For the past several years, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) has been actively promoting various ‘sustainable development’ related measures as part of its effort to help implement Taiwan’s sustainable development goals and achieve its 2050 net-zero emission objective. This year, the university was a candidate for the Executive Yuan’s 2023 Annual National Sustainability Development Award on account of its “Smart Agriculture Sustainable Development Plan”. After the rigorous preliminary review of the plan and an on-site briefing consultation and examination, NPUST stood out among the contenders and won this year’s award in the Education category. On November 30, President Chin-Lung Chang personally accepted the award, which was presented by Taiwan’s Premier, Chen Chien-jen.

On December 1 (‘23), the NPUST Department of Forestry and Ching Jinglin Education Foundation held their annual tree-planting activity at the NPUST’s “Baoli Practice Farm”. The cooperative project, which began in 2019, has become a model for corporate social responsibility (CSR) and university social responsibility (USR). Over the past five years, 4,000 saplings have been successfully planted as a result of the activity, with a survival rate of over 90%. Taking account for biodiversity, the tree species planted this year include such native species as Philippine drypetes, Cinnamomum reticulatum, and persimmon.

National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST), the Association of Taiwan Organic Agriculture Promotion, and the Agricultural Technology Park Administration Center (Ministry of Agriculture), held a conference on November 16 and 17 (2023) at the NPUST Convention and Exhibition Hall. For the two-day “Organic Agriculture Production and Marketing Strategy Seminar”, experts in the field, including Chung-Ching Huang, head of the Agricultural Resources Section of the Agricultural and Food Agency (MOA), and Ting-Lin Chang, director of the Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station (MOA) were invited to discuss “Taiwan’s Organic Agriculture Promotion Strategies” and “Taiwan’s Organic Seed Mass Production Strategies”, respectively. The seminar included discussions on the application of microbial preparations, organic crop cultivation production management technology, organic crop pest control, organic agricultural product processing, organic agricultural product marketing, and carbon emission reduction cultivation technology of organic farming. A fruitful exchange of research results took place between experts and scholars at the seminar, in what was a rare opportunity for such a group of people with grand ideas for the development of organic agriculture in Taiwan to get together in one room.

Associate Professor Tang Chi of the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) Department of Soil and Water Conservation and his team were named among the top teams at this year’s (2023) Taiwan Presidential Hackathon. Their proposal, entitled the “Beauty of 4 per 1000”, was sponsored by a number of businesses and agencies including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Pingtung County Government Environmental Protection Bureau, Ministry of Environment Climate Change Administration, Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute, Agricultural Experimental Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture, Eco-affinity Inc., and the Green Consumer Foundation.

In order to achieve the target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, Assistant Professor Tsu Che Lin of the NPUST Department of Plant Industry and his team joined up with researchers from the Taitung District Agricultural Research & Extension Station to promote the research and development of “Strategies to Optimize Rice Production Models in Tropical Environments under Climate Change”. The goal is to establish a strategy that is different from traditional, constant field flooding production method, which causes high greenhouse gas emissions. The old method is to be replaced by a water-saving model which alternates between dry and wet conditions and uses low-carbon rice varieties. Tests have found that this model can save water and reduce carbon emissions by more than 50%. President Chin-Lung Chang of NPUST and Director Hsin-Yen Chen of Taitung District Agricultural Research & Extension Station signed a strategic alliance agreement on behalf of both parties on October 17, 2023 in the Second Meeting Room of the NPUST Administration Building. College of Agriculture dean Jue-Liang Hsu and a number of colleagues from the university and Research & Extension Station were also present to witnessed the event.