Field of happiness hidden within an industrial zone

Kaohsiung’s Niaosong District is home to a small “field of happiness” which stands out from the surrounding galvanized iron sheet factories and brown chemical-sprayed fields. Empowered with deep motherly love, the founder, Huang Shu-juan (黃淑娟), is using Shumei Natural Farming to grow organic vegetables as a medicine for her son, who suffers from atopic dermatitis. With the aim of popularizing friendly farming, Huang Shu-juan has teamed up with Fengshan Community College and put together a course teaching Shumei Natural Farming, which uses only leaves for fertilizer and absolutely no chemical or other fertilizers.    

Huang Shu-juan said: “By its very nature, farming damages the land, but we can keep this damage to a very minimum.” A combination of farming with “heart” and careful observation of one’s crops, coupled with consumers who both understand the farmer’s philosophy and are willing to provide support through buying locally, can create harmonious interpersonal interactions and allow us to coexist in harmony with nature, thereby ending the destruction of our environment.

以下為中文對照

高雄市鳥松區有一塊「心福田」，有別於周遭林立的鐵皮工廠和噴灑除草劑過後的褐色田地，創辦人黃淑娟帶著一顆深愛孩子的心，藉由秀明自然農法，以落葉堆肥、不噴灑農藥和化肥的方式，耕種有機作物為患有異位性皮膚炎的兒子尋找良藥，並與鳳山社區大學合作，開設農務體驗課程，傳遞民眾友善農耕的理念。

黃淑娟說：「農耕本身就會破壞大自然，但我們要將傷害降到最低。」藉由農家用「心」耕作，細心觀察農田裡的作物，同時消費者了解農家理念，願意支持和在地消費，以人與人和人與自然之間的和諧互動方式，減少對環境的破壞，並學習與環境共處。