GARDEN Trader 2023

Peter Chu From the Publisher Due to interrupted supply chains, the ongoing Russo- Ukrainian War and extreme climates, the global price of fertilizer soared by more than 30%, forcing farmers to reduce the area of farming and thereby resulting in reduced crop production and higher food price inflation. Hence, scholars from the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka have proposed a technical solution for effectively reducing the use of fertilizers by measuring the nutrient and pH of soil using infrared light. In addition to reducing fertilizers consumption, finding direct alternatives is not only the solution to the existing problems, but also an effective approach to rebuilding the natural environment. Studies by the European branch of "Pesticide Action Network" indicate that in the most recent decade there has been a relatively sharp increase in the contamination of fruits and vegetables produced within the territory of the EU with highly toxic pesticides. The European Commission, therefore, starts to restrict pesticides in 2022 to reduce their usage by 50% by 2030 to mitigate their harm to nature. In Taiwan, there are about 2 million metric tons of chicken manure generated every year, and about 76% of the raw chicken manure is dumped directly into the farmlands, which posed risk to the soil environment. The Taiwanese government starts to actively promote the conversion of chicken manure into organic fertilizers in 2022, which is expected to reduce domestic consumption of fertilizer and achieve the goal of halving such consumption by 2030. In Taiwan, there is a young farmer Mr. Yang, Chih-kai who utilizes earth- worms to convert cow dung into organic fertilizers to reach circular agriculture friendly to the environment. The global fertilizer crisis in 2022 has made people reflect on the importance of sustainability which allows main- taining crop diversity to enhance agricultural resilience, reducing the usage of pesticides to achieve agricultural carbon fixation, and applying renewable energy to create a circular economy. The pursuit of a sustainable agricultural economy must start with land-friendly development to solve the problems from their root causes. The premier Gardening buyer's guide 2023 10