It’s lonely to walk without the company. Yet, if people try to join forces, they conquer all. "When we tried to promote the community's industries, we found that one community working alone showed little strength. However, if the six units working together, that's a different story."

As the community began to wither away, a group of senior locals founded the Miaoli County Traditional Settlement Culture Association. Revitalization came alone as they combined resources from Workforce Development Agency (WDA), Ministry of Labor. Luzhunan then built up a reputation within Toufen and Zhunan areas. These small-town residents really made the most of local resources!

“When the association first began doing organic farming, people laughed at us and called us fool, saying it would never work, but we persevered. It has been a tough journey to try and subvert conventions, but we did it. We changed people's thoughts, and many people are joining up!”

"Growing quietly in the background, mugwort livened up the formerly desolate community and warmed the hearts of many." With her love for the land and her hometown, Huang Yu-chin - executive secretary of the Gaoyuan Community Development Association - leveraged her creativity to not only successfully transform the agriculture structure of Gaoyuan community but also marketed the products. This achievement impressed local farmers, and its derived income could go to charity.

The Association started as a group of like-minded farmers. When they noticed how farmers, in general, were aging, they hoped to unite forces as a group to pass on agricultural techniques and knowledge. They also encouraged young farmers to return home and bring their products and ideas to the spotlight through shared marketing and exposure. 

Young people are returning to the hometowns, but Ren-Ding only did so in midlife. After having laid down a certain foundation for his business, Chen Ren-Ding returned to his hometown of Shangde Village in Donghe Town, Taitung County, wishing to do more than community development. He wanted to use his hometown as the base to build an herbal industry chain in Taitung.