1. Access to NTU Plant Medicine Diagnostic Laboratories and Pesticide Testing Services (Partially Free)
The NTU Plant Medicine Teaching Hospital under the College of Bioresources and Agriculture provides open diagnostic and consultation services to local farmers, farmer cooperatives, and agricultural enterprises, enabling local food producers to directly access NTU's plant diagnostic laboratories, testing technologies, and academic expertise. Farmers can submit plant samples online or by mail for analysis of pests, plant diseases, and nutrient disorders, and receive professional diagnoses, plant protection prescriptions, safe pesticide-use guidance, and field management recommendations from university experts. For more complex cases, NTU plant doctors may also provide on-site consultation and sampling to address specific production problems in the field. In Yunlin County, over 335 field diagnostic cases were handled in 2025.
Since 2025, the Plant Medicine Teaching Hospital has also provided a rapid mass-spectrometry testing service for pesticide residues in unprocessed agricultural products. Using a mobile pesticide-testing vehicle and mass-spectrometry technology, the service tests for approximately 200 commonly used pesticides and provides farmers with detailed test reports and recommendations on pesticide use. These results enable farmers to adjust pesticide application and field management practices based on actual testing data, helping reduce inappropriate chemical use and promote safer and more sustainable agricultural production. To improve farmers' access to university testing facilities, each farmer is entitled to three free tests per year for general crops. For 25 designated crops, including mustard greens, scallions, spinach, sweet peppers, and papayas, farmers receive unlimited free testing subsidies. Through these services, NTU provides local agricultural producers with direct access to university diagnostic and testing facilities, helping them improve crop health, pesticide management, and sustainable farming practices.
2. Access to NTU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Facilities for Local Livestock Farmers (Paid with Subsidy)
To support one of Taiwan's major pig-farming regions, the NTU School of Veterinary Medicine established the Yunlin Branch of the Animal Disease Diagnostic Center in 2019. The branch provides open diagnostic and consultation services to local livestock farmers, enabling them to directly access NTU's veterinary laboratory facilities, diagnostic technologies, and professional expertise. Local pig farmers can submit specimens for laboratory testing, including pathogen identification, immune status evaluation, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and safe medication guidance. Laboratory testing is generally completed within 3–7 working days. Farmers can also request on-site diagnosis and sampling, as well as professional advice on herd health and farm management. In Yunlin County, over 500 cases were handled in 2025. To improve the accessibility of these university diagnostic facilities for local producers, pig farmers located in Yunlin County receive a 50% discount on testing fees. Through laboratory-based diagnosis, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and professional veterinary guidance, the branch helps farmers improve animal health, strengthen disease prevention and management, promote appropriate medication use, and enhance sustainable livestock production.
3. Free Access to NTU Indigenous Plant Stocks for Local Farmers and Tribal Communities
At the Chunyang Branch of NTU's Highland Experimental Farm, the Folk Plant Garden preserves and promotes traditional Seediq crops and indigenous plant resources to safeguard cultural heritage and agricultural biodiversity. Through the collection, propagation, and cultivation of traditional plants, the garden serves as a university-based resource for maintaining locally adapted plant materials. In addition to exhibitions and educational activities, the garden provides free indigenous plant seedlings to nearby tribal communities, local schools, and farmers for replanting and propagation. The seedlings include traditional crops such as millet, Acorus gramineus, Taiwan oil millet, red quinoa, and sweet potato. In 2025, a total of 23 traditional Seediq plant species were successfully cultivated and shared through the initiative. By providing farmers and local communities with free access to NTU-propagated plant stocks, the program supports the restoration and continued cultivation of traditional crops, contributes to agricultural biodiversity conservation, and promotes more sustainable use of locally adapted plant resources.
4. Free Access to NTU Millet Demonstration Farm and Traditional Seed Resources
NTU's Experimental Forest established an approximately 0.5-hectare Millet Cultivation Demonstration Zone as a local seed and knowledge base to revitalize traditional farming practices and support sustainable millet cultivation. The demonstration zone provides farmers and schools with access to NTU's cultivation site, traditional seed resources, and practical knowledge on millet production. The program preserves and provides access to 28 millet varieties, together with technical guidance covering the full cultivation process, from land preparation and sowing to field management, harvesting, and storage. Farmers interested in sustainable cultivation can use these university-provided seed resources and cultivation knowledge to establish and maintain millet production suited to local conditions. By providing free access to traditional millet varieties and university-based cultivation resources, the initiative supports the conservation of agricultural biodiversity, revitalizes traditional farming practices, and strengthens local capacity for sustainable crop production.
