The "Verification Greenhouse" of TACTRI was opened on July 15, 2020. It is a good place for young/new farmers to practice on-site!

Taiwan Agricultural Chemicals and Toxic Substances Research Institute (referred to as TACTRI) is dedicated to improving the safety of agricultural products. On July 15th, 2020, it started using the "Safe Production System Verification Greenhouse" which equipped with steel reinforcing bars and environmental control system. This greenhouse is designed by the colleagues in TACTRI with their expertise in pesticide technology. The construction is the best model facility for pest management on the crops with high risk of pesticide residues such as strawberries, coriander and cucumbers. In addition, in response to extreme climates, an "artificial climate room" is also being planned. In the future, TACTRI will conduct the heat-resistant varieties verification tests to meet the domestic needs and further help farmers solve their problems under extreme climates!

Chin-Cheng Huang, Deputy Minister of Council of Agriculture, was invited to attend the opening ceremony. He mentioned that the global climate change had increased the risk of invasive diseases and pests regardless of animals and plants; therefore, to implement preventive measures in advance are required. In recent years, Taiwan has been affected by extreme climates, which have made open field cultivation bear greater risks, and thus affected the stable supply of domestic farm produce. In order to enhance disaster prevention capabilities of Taiwan’s agriculture industry, the Council of Agriculture launched the “Facility Cultivation Agriculture Five-Year Plan" in 2017, cultivation facility demonstration sites were successively constructed by 10 agricultural research and extension stations.  This "Safe Production System Verification Greenhouse" constructed by TACTRI is one of the important results of this large-scale project. Deputy Minister Huang hopes that the greenhouse will gradually install environmental monitoring systems in the future for analyzing micro-environment parameters associated with control of diseases, pests, and growth conditions of crops, so as to assist farmers in improving crop cultivation and management capabilities under climate changes.

Ruey-Jang Chang, Director General of TACTRI, stated that the "Safe Production System Verification Greenhouse" in TACTRI is currently equipped with a microbial material verification greenhouse, a delicate crop cultivation model verification greenhouse, and an artificial climate verification greenhouse. Within this context, plans for soil and off-soil cultivation experimental models are in the pipeline. In the pursuit of agricultural upgrading under extreme climates, apart from well-functioning greenhouses, it should also be matched with "safe production systems" when cultivating crops. After the "Verification Greenhouse" of TACTRI is opened, it will also be used to foster new agricultural forces and provide fields for new and young farmers in the central Taiwan to operate on-site. It is worth looking forward to substantially improving the professional management and operation capabilities of farmers!