INTRODUCTION TO
TAINAN
DISTRICT AGRICULTURAL
RESEARCH & EXTENSION STATION, COA
The Station is the biggest among the seven district agricultural research and extension stations (DARES) in Taiwan. Its service covers Yuinlin County, Chiayi County and City, and Tainan County and City, totaling 0.26 million hectares or 30.6% of the total arable land in Taiwan. The district has about 0. 22 million farm families or 1.02 million farming people, representing 27.9% of the farming population in Taiwan.
The major crops in this district are rice, corn, peanut, vegetable soybean, mungbean, azuki bean, sweet potato, sesame, citrus, mango, longan, melons, cucumbers, vegetables, flowers and specialty crops.
The soil in the area is generally alluvial sandstone shales with good drainage. In the west of the north-south bound railway, the soil is calcareous and low in fertility. And the soil in the east is loam to clay with good fertility.
Annual mean temperature is 23.8℃. The recorded maximum and minimum temperatures are 37.8℃ and 2.4℃, respectively. Annual mean relative humidity is 81%. Average annual total precipitation is 1730 mm from annual mean of 97 raining days. The rainy season is from May to mid-September, and the dry season from November to March.
About 0.14 million ha, or 53% of the total arable land, in this district is under an irrigation system managed by Yuinlin and Chianan Irrigation Association. Thus, the district is ideal for dryland crop. Although Tsengwen Reservoir boosts agricultural production, its water supply is still inadequate for the need in this district.