Smart Farming Cuts Labor by 40%, Boosts Leafy Green Yields 20%
As extreme weather becomes an everyday challenge, Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture launched its Smart Agriculture Initiative in 2017 to help stabilize agricultural production and reduce labor dependency under harsh climate conditions.
A standout success under this program is the Taoyuan Shicai Agricultural Production Cooperative, which partnered with the Taoyuan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station to modernize its operations. By implementing a smart greenhouse irrigation system, labor-saving machinery, and a vegetable production scheduling system, the cooperative has achieved remarkable results: a 40% reduction in labor costs and over a 20% increase in yield.
The cooperative supplies fresh vegetables to major clients such as Din Tai Fung, Wowprime Group, and leading convenience store chains.
Director, Chiu Kuan-chun, who was recently named one of Taiwan’s Top Ten Model Farmers, reflected on the transformation-“At the time, we faced low vegetable prices and a serious labor shortage — we knew we had to transform.”
He explained that in the past, farmers would only begin looking for sales channels after harvesting. Now, thanks to mechanized farming and smart irrigation, the cooperative can produce standardized vegetables that better meet the needs of food service and retail clients.Today, Taoyuan Shicai’s contract-farmed greenhouse vegetable area spans 15 hectares and includes 540 greenhouses.
Yu You-chia, Chiu’s wife and a key figure in operations, shared that traditional irrigation systems couldn't cover all greenhouses in a single day. In contrast, the new smart irrigation system completes the task in just five minutes, offers rapid mist cooling, and cuts water usage by 50%. The precise control has also stabilized the growth of leafy greens.
The cooperative has also adopted advanced post-harvest precooling systems to maintain vegetable freshness and reduce spoilage. Previously, manual precooling handled just 50 kg per hour. The upgraded system now processes over 700 kg per hour, resulting in annual labor savings of NT$835,000 (approx. USD 26,000).
According to Lee Hung-hsi, Director General of the Department of Science and Technology at the Ministry of Agriculture, the initiative has already achieved:
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194 technology transfers
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79 companies registered under the Smart Agriculture Technology Service System
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The emergence of 8 agri-tech startups
The Ministry is now working to integrate these outcomes further and accelerate adoption across the agricultural sector, paving the way for a more resilient and tech-driven farming future.
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