Family and Lifestyle Change
Family used to sit at dinner table together to eat and chat but nowadays, people live in a fast pace and with more-than-plenty eat-out and take-out options. Many people eat alone with their cell phone or swallow a bendon (meal box) or quick meal from 7-11. Also, many parents buy organic and higher-quality produces and cook with love for their children. When the youth leave home, many elders choose convenience or thrift, often skipping fresh or high-quality meals for themselves. - Fragmentation and Disconnection
Consumers and producers are often separated by layers of distribution. Food safety, connection and awareness to the roots are not quick work. There are farmers like 法憲 and 田龜 — and we need more. To make responsibly grown, community-supported agriculture the new norm — and a proud, prosperous, and purpose-driven profession.
How You Can Support
If you’re inspired by their work, here are three ways to take part:
- Buy from mission-practicing farmers
Whether at organic stores, through trusted group shopping/ 團媽, or at a farmers’ market like 微風市集, choose growers who farm with care to the soil and society. - Rethink what a “career” or “retirement” looks like
Farming can start at any age and from any background. Support youth and elders who are making bold, meaningful choices — or explore it yourself. Learn more about Fa-Hsien Organic Farm, Turtle Taiwan Project, and your local producers. - Stay curious — and stay connected
Attend an event like 梓感農村文化節 , read 植未來電子報 , explore 舊社故事書 or learn about your neighborhood, visit farms, and aske questions. Real change grows through understanding, connection, and practice. Turn off the TV, put away your cell phone, and spend quality time and food with your family 好好吃飯 (Eat Well, Live Well).
Seeds are planted by you and me — not just in fields, but in minds.
What kinds of seeds will you plant for Formosa, the planet, and generations to come?