From Bunun Family Vegetable Garden to International Success: Launch of English Edition of Bunun tu Pisanglavan

The gift to the world is the wisdom of Bunun from “Pisanglavan.” The Hualien Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA Hualien), and the Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation have long supported the Bunun people of Zhuoqing Village, Zhuoxi Township, Hualien County, preserving and utilizing the Satoyama landscape, maintaining the ecosystem, and passing on traditional farming wisdom. Their work has been compiled into two books, Bunun tu Pisanglavan and Bunun tu Pisanglavan 2: Tina tu Tani. Today (7/23), the English version of the new book was launched at the Kishu An Forest of Literature in Taipei. The international community is invited to visit the family vegetable gardens of the Zhuoxi Bunun community and witness the treasured practices of Taiwan’s indigenous people in agricultural biodiversity, Satoyama conservation, and cultural heritage.

In recent years, the FANCA has promoted the establishment of the Taiwan Ecological Network (TEN). Adhering to the spirit of the Satoyama Initiative, it has promoted ecological conservation work in low-elevation mountainous areas and below by developing eco-friendly agriculture and green economy in mountain villages. Since 2018, the FANCA Hualien has collaborated with the Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation to help the Bunun people of Zhuoqing Village in Zhuoxi Township to compile knowledge on local crops and agricultural practices. They have successively discovered and recorded more than 30 kinds of beans and grains, and worked together with the tribal community to establish the “Bunun Bean Classroom.” Tribal elders and youth are brought together to revitalize and preserve the traditional farming wisdom of the Bunun people through co-farming, co-learning, co-eating, food and agriculture education, and tourism. At the same time, they also created a local green economy to improve the resilience of the tribal community.

Deputy Director General Chang Tai of the FANCA said that over the years, through the operation of the Bunun Bean Classroom, not only have precious traditional culture and agricultural wisdom been preserved, but the environment and ecosystems of the low-elevation mountains have also been conserved, successfully protecting species diversity, habitats, genetics, and culture. “Pisanglavan” means “family vegetable garden” in the Bunun language, and it is also an important site for the preservation of crops and cultural heritage for every Bunun family in Zhuoxi. Bunun tu Pisanglavan presents detailed observations of the Bunun people’s interaction with the land, crops, and the living organisms around them. Bunun tu Pisanglavan 2: Tina tu Tani focuses on nearly 30 kinds of traditional Bunun beans, with recorded stories of their exchange, planting, preservation, and consumption, showing the profound and diverse living relationship between people and nature. The publication of the English edition aims to share with more international readers the local wisdom of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples in responding to contemporary environmental challenges.

The book launch invited elders from the Bunun Bean Classroom to introduce vegetable garden design and seed conservation wisdom, while youth representatives introduced local brands and tourism practices. Professor Lee Kuang-Chung from National Dong Hwa University was invited to share the importance of indigenous traditional knowledge in global sustainability issues, while Assistant Researcher Chang Ching-Huan from the World Vegetable Center introduced the role played by local varieties in genetic diversity and food security. In response to challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and food system transformation, international organizations such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have recently emphasized the key role of indigenous and local community knowledge in ecological conservation, agricultural biodiversity, and sustainable development. The family vegetable gardens and bean conservation practices in Zhuoxi, Hualien, are a concrete example of how Taiwan’s Satoyama actions resonate with international sustainability trends.

Su Muh-Rong, CEO of the Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation, said that the publication of the English edition is not just about translating the book into another language, but also about opening a gateway for cross-cultural dialogue. In response to the publication of the new book, the FANCA Hualien and the Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation also organized an international student field trip this year, inviting young people from different countries and academic backgrounds to visit the Bunun family vegetable gardens at Zhuoxi featured in the books, where they learned about sustainable farming methods rooted in the local ecosystem and culture. According to the students’ feedback, what impressed them the most was not any grand concepts on sustainability, but the elders’ natural attitude towards the land and the everyday confidence they showed in the vegetables and crops from their own gardens and fields on their dining tables. These experiences helped them realize that sustainability is not just a slogan, but a capability and value that exists in daily life. Su Muh-Rong pointed out that the Bunun Bean Classroom’s field trip allowed overseas youth to witness the Bunun people’s down-to-earth yet profound practical connection to the land. In the future, he hopes that through guided tours, courses, and exchange activities, more young people from home and abroad will understand that Satoyama wisdom is not just about local experiences, but also important knowledge on biodiversity, food resilience, and cultural sustainability that are valued and can be exchanged around the world.

According to the FANCA Hualien’s Deputy Director Chu Yi-Chien, the publication of the English version of Bunun tu Pisanglavan is not only an important achievement in the compilation and preservation of the Bunun people’s knowledge on sustainable farming, but also a potential platform for the international exchange of Taiwan’s Satoyama indigenous wisdom. By sharing the experience of the Bunun family vegetable gardens, we aim to show the world how local knowledge can respond to contemporary environmental and social challenges, and encourage more young people to rediscover and inherit the rich culture and heritage of the ecological wisdom of Satoyama.