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For the past few years, Wei Wei Jia Persimmon Tourist Farm has faced many challenges that threaten the sustainability of its traditional dried persimmon production and the welfare of its persimmon businesses.
For the past few years, Wei Wei Jia Persimmon Tourist Farm has faced many challenges that threaten the sustainability of its traditional dried persimmon production and the welfare of its persimmon businesses.
- Tradition or Production
One major challenge is that the farm continues to rely on traditional, laborious methods to produce dried persimmons, while many other businesses have shifted to using advanced machinery and automated drying equipment. The machines can peel, dry and package persimmons much faster than a lot of workers, which greatly reduces cost and production time. Because of this difference, Wei Wei Jia’s production process is slower and more expensive, making it more difficult for the farm to compete with other businesses in the market. However, these traditional, laborious methods are not just simply outdated practices, but serve as an important part of Taiwanese cultural heritage. The techniques of the farm have been passed down through generations and represent the craftsmanship and knowledge developed by our ancestors over many decades. Maintaining these methods helps preserve traditional culture and reflects the strong idea of community identity rooted in Taiwan’s agricultural villages.
2. Lack of Labor
2. Lack of Labor
Another challenge the farm faces is a shortage of labor. Most youngsters in Taiwan prefer to migrate to cities in search of a high paying job, which leaves fewer workers to continue farming and practice traditional food production methods. As a result, Wei Wei Jia Persimmon Tourist Farm is managed by members of the same family, who must handle harvesting, drying, processing, marketing, and tourism activities themselves. This limited workforce makes it difficult to expand their business or increase the production rate of the dried persimmon.
In addition, the farm has limited access to large commercial sales channels because selling products in major supermarkets often require high entry fees and lower profit margins. Because of this, Wei Wei Jia mainly relies on direct sales to tourists, local markets, and small retailers, which limits the scale of their consumers. I
3. Climate Change
3. Climate Change
In addition, climate change has made the situation even more severe. The process of drying persimmons depends heavily on stable weather with enough sunlight and dry winds. However, unpredictable autumn weather patterns, for instance, consecutive days of rain or high humidity, can easily damage a batch or persimmons by causing mold or preventing proper drying. There are also problems, such as sudden changes in the temperature or typhoons forming during the drying season. These problems can also affect the dried persimmon’s texture, flavor, and quality.
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