Exploring Local Cultural Characteristics to Enhance the Ecosystem of Regional Revitalization

Denny Lee（China Productivity Center Agricultural Innovation Department）

Since the declaration of 2019 as the "First Year of Taiwan’s Regional Revitalization" by the Executive Yuan, various government projects have been launched including the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Creative Life Industry Development Project of the MOEA, the Tribal Development Project of the Council of Indigenous Peoples, and the Youth Empowerment Workstations for Regional Revitalization of the National Development Council. These are all aimed at providing resources and nutrients to small and medium-sized enterprises in fields such as indigenous groups, culture, and tourism to realize their ideals and enable the sprouting of creative industries in local communities. The goal is to attract the homecoming of local talents through increased job opportunities and to reach balanced area development.

After four years of efforts from various parties, many teams stationed in local communities have successfully integrated local resources with the support from the government and the private sector. They have effectively leveraged local advantages and created distinctively featured industries. For example, Yu-Ding-Shing Soy Sauce in Xiluo, Yunlin, has exercised the classic charm of their charcoal-brewed soy sauce through the SBTR program. The Fish Bar in Hualien, with the assistance received from the consultation project of the Soil and Water Conservation Bureau, developed the new experiences of fish-based diet education as well as three creative cultural products and souvenirs.

With the efforts of various government departments, regional revitalization in Taiwan has seen prosperous development in Taiwan. To delve into the future paths of regional revitalization in Taiwan and to help readers understand the potential for more added values, this article will present some case studies to analyze the context and elements of regional revitalization, thereby uncovering more possibilities and solutions for local development.

Development Approaches of Regional Revitalization in Taiwan

The regional revitalization in Taiwan draws a lot of inspiration from neighboring Japan. The aim is to create a livable environment through the development of local industries, and to boost population movement between the regions and balance urban-rural development. During the four years from 2019 to 2022, numerous unique stories have unfolded.

In Luye of Taitung, for example, the renowned Taiwan International Balloon Festival has led to an over-concentration of business economic activities during festival periods and the significant difference between peak and off-peak seasons cannot help the continuous population outflow and shrinking industries. To reverse this situation, the local government, homecoming youth, community development associations, and tourism operators have collaborated to base their efforts on the diverse local agricultural products to exercise its unique agricultural features and create some unique highlights.

The core approach includes assigning certificate of origin to local agricultural and related processed goods, in an effort to rebrand the local specialty products to enhance their quality and value. This allows the producers to benefit more. Online marketing channels and experiential activities are also developed to help boost the tertiary industry, attract travelers to stay, and stimulate the sale of specialty products, which lead to increased visibility and higher economic returns.

In summary, the approach of Luye is to accelerate industrial development by connecting the first, second, and third levels of the local industrial ecosystems, thus creating a better living environment and attracting population return and settlement.

Similar concepts and methods can also be seen in the cases of Chishang in Taitung and Guangfu in Hualien. In Chishang, local stakeholders have increased the value of Chishang rice by implementing natural farming methods and improving the processing techniques. Cultural and creative tourism is incorporated to enhance the brand value. The three-level industrial development process has resulted in higher income to farmers and enhanced the local ecosystem.

Similarly, Guangfu has also adopted this model for regional revitalization. In addition to the adoption of contracted farming to benefit the income of small farmers, the unique local crops of indigenous people are developed for the local liquor business. Consultation from experts is incorporated to develop immersive indigenous tribal experience activities that allow visitors to deeply appreciate the beauty of indigenous communities. Through these efforts, the course of industrial development is altered in a positive way to benefit local prosperity.

Deepening and adding value to regional revitalization

A summary of the achievements from various localities indicates that many regions in Taiwan follow a similar pattern of regional revitalization. This pattern involves refining industries to enhance the brand and value of local agricultural products, while integrating tour experiences to attract visitors and stimulate consumption and industrial development. However, within this pattern, what other elements can be incorporated to further cultivate the land and showcase the beauty and uniqueness of Taiwan's regional revitalization?

Perhaps we can start by examining the stories telling about the high-quality olive oils in Europe to see how they build the deep connections with their localities.

Nyon is an olive-oil-producing area in France that has also enhanced the brand value of its products through measures of certification of origins and tourism. However, to survive in a highly competitive market, local olive oil producers collaborated with the tourism association. By delving deep into every aspect of the local olive oil industry, they explored the terroir resources such as soil, climate, sunlight, and local customs, discovering untold stories of the land. This has led to the differentiation and uniqueness that cannot be replicated in other regions.

For example, the joint effort of regional tours highlights the local olive cultivation history of over 2000 years. Historical stories are told to explain the reasons behind the unique landscape formed by the local olive groves and oil mills. This value-added approach not only adds historical charm and elegance to the ordinary rural scenery but also transforms the tourism in the regions into a more meaningful interaction and connection between consumers and the local area, going beyond superficial elements like trails and souvenir shops.

Furthermore, olive oil producers formed alliances with local restaurants and chefs, using their exquisite culinary techniques to translate intangible terroir resources into delicious meals. This allowed consumers to personally experience the differences in olive oil flavors brought about by diverse environmental conditions, climates, and pressing techniques through the act of "eating." Thus, Nyon's olive oil became more than just a certification of its origin; it became a product with a distinct local DNA and a multi-dimensional character.

In summary, Nyon has achieved significant product value-added by forming alliances and connections between people, olive oil producers, tourism associations, and restaurants. They have appropriately incorporated historical and scenic environmental resources, delved deep into the nutrients of the land, and integrated them with the local terroir to create olive oil that can be sold at prices three times higher than similar products.

Recommendations for future regional revitalization projects:

From the case of Nyon, it can be observed that the deeper understanding of the texture, stories, and cultural aspects of the land enables products to be imbued with profound meaning and application, going beyond mere tools for monetary gain. It presents the opportunity to explore new possibilities with a fresh perspective.

This kind of contextualization and inspiration are precisely where regional revitalization in Taiwan can adopt to seek further enhancement. Prior to revitalization, local teams can consider conducting field investigations and mapping the textures of different regions, creating knowledge repositories, extracting memories, and identifying materials that enrich the foundation of revitalization proposals.

At the same time, the terroir resources discovered can be further translated into elements that consumers frequently encounter in their daily lives, through design, education, technology, and other means. This could include flavors of food or colors of utensils, allowing the local terroir to flow and be experienced in everyday life. By enabling consumers to interact with and experience the vitality of different regions in their daily lives, regional revitalization can truly integrate into their lives rather than remaining distant policy goals and slogans. This approach also helps foster autonomous growth when external resources are limited.

Last but not least, it is crucial not to overlook the importance of stable business operation models in the process of regional revitalization. It is recommended that local teams utilize project resources to create resilient business models that promote good people, good ecology, good products, and good places. By driving cross-domain applications of industrial resources, the probability of project success can be greatly enhanced. Furthermore, this approach helps consolidate local consensus and fosters the collaborative development of local initiatives.