Author: Wei Wu (Student, Department of Ethnology, NCCU / Assistant of the “Indigenous Culture and Industry” Project)
Sales channels for agricultural products have always been key to the development of tribal agriculture. In the past, small farmers in indigenous communities mostly relied on brokers to sell their crops, often ending up with only a small portion of the profits. To change this, Professor Yih-Ren Lin from Taipei Medical University and tribal partners established the “Millet Ark” organization, hoping to develop a new production and sales model for smallholder farmers. Since August last year, NCCU’s USR-Hub project “Indigenous Culture and Industry” has collaborated with Millet Ark to support the training of local mentors, establish tribal classrooms, invite tribal workers to share field experiences in class, and promote tribal micro-tourism. This year, they also began linking small farmers with the “50+1” social enterprise initiated by NCCU alumni as a sales channel.
June and July are the peak seasons for peaches. Since peaches bruise easily and do not store well, timely harvesting and sales are a challenge each year. This year, in addition to the pandemic, extreme weather and pests posed even greater challenges for small farmers. As the season drew to a close, I asked Professor Lin to reflect on this year’s sales experience, which he summarized into four stages.
The first stage is harvesting. It requires labor and incurs costs, including “imperfect” produce that does not meet market standards and cannot be sold—costs which farmers must absorb themselves. Early droughts caused May peaches to be smaller than usual. Although sweet, they were less visually appealing. In July, with increased rainfall and temperatures, around 60% of the peaches were damaged by pests. Farmers had to discard them or feed them to livestock. While some vendors later offered to process these fruits into ice cream or beer to add value, most farmers, already exhausted from harvesting, had little time or energy to handle such arrangements. At this stage, the hidden costs and the gap between ideals and reality already become clear.
The second stage is packaging. It involves both packaging materials and labor. Due to the rising cost of paper this year, packaging costs increased significantly. This stage also serves as a quality check, determining the final pricing of the peaches. Naturally, farmers prefer to package and sell their produce at higher grades and prices. However, without strict quality control, mixing lower-quality items can harm the product’s reputation. With long-term partners, standards and pricing are usually pre-agreed, or lower prices are used to offset cost concerns. With new platforms, however, consensus and quality control take time and effort to establish and come with risk. These differences in perspective only become clear through hands-on experience in sales.
The third stage is distribution. In May, Taiwan raised its COVID-19 alert to Level 3, and transportation restrictions severely impacted tribal farmers. Demand for courier services surged, overwhelming logistics providers like Black Cat. Refrigerated shipments were delayed or rejected altogether, and couriers refused responsibility for delays. Millet Ark used its own refrigerated truck, “Mountain Cat,” to help transport peaches for five households. Still, this was not enough to meet all transportation needs in Jianshi Township. Some farmers decided not to harvest at all. Millet Ark instructor and USR-supported mentor Xiah He-Da-Li worked with farmers to purchase peaches at cost and deliver them to Mackay Memorial Hospital as gifts for healthcare workers—supporting farmers while showing appreciation for frontline staff.
The fourth stage is sales. Small farmers must learn how to handle orders and identify potential buyers. As consumer habits shift, online marketing is becoming essential—especially with the rise of the stay-at-home economy. This tests farmers' ability to adapt to changing market demands. Mr. Xu Sheng-Mei, a small farmer from Shilei Village, Jianshi Township, said the biggest challenge remains distribution. Although he regularly uses the Mountain Cat truck, the small volume and frequent trips lead to extended handling times that can damage fruit quality. He hopes that in the future, products can be collected and quality-checked at a central location and then delivered directly to reduce losses.
On the consumer side, NCCU promotes Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) through its “50+1” social enterprise. NCCU alumna Ms. Su-Fen Tsai actively participated in connecting small farmers and consumers during this peach season. Due to short supply in May, deliveries were inconsistent. While this might frustrate typical consumers, 50+1 members generally understood the risks farmers face with unpredictable weather and accepted product replacements. This direct interaction deepened understanding of how difficult farming is. Farmers must monitor weather and plant growth constantly. Closer engagement with farmers helps consumers value food, land, and the mutual support between producers and buyers.
Reflecting on the entire experience, Professor Lin shared that Millet Ark assisted five households and delivered about 789 boxes of peaches, while NCCU’s “50+1” members purchased 272 boxes of May and July peaches. Although small in scale, this effort tested a new production-sales model. Each stage had its own hidden costs and challenges. From production to logistics, better resource integration and quality control are needed. On the sales side, strong consumer relationships—through product quality, food education, and cultural storytelling—can foster trust and stability. These will be crucial for the sustainable development of tribal agriculture.
(Photos provided by Professors Yih-Ren Lin and Xiah He-Da-Li)
