Taking the Douliu exit from National Freeway 3, drive toward Douliu City and turn left at University Road, continue driving straight to Douliu City Kindergarten, then take a left turn to Industry Road and drive for 100m, and you will arrive at WIN FARM YUNLIN.
Introduction
Born in 1950, farm owner Chen Wan-sheng began large-scale cultivation of fruits in 1981. Using cover cropping, the farm has excellent soil quality because it does not practice pesticide use or customary farming method. In addition to different varieties of citrus trees, many different types of flora are grown here. The uncontaminated environment also makes it possible to rear many small animals. In 2003, it became a recreational farm which was then the first in the Yunnan, Chiayi and Tainan area to obtain permit for operation. In the same year, Mr. Chen even won the highest accolade for any farmer in the nation – the Shennong Award!
Fruits grown at WIN FARM YUNLIN include Wendan pomelo, Murcott, Taiwan emperor mandarin, ruby grapefruit, honeybell and orange. Due to the different harvesting period for each type of fruit, you get to eat different fruits at the farm at different times of the year. Because the fruits are picked at the right season, they will always be the sweetest, juiciest and most extraordinary in taste.
Besides cultivating its own fruits, WIN FARM YUNLIN also opens a small area of land to the public for cultivation, giving everyone a chance to experience the joy of farming. If you book in advance, you can even have eco-tours, BBQ activity, team-building games and water activity here.
Located within Douliu, Yunlin – one of the top fruit-producing area in Taiwan, WIN FARM YUNLIN provides fruit-picking and various DIY experiences, including DIY windchime, ecoprint, painted bamboo hat, etc.
WIN FARM YUNLIN currently focuses on cultivating new varieties of fruit tree and producing high-quality fruits. To support development of recreational farming in the locality, the farm provides a great place for the public to enjoy farm living, expand their perspective and embrace farming culture.
Features of Agricultural Tourism
Fruits
Despite being traditional farmers from an earlier era, Mr. Chen and his wife have a youthful and willing attitude when it comes to learning, continuously seeking improvement in their professional domain. To learn how to provide guided tour, they purposefully took classes at the conservation education center and have become qualified eco-tour interpreters who can educate visitors on the flora and fauna seen in the farm. Their age did not stop them from providing lively and enriching interpretation as they fill visitors with knowledge and keep them laughing during the tours. In fact, they have even hosted international visitors from Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan, and received abundant praises. Mr. Chen’s eyes sparkled as he beamed with confidence upon the mention of the thousands of tourists he had hosted. He happily shared that a visitor who came to the farm to buy fruits as gifts had returned because he had a memorable experience picking fruits here when he was a child. There was also a boss of a company who, having eaten their quality fruits, concurred with the couple’s business philosophy and ordered many fruit boxes to gift his customers.
“Fruits taste best when eaten at the place they are produced,” said Mr. Chen.
To be able to eat “in-season and locally-produced food” is a great blessing. On the issues of challenges faced during the farm’s transformation, weather impact on farming, manpower shortage when the farm is busy and uncertainty in the farm’s succession, Mr. Chen cheerfully replied, “We just do our best! Of course, we hope our children or grandchildren would take over the farm. Whether the business is sustainable is like taking care of these fruit trees, you do your best first, stay optimistic and leave the rest to time.”
