Green diamond of the medicinal herb world – mugwort lights up Gaoyuan Community

A delicate plume of smoke spirals up into the air, permeating the space with the unmistakable fragrance of mugwort; this is the community of Gaoyuan in Longtan, Taoyuan. A typical Hakka settlement, Gaoyuan has relatively infertile land and the crop for many years was tea, which is exceptionally drought-resistant. However, as a consequence of mainland China dumping large volumes of tea onto the market, the local area's tea lost competitiveness. In the hope of reversing the community’s fortunes and finding a new direction, residents began growing the traditional Hakka crop, mugwort, to take over as the main player in the local industry.

Over time, assisted by a group of community residents employed through the Multi-Employment Promotion Program, Gaoyuan community has developed a whole range of mugwort products. The community hopes that in the future it can evolve into a model social enterprise and promote mugwort as a green diamond of the medicinal herb industry, thereby helping many more local people.

以下為中文對照

隨著輕煙裊裊升起，空氣中瀰漫著淡淡的艾草香，這是位於桃園龍潭的高原社區。高原社區屬於典型的客家聚落，由於土地較為貧瘠，早期以耐旱的茶葉為主要作物，無奈大量中國茶葉傾銷，失去競爭力的情況下，社區居民集思廣益選擇客家傳統作物 — 「艾草」作為社區產業的主角，也為社區的未來點亮一道曙光。

社區活用艾草，開發多樣產品，而這些富有巧思的產品都來自於一群透過多元就業開發方案所聘請的社區居民。希望在未來，能朝社會企業的模式發展，發揮藥草界的綠鑽石功效，幫助更多在地的民眾。