The magician farmer – Cai Hong-jun conjures up a chemical-free environment

A dedicated flock of ducks shuttle back and forth in a rice field. Cai Hong-jun is not raising ducks! These feathery little friends are helping him realize his dream of farming chemical free. 31-year old Cai Hong-jun was originally in the army. However, after the army life left him feeling cut off from the world, he decided to take his wife and child back to his hometown Dapi in Yunlin, and embark on living the life of a ‘real’ farmer. Cai Hong-jun turned away from the conventional method of spraying large quantities of pesticides and become chemical-free. Neither Cai Hong-jun nor his wife were born into farming families, so to them it is a whole new world, and they have had to rely on themselves to explore and learn on the job. Making the transition from conventional farming to a chemical-free one, Cai Hong-jun has been questioned and ridiculed by many old farmers in the area.

In addition to his daytime job as a farmer, Cai Hong-jun has another identity at night – a magician! He regularly makes his way to National Formosa University’s magician’s club to exchange ideas and magic tricks. All students firmly believe that when one teaches, one also learns in the process. Cai Hong-jun has a strong independent character and wishes to break free from the fetters of traditional farming ideology. He hopes that with hard work, one day he might be able to perform magic in transforming the toxic rice we have grown so acquainted with, into a natural chemical-free product.

PeoPo 公民新聞

The magician farmer – Cai Hong-jun conjures up a chemical-free environment
URL: http://www.peopo.org/news/96811

(以下是中文對照)

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魔術師農夫 蔡弘俊變出無毒環境 ( 中正E報 )

一群敬業的鴨子穿梭在稻田中央，這不是養鴨人家，這是年輕農夫蔡弘俊打造無毒農業最得力的助手。今年三十一歲的蔡弘俊，原在部隊裡當軍人，但覺得軍旅生活 與世隔絕，毅然決然與妻子回到雲林大埤，自己當起「正港」的農夫。原本從事需要噴灑大量農藥的傳統農業，因緣際會下，決定轉換為對人體無害的無毒農業。因 為與妻子都不是務農出身，所以農業對他們來說是一個全新的領域，必須靠自己去摸索。從傳統農業轉換為無毒農業，遭到了不少老農民的質疑跟譏笑。不過除了白 天下田務農外，蔡弘俊還有另一個身分─魔術師，他時常利用晚上的時間，到鄰近的虎尾科技大學與魔術社的社員互相切磋魔術技巧，教學相長，是同學們學習的榜 樣。個性獨立，不願被傳統羈絆的蔡弘俊，努力朝著目標前進，將原本對人體有害的農產品，就像變魔術一樣，變成了對人體無害的無毒稻作。