(Mandarin version at bottom)
In the past few years, the Yilan government has initiated significant efforts at introducing organic agriculture in the county. Yet, decades before the recent government campaign, Shen Kao-nan (沈高男), a native of Sanxin Township (三星鄉), already spearheaded such an initiative in his backyard, located in the famous Xingjian Organic Rice Village (行健有機夢想村).
From his previous occupation as a policeman to his current job as a farmer, Shen is a man who is unafraid to step out of his comfort zone. Despite the constant challenges of agricultural work and the burden of significant debt, Shen held the mantra of never giving up close to his heart. After years of hard work aided by stubborn determination, he has acquired vast reserves of knowledge, and a unique skillset. Now, he teaches organic agriculture at a nearby community college in the hopes of passing down his knowledge and recruiting more people to follow in his steps.
Shen’s Rice
Shen currently grows the Kaohsiung No. 145 Penglai rice (高雄145號蓬萊米), a type of Japonica rice commonly cultivated in Taiwan. The rice’s texture is slightly firm and chewy, which makes it particularly suitable for sushi rice after being chilled. After years of repeated trials, Shen has come up with what he considers the perfect method for growing rice. Unlike other farmers who flood the rice paddies with water to prevent the growth of weeds, Shen does the opposite. He allows the weeds to freely grow so as to aerate the soil, and to allow the microorganisms in the soil to continue functioning. Because of his unorthodox approach, the quality of Shen’s rice is superior to that of other farmers and scores well on the Rice Flavor Index (食味值).
Shanxing Green Onions (三星小憨蔥-四季蔥)
Shen also grows Sanxin Xiaohan Green Onions (三星小憨蔥 or四季蔥), which is one of Yilan’s most famous crops. However, because this cultivar is particularly prone to pests, most farmers are unwilling to grow it organically. Yet, Shen was unfazed, and decided to plant it anyway despite being aware of the potential difficulties. Because his green onions are tender and full of flavor, Shen often likes to playfully proclaim that, “The best organic green onions in Taiwan are grown in my backyard!”
宜蘭近幾年開始大力推廣有機農業，大家對於宜蘭的有機農產也不陌生。然而，其實早在十幾年前，三星鄉農夫沈高男就開始以有機耕作方式種植稻米及蔥，算是宜蘭有機農夫的先驅者之一。沈高男是土生土長的宜蘭三星人，他的田就位於以有機米聞名的三星鄉行健有機夢想村內。當初從一位刑警變成一位農夫，從慣行農法到有機栽種，挑戰不熟悉的可能，沈高男歷經不斷的挫折及高額的負債，即使有過那麼一段灰心喪志的時期，仍究憑著「不服輸」的性格克服種種的困難，練就了一身技術。不吝分享的他，目前在社區大學教授有機農業，希望透過分享與傳達，鼓勵有機耕作，並讓更多想投入有機農業的農夫得以汲取他的經驗。
稻米
沈高男的稻米以高雄145號蓬萊米為主，這種米的米質飽滿、Q彈，冷卻後更適合用作壽司米。沈的栽種方式是他自己所摸索出來的草生栽種，在收割後農夫們通常會用淹田的方式防止雜草生長，而沈卻反其道而行，讓雜草在田間自由生長，以維持田間的生態相，並讓土壤接觸空氣，使土中的微生物繼續作用。也因為注重生態栽種，沈的米又比其他農夫種的米質更加，曾經測過的食味值達7以上。
三星小憨蔥(四季蔥)
沈的蔥田種植的是宜蘭在地人所稱的「小憨」蔥(又稱四季蔥)。小憨蔥葉肉厚軟，品質優良，但因為易得病蟲害，一般有機蔥農種植意願不高；然而沈高男卻不畏困難，冒著沒有收成的風險，不斷從失敗中學習，下足了苦功才有了近年來的成果。沈的蔥口感質地細嫩，蔥味鮮明，他經常自豪地說：「要找到這麼好吃的有機蔥，全台灣大概只有我有種了！
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