中
Photos and text courtesy of the Lovely Taiwan Foundation.
How does Taiwan manage to consume 200,000 tons of potatoes every year? Did you know that okra is actually native to Africa? Sustainability is no longer just a slogan! Drawing from 13 years of food and agricultural education experience across 18 elementary schools in Taiwan, the Lovely Taiwan Foundation presents the “My Sustainable Lifestyle Initiative” special exhibition. Transforming knowledge and practical experience into a multidimensional and engaging journey, the exhibition fosters rich interaction, meaningful discussion, and dynamic exchanges. Now open at Eslite R79 (Zhongshan Underground Book Street), the exhibition inspires sustainable practices across campuses, households, and daily life, empowering everyone to naturally embrace sustainability as a shared value.
In 2013, the Lovely Taiwan Foundation launched "Project Shennong" by adopting 18 elementary schools across Miaoli, New Taipei, Pingtung, Hualien, and Taitung. Through the "one school, one plot" initiative, it established a systematic and knowledge-rich interdisciplinary learning platform. By getting children close to the land and engaged in hands-on practice, the project introduced them to natural farming, organic cultivation, and the knowledge of how to grow healthy food. This experience became a starting point for promoting sustainable living.
Having frequently visited schools to help till fields and harvest crops with the students, Chairman Wen-chang Ko of the Lovely Taiwan Foundation shared, “Over the past decade and more, children have grown up happily on their school farm plots, building a close bond with the land and plants. Many have since gone on to university or even started working. Seeing them return to school to harvest with their younger peers, we know that a profound attachment to their hometown and the land is deeply rooted in their hearts. What moved me most was a child in Miaoli who went home and told his grandfather, ‘Stop using pesticides.’ It made me truly feel the impact of Project Shennong.” He added, “We have also observed that through connecting with the land and participating in cultivation, children develop five core capabilities: observation, creativity, communication, action, and social skills. These are lifelong abilities they can carry with them—and the gifts that Lovely Taiwan has given them for life.”
Left: The 2026 "My Sustainable Lifestyle Initiative" Special Exhibition is now open at Eslite R79/ Zhongshan Underground Book Street through July 26, 2026. Right: Chairman Wen-chang Ko of the Lovely Taiwan Foundation shares the journey of championing this initiative for over a decade.
With the enactment of the Food and Agricultural Education Act in 2022, schools across all levels faced a severe shortage of food and agricultural educational content. To address this gap, Chairman Wen-chang Ko invited his close friend, Simon Lin, Chairman of Wistron Corporation, to further launch the "Shennong Sustainable Lifestyle Initiative" With joint support from Wistron Foundation and the Pun-Sian Foundation, Lovely Taiwan Foundation established the "Shennong Sustainable Lifestyle Co-Learning Network." Built upon the Lovely Taiwan Foundation's 13 years of hands-on experience in elementary school classrooms and an interdisciplinary network of over 100 teaching partners—including both individuals and organizations—the platform integrated professional teams and experts across agriculture, culture, industry, and community development. It provided systematic knowledge, lesson plans, and real-world classroom records for schools, families, community groups, and homeschooling organizations to reference and use. Expressing his hope that more schools would fully utilize the network, Ko stated: "If you encounter any confusion or questions while applying the material, simply send your inquiries to the network. Our advisory team of farm instructors will assist in resolving them, reducing anxiety throughout the process of practicing sustainable living."
Opening on June 1, the "My Sustainable Lifestyle Initiative" exhibition brought the knowledge and experience of food and agricultural education to life in an interactive, three-dimensional, and engaging way. The exhibition was divided into five main sections: "Huh?! Food & Ag Q&A" solved common planting myths in daily life; "Come On! Design Your Food & Ag Class" offered 52 sets of innovative lesson plans for visitors to freely curate their own courses; "Look! Children's Farm Diaries" allowed kids to guide visitors through the wonders of the fields; "Watch Me! 18 Styles of Food & Ag Education" presented the front-line teaching experiences of 18 elementary schools; and "What?! Teachers Tell It All" shared the teaching insights of educators across Taiwan, who found even more joy in teaching than the students did in learning.
Sustainable living calls for hands-on action. Hosted every Sunday, the "Shennong Little Academy" invites eight innovative education teams from across Taiwan to lead classes ranging from soil, wild vegetables, and herbs to insects—allowing participants to get their hands dirty planting their own crops and turning sustainability into an engaging daily practice. On Saturdays, Peiru Ko, author of Fermenting with Love, hosts the Sustainable Farmers' Party, while Wei-gong Liou, former Commissioner of the Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs, leads the Sustainable Reading Party. Meanwhile, sustainability advocates—including the Green Dining Guide, MOA International Foundation of Natural Ecology, Must Bee the City, and Jhihtan Elementary School—run a "Debate Relay." Join us in the afternoon to connect with local farmers and make sustainability an everyday civic action.
Principal Shih-ho Liu of Jhihtan Elementary School in New Taipei City—adopted as a Shennong Sustainable Seed School by the Lovely Taiwan Foundation—shared: "The Lovely Taiwan Foundation brought us the upgraded Shennong Sustainable Lifestyle Initiative. Through companionship, they collaborated with our school to reach into families, communities, and local towns. Seeing the enthusiasm in the children's eyes made me feel the vitality of Taiwan's education again." Chuan-fen Chuang of Wild Earth Studio, representing the farm instructor, added: "This year marks my 10th year in farming. Starting in Meinong and eventually putting down roots in Hualien, I stepped into the educational field because of the Lovely Taiwan Foundation. Last year, I was invited to systematically compile and organize all the farm instructors' lesson plans into the Shennong Sustainable Lifestyle Co-Learning Network, sharing the fruits of over a decade of learning. We look forward to everyone working together to make this sustainability initiative even more complete."
Chairman Wen-chang Ko expressed his gratitude to the 22 corporate partners who partnered with the Lovely Taiwan Foundation over the years to adopt schools under Project Shennong. He also thanked the farm instructors, school teachers, and students for turning school farm plots into outdoor classrooms and transforming schools into engines for community development.
Reaffirming his vision, Ko emphasized: "Sustainability is not a slogan; it is a value that everyone naturally embraces." At the opening ceremony, the Wen Feng Elementary School Harmonica Band performed the song "Big Hand Holding Small Hand," symbolizing the hope that whether on campus, at home, or in daily life, everyone can walk together to put sustainability into action and cherish the land of Taiwan.
Left: The Wen Feng Elementary School Harmonica Band performed the song "Big Hand Holding Small Hand."Right: Visitors share their hopes and visions for sustainable living.
Exhibition Information: "My Sustainable Lifestyle Initiative" Special Exhibition Exhibition Dates: From now until July 26, 2026 (Sun), 10:00 – 21:30 Venue: Eslite R79 / Zhongshan Underground Book Street (B1, No. 16,) Organizers: Lovely Taiwan Foundation, Eslite R79 Sponsors: Wistron Foundation, Pun-Sian Foundation
| Shennong Sustainable Lifestyle Co-Learning Network | Event Registration |
 |
 |
*活動相關資訊，請以「活動報名網頁」公告為主