不賺錢的農業要幹嘛：災後部落的小規模農業實踐

Abstract

當代社會為追求高效率生產與高經濟效益，農業多以現代化農業為主，許多原住民也因應農業的快速發展而摒棄傳統農耕方式，轉而投入種植高經濟作物的高山農業。然而，極端氣候與永續發展需求凸顯了經濟導向農業的負面影響，促使農業多功能性概念興起，探討農業在經濟之外的價值。

2009年橫掃南台灣的莫拉克風災，讓部分居住於山區的原住民部落受災慘重，只能接受政府安排，離開原居地至永久屋基地展開新生活。但狹小的永久屋基地與族人的生活、文化習慣不相符，更幾乎不能滿足族人的農耕需求。儘管永久屋基地的土地條件不利耕作，但族人仍在有限耕地種植傳統主食作物；且其收穫並非用以交易，而多是自用或維持人際關係。

族人災後的農耕行為顯然與當代農業的運作邏輯不同。因此本研究以農業多功能性的角度，檢視災後屏東縣好茶部落與來義系統部落族人於永久屋基地的農耕行為，並提出兩個研究問題，傳統主食作物如何在兩處永久屋基地延續？以及傳統主食作物對兩處永久屋基地族人的意義為何？以此挖掘農耕對災後族人的意義。

透過二手資料分析法、深度訪談法以及參與式觀察，本研究發現兩地族人堅持傳統農作的動機，來自彼此相互照顧、延續文化精神的心情；又因為災後不同的遷居政策而發展出個人、共耕兩種不同的耕作延續策略。災後傳統農耕對族人的意義超越了經濟價值，包括傳統主食作物形塑的農業地景能撫慰長輩、建立對新家園的認同；傳統主食作物的味覺記憶能夠強化族人對族群與文化的認同；多樣的傳統主食作物品系更意味著族人的家族榮譽與個人美德；小規模農地讓族人有機會在被打散的生活中相互關心。

透過災後兩地部落族人的農耕實踐，研究結果凸顯農業多功能性的研究框架限制，打破當代對農業的既有想像。源於企業精神的農業多功能性，雖然是目前探索農業在經濟層面以外的價值的工具，但它也讓研究者忽視經濟價值以外的價值動機。本研究希望透過台灣原住民農業的案例，指出小規模農耕的價值，並增添台灣學界更多探索農業多功能性的可能。

In modern society, agricultural practices primarily revolve around industrialized agriculture, driven by the pursuit of high efficiency and economic gains. Many Indigenous farmers have abandoned traditional farming methods in favor of cultivating high-value cash crops in mountainous regions. However, as extreme weather events become more frequent and sustainability concerns rise, the limitations of profit-driven agriculture have become evident, leading to the emergence of agricultural multifunctionality, which explores the broader socio-cultural and ecological functions of agriculture beyond economic value.

The 2009 Typhoon Morakot devastated numerous Indigenous communities in southern Taiwan, prompting the government to relocate severely affected tribes to permanent housing settlements. However, these settlements failed to accommodate Indigenous cultural and agricultural practices, particularly traditional farming. Despite unfavorable soil and water conditions, Indigenous elders continued to cultivate traditional crops on small patches of land - not for market transactions but for personal use and social exchange. Their farming behaviors contrasted sharply with modern agricultural logic.

This study examines post-disaster farming practices in Kucapugane and Tjana’asia Community, applying the lens of agricultural multifunctionality and posing two key research questions: (1) How have traditional crops been sustained in these permanent housing settlements? (2) What significance do traditional crops hold for the Indigenous residents of these settlements? Through secondary data analysis, in-depth interviews, and participatory observation, the study found that access to original farmland was the fundamental factor shaping different agricultural adaptation strategies. Kucapugane, where original farmland was completely buried, developed a fragmented, individual-based farming model, while Tjana’asia, where residents could return to their ancestral land, adopted a collective farming and shared sales approach.

Beyond economic considerations, post-disaster traditional farming carries profound cultural and social significance: the reproduction of agricultural landscapes provides psychological comfort to elders and fosters a sense of home; the taste memory of traditional crops strengthens cultural identity; the diversity of traditional crop varieties reflects familial honor and personal virtues; and small-scale farmland enables community bonding among dispersed residents.

These findings challenge contemporary assumptions about agriculture and highlight the limitations of agricultural multifunctionality frameworks. By examining the persistence of traditional farming among Indigenous communities in post-disaster environments, this study argues that farming is not synonymous with agriculture, and that agricultural policymaking must shift away from an industry-driven framework to acknowledge the intrinsic socio-cultural and ecological functions of farming. These insights provide a new perspective on Taiwanese agricultural studies while contributing to the broader discourse on Indigenous farming practices.