TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In New Taipei’s Tamsui hills, Chang Che-yueh (張哲岳) is transforming Asungo Farm by applying AI tools and sustainable farming practices, hoping to leave a thriving ecosystem for the next generation.
Stepping onto the farm, visitors see a dining area surrounded by greenery, with government certificates on the wall that document the farm’s transformation, per CNA. Behind this change is Chang, who came back to his hometown to revive and expand the family land in 2019.
“This is my first year testing smart irrigation,” said Chang, still under 30. Thanks to his efforts, this land handed down through three generations now has a new way forward.
The agriculture ministry has been promoting smart farming since 2017 to reduce labor burdens and improve production efficiency through sensors and the Internet of Things. However, Chang explained that Taiwan’s diverse landscapes make data-sharing difficult and estimated it could take another five years before smart farming can take off.
Chang inherited the farm from his grandmother, who had long cultivated tea and fruit trees on the land. His father, who once traveled around Taiwan selling farming equipment, returned to Tamsui in 2003 to launch Asungo Farm, insisting on organic methods even before those ideas were popular.
In high school, Chang studied pastry making at Kai-Ping Culinary School, where he was a top student and a serious competitor with a bright path in the restaurant world. He returned home at 21 only to help out, but a rural revitalization seminar changed his mind.
“They told me I was a priceless treasure for the village,” he recalled. “In the countryside, young people can be the core of change, not just cheap labor like in the city.”
During the slow, hot summer off-season, he studies sustainability, earns carbon inventory certificates, and learns ecological monitoring skills, treating it as personal recharging time.
Through the economic ministry’s SME diversified revitalization program, Chang has integrated tools like Canva and ChatGPT to modernize operations and marketing, boosting efficiency. He hopes these changes will help his mission of “leaving a beautiful piece of land for the next generation,” echoing Japan’s Satoyama philosophy of harmony among farms, forests, and villages.
Looking ahead, Chang said he wants to connect Asungo with other local farms and corporate partners through ESG-focused initiatives, green procurement, and employee engagement events, turning sustainability into a shared reality.
