Building and Recovering Rural Economic Landscapes: The case of liquor and tea industries in Taiwan

Food is the foundation for the quality of life. The recent decline of healthy agro-landscapes and vital rural economies have profoundly damaged both urban and rural lives. Based on two case studies in Taiwan, this paper concerns how rural villages develop viable local agro-food sectors. We investigate the liquor industry in Sinyi, Nantou, and eco-friendly tea industry in Pinglin, New Taipei, as the examples. Specifically, we examine the processes through which rural villages managed to build new or transform old agricultural activities under different sectoral and local contexts.