Shanshui Rice Organic Farm

Yuanli Township in Miaoli County is known as Miaoli's granary, with a vast rice cultivation area of up to 3000 hectares. The Organic Paddy Field is a 'hope workstation' established by Shanshui Rice Company, beginning its setup in 2004. Its main purpose is to promote organic rice cultivation and to help the public understand that rice is not easily obtained, thus teaching the importance of cherishing it. The Shanshui Rice Organic Paddy Field, a 'hope workstation,' was established by Shanshui Rice Company in 2004 to promote organic rice cultivation in the Miaoli Yuanli region. In 2006, the Guan Shu Education Foundation officially joined this 'hope project,' taking charge of environmental education promotion. It aims, through this 'classroom floating on waves of rice paddies,' to learn with everyone how to treat the land kindly, respect all life, care for farmers' livelihoods, foster creativity, and support the slogan 'Eat Taiwanese rice, love Taiwan's mountains and rivers' with more concrete actions. The 'Organic Paddy Field' is located next to Shanshui Rice Company. Centered around the 'classroom floating on waves of rice paddies,' it is surrounded by an exhibition room for ancient farming tools (converted from an old granary), a DIY classroom, organic rice paddies, and an organic fruit and vegetable garden. The rice paddies adopt the 'duck-rice symbiosis' organic farming method, where cute little ducks assist in cultivation, offering everyone an opportunity to closely interact with the paddy field ecosystem. Adjacent to it is the organic fruit and vegetable garden, allowing visitors to get their hands dirty and personally experience the joys and challenges of organic farming. Indoors, there are interactive interpretative displays, the 'Wan Mi Canteen' offering diverse, healthy rice-based meals, and a souvenir sales area. The 'Organic Paddy Field' is a natural learning center dedicated to promoting organic farming and environmental ecological education. Embodying the spirit of '100% Rice Fun,' it offers creative and engaging experiential and interpretive activities, allowing children and adults alike to embark on a learning journey filled with joy and laughter. The 'Organic Paddy Field' also coordinates with different seasons and the rice growth cycle, inviting everyone to participate in harvesting and transplanting rice seedlings, to be a modern farmer for a day and experience the taste of diligent cultivation and sweaty harvest. Emphasizing organic farming, the site employs the 'duck-paddy' cultivation method, where ducklings assist in farm work. Watching the fluffy yellow ducklings waddle among the rice seedlings in the fields brings smiles to the faces of both adults and children. The building is divided into several areas: a multi-functional classroom serves as the primary venue for DIY activities, the exhibition area is used for interpretations and displaying rice-related items, and there is also a restaurant offering organic rice meals, and a sales area selling various cute souvenir merchandise. However, as it champions the '100% Rice Fun' philosophy, the most exciting aspects here are not the hardware facilities but rather the various experiential activities and guided tours offered in conjunction with the seasons and the rice growth cycle, such as 'Farmer for a Day,' field experiences, harvesting, and rice transplanting, as well as DIY activities like stone painting, eco-friendly handmade soap making, and biodiversity kaleidoscopes. Under the lively guidance of young men and women, these activities engage visitors in a fun way, allowing them, in addition to touring the organic rice paddies, to get closer to the fields and understand rural culture through hands-on experience.