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1. Description of Our Community
Situated at the southern tip of Changhua County, Xizhou Township won this name as it is located at the submerged/emerged land where Siluo River and Siluo River (derived from Jhuoshuei River) are running through. This township boasts a historic and a natural feature, namely, Xizhou Sugar Plant and Jizaipi Canal. The former was a major sugar plant decades ago, as the ordinary people of old times depended a lot on sugar plants. In the 1980s, Taiwan Sugar Corporation (referred to as Tai Sugar) reduced its production immensely, and started to sell large pieces of land for residential buildings. In the process, many precious old trees were chopped down, while the Japanese-style dormitories and old structures such as Shicui Building had been torn down. In 1999, some of the land that possessed by Tai Sugar were imposed by the local government and rebuilt into the Township Office and a forest park. The Jizaipi Canal was constructed in the Japanese-colonized period, which was the first ever channel built by the government agency and the second largest irrigation system all over Changhua County. The Jizaipi Canal derived the water from Jhuoshuei River via Xizhou Township for irrigation over southwestern Changhua. In recent years, as the local government planned to establish Phase 4 of Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP-IV) in Erlin, it was planned to intercept and draw water from Cicai Irrigation. However, due to resistance of farmers, the issues of water resource allocation were widely discussed. Finally, the government followed the farmers’ opinions, transformed CTSP-IV into a precision machinery park, and canceled the water diversion project.
2. Summary of Our Project
Rich in agricultural products, Xizhou Township is an important agricultural township in Taiwan. Cizaipijun aqueduct takes the water from Jhuoshui River to irrigate the agricultural field in the southwest of Changhua, being an important irrigation water resource in Xizhou Township. In 2001, after Jiji Weir became the water source dispatching hub of Jhuoshui River, it was frequently said that the water for Sixth Naphtha Cracking Plant repelled the agricultural water, and the irrigation water in Cizaipijun aqueduct was “supplied for four days while stopped for 6 days”. In 2011, there appeared the problem of water use due to the settlement of CTSP-IV, which more manifested the importance of agricultural water for the agriculture-oriented Xizhou Township. The agricultural water does not only influence the growth of agricultural crops, but also influences the ecological environment of biological diversity. With Cizaipijun aqueduct as the research target, our Cyberfair project extends to the water resource problem in Changhua County. The main research questions are as follows: 1. What’s the current status of water resource allocation in Changhua? 2. What’s the influence of operation of Sixth Naphtha Cracking Plant on the water resource allocation in Changhua? 3. Conflict between agricultural water and industrial water-discussion on CTSP-IV case 4. What’s the importance of agricultural irrigation water? 5. Summer water party-I love water: present the team research achievements splendidly in diversified forms like lyric adaptation, novel creation, drama performance and micro film shooting. It is hoped that this Cyberfair project will provide everyone have a deeper understanding to the hometown, improve awareness to the hometown culture and bring the environmental topic into class to understand the relation between local environment, culture and ecology from more aspects.
3. Our Computer and Internet Access
A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%
B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:none
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:not sure
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:2-3
E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):
Chunghwa Telecom FTTB, 100mb download, 50mb upload
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
Formulation of research topic and name: we decide to discuss with the cases of Sixth Naphtha Cracking Plant water pollution and CTSP-IV water diversion resistance. However, these two cases are still concerned by the public, whether in the past or at present, and we are very afraid that there will be the problem of position in such research. Research team and work division: Most of the students did not have research experience, so in combination with the summer course tutoring, the school held Cyberfair project workshop to cultivate related abilities of everyone, like interview, photographing, shooting and webpage making. In the aspect of time arrangement: junior high school students are under great academic pressure,we used the Native Topic Summer Camp in 2013 for lecture and field visits, we invited the general secretary of Changhua County Environmental Protection Union and Teacher Yao who was enthusiastic in environmental citizen, and asked us to distribute the source and allocation situation of water resources in Changhua, later, we took the touring bus to visit CTSP-IV and Sixth Naphtha Cracking Plant. In the aspect of information technology: we do not regard a well-made, highly technological web page as the ultimate goal of our Webpage, since we aimed to present our theme in a panoramic and heart-moving way. We all felt deeply moved and a sense of fulfillment when finally seeing the final version of the Webpage. We proud say that we made this website on our own. It's not fancy, but it's our hard work. Data collection and research report compiling: In the 2013 summer’s Homeland Camp, our teachers organized many sessions on taking pictures, tips on photography, interviewing, and recording. All the techniques have been employed in the process of information collection. Some of the information was later found to be irrelevant of the topic, and we have had to make a second round collection.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
Land, water, guava, and the peasants constitute a simple, precious culture of Xizhou Township. The Cyberfair project indeed gave us a golden opportunity to get close to our land, and explore the hardworking spirit of our peasants. Through this Cyberfair project, we deeply feel that “water” is the root for agricultural development, without sufficient high-quality water resources, how can grains be produced and the life sustained? Especially, if there is a lack of agricultural irrigation water, the farmers cannot sustain their livelihood, and it is impossible for Taiwan achieve the objective of increasing grain self-sufficiency ratio. Therefore, the supply and demand of agricultural water, as well as the balance between agriculture and economic development are worthy to be emphasized!
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
Our research topic creates a condition for all participating teachers and students to jump out of the rigid learning of book knowledge infusion, and carries out the life experience-oriented behavioral learning model: We have integrated many areas of knowledge and community activities in daily life into a system of research. We have developed a spirit and capacity of doing research. We have developed a capability to take advantage of information technology. We have developed a better attitude to cooperate, be more responsible, and take the courage to face problems.
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1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?
In the process of research, we used digital camera to shoot photos and employed software to edit pictures in the hope of creating optimal presentation for the Webpage. During the preparation phase, we conducted many on-site interviews, recording the peasants’ remarks with a pen recorder upon their approval and making detailed records of interviews. In order to understand the water resource problem in Changhua, we even invited experts to the school for lecture, and also had an field visit to TSP-IV and Sixth Naphtha Cracking Plant, which demonstrated what we saw and heard. These interviews gave us minute first-hand information. Meanwhile, we have made a thorough search for related information via Websites, and noted the origin of the reference when citing the references. This is to conform to the regulations of intellectual property rights. The IT equipment we used were all belonged to the school, and we have received guidance and training before beginning the project.
2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.
On one hand, our research process makes the school teachers and students to concern the connotation of anti-CTSP water striving campaign happening in our hometown, making everyone have correct knowledge about such resistance, and on the other hand, through the complete process of Cyberfair project, we make everyone know the value of water resources and the pollution problems, especially, the economic development should be balanced with agricultural development, only in this way can our environment be operated sustainably. We are the water spirit, leading everyone to cherish water resources and use water resources efficiently.
3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?
This Cyberfair project made us know where we are from and where we should go in the future. We understand the role agriculture plays in globalization and urbanization, have a strong identity to the agriculture in Xizhou Township, we admire the hometown farmers’ for their down-to-earth spirit of striving for family, and more admire their mind of being easily contented; we also understand the role we should play, whether to pursue agriculture in the future or transform to innovative research and development, we are more confident to the future. We also understand that the water resource problems in Taiwan are very serious, everyone should cherish and efficiently use water resources. When planning relevant policies, the government should also be prudent from the starting point of environmental sustainable operation, and take into account of the economic development and agricultural operation demand.
4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?
1.Cizaipijun aqueduct is the main source for the irrigation water in Changhua County. We visited the local resident Ms. Li-yue Tsai (se photo below) on the thoughts of residents participating in the Alliance Against Water-Jacking. Ms. Li-yue was just an ordinary woman, who paid so much for Dacheng, really making us admired. She would not retreat because of frustration, but she was braver and braver in the fighting, protect her hometown regardless of everything, she applied her talent of painting and placed the paintings beside the road for the purpose of protecting her hometown!
2.we listened to the experience shared by the local residents and the story behind Alliance Against Water-Jacking. They are so brave, the 70-80 years old farmers protest only for the irrigation water and to protect their homeland. For decades, under the condition of farming, they might have never gone out of Changhua County, but for water, they have gone to the north for dozens of times and speak out the farmers’ voice, fully reflecting the spirit that “even shrimps can resist whales”.
3.In order to demonstrate the relevant advantages, disadvantages, gains and losses of constructing SNCP, the research team paid an on-site visit to SNCP in July 2013 and interviewed resident Mr. Lin, about relevant problems of constructing SNCP.
4.Our second stop was Mailiao Township and we listened to the voice of the villagers. We asked a question, “What’s the impact of SNCP on your cultivation?” The residents said that many incidents of dust polluting fish farm, the cultivation period of oyster was extended and the weight of oyster was far worse than before, making the residents’ life more unstable.
5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)
The best method to understand our hometown is to observe the tiny things surrounding us carefully. In this Cyberfair project, we investigated everything about the water resources in Changhua, it was until when we personally visited the local residents and listened to their voice did we find that there are many topic needing to be deeply discussed by us in our life, for example, for the advantages and disadvantages of constructing CTSP-4 and SNCP to the water resources, standing in different positions, we would have different ideas.
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View our CyberFair Project
(Project ID: 7890)
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