在水頭村，不論是返鄉農民，還是外來新農，都開始一種「讓作物映上農人的臉」的過程，這是「農技藝」的一種復興；從慣行農業到慣行有機農業、實踐有機、多元有機，以及自然農法，強調不同農法的在地實踐，以及農法之間的轉換。這種選擇無農藥、無化學肥料的有機農業與自然農法，除了受到當代食安危機的影響，與迎合有機食品的消費時尚有關外，還有與在地的自然環境、社會組織，以及國家政策有關。由於農地的更加細碎化，使得以農維生的農民不得不選擇有機農業與自然農法，來增加作物的價值與銷量。在水頭村的農法實踐與其說是一種「生產至上」與「農業多功能」兩種農意識價值典範之間的競逐，倒不如說是1990年代返鄉農民從「以農維生」到「以農為生」的轉變，以及2012年自然小農從「以農為生」到「以農維生」的修正。兩者的發展都是一種自然生態、親屬關係、國家政策與市場機制的交互作用的結果。

In this ethnographic case study of an agricultural village in contemporary northern Taiwan I attempt to explain that ‘crops with the farmer’s face on them’ is a revival of traditional agricultural techniques. It is also the diversification and transformation of the meaning of contemporary agriculture as a way of making a living and as a way of life. During the 1990s, the village of Shueitou in northern Taiwan adopted a comprehensive revitalization policy based on organic agriculture, including training local residents in the cultivation and marketing of organic rice and vegetables. Their efforts have met with considerable success, and a number of novice farmers have rented agricultural land to practice natural farming in Shueitou since 2012. The rural revitalization program based on organic agriculture adopted by the village of Shuitou in the 1990s has led to a revival of traditional agricultural techniques amongst both returning farmers and novice farmers, all of whom take pride in the fruits of their labor. In shifting from conventional to organic and natural agriculture, the emphasis has been on diversification and transformation. These local sustainable smallholders have their own dreams and they have their own farming to make a living on the land in Shuitou. I explain that this is the process of ‘crops with the farmer’s face on them’, not ‘food with the farmer’s face on it’. The process of ‘crops with the farmer’s face on them’ is just their self-realization. It means these local sustainable smallholders want to shift their farming in order to see agriculture as a way of life and as a way of making a living, but they don’t yet have a reciprocal relationship with their customers. They adopted a comprehensive revitalization policy based on organic and natural agriculture. The decision to adopt this approach to rural redevelopment was made mainly in light of the fact that the local farmland was of good quality but had become divided into exceedingly small parcels, as well as the general lack of cooperation between local farmers. Both of these factors made the cultivation of high-value crops the only viable alternative for those who wanted to continue farming for a livelihood. Already well advanced due to the traditional division of family property amongst successive generations, the excessive fragmentation of farmland was exacerbated when the government expropriated large tracts of local farmland to build the Baoshan II Reservoir and its delivery channels, which provided a steady water supply for industry and domestic use, but made it increasingly difficult to make a living by engaging in agriculture. In addition, Shuitou Village has a strong notion that “where there is land, there is wealth,” which, coupled with steady outward migration and the influence of entrenched local factions, has weakened the traditional clan organization and the sense of connection to the land, hindering the efforts of local social organizations to agglomerate these small parcels into the larger ones required by an economy of scale, and making it difficult to implement courses in joint production and marketing. In addition to increasing concerns about food safety and the growing market for organic products, the decision to launch the program also took into consideration the needs of the local environment, social organization, and national policies. Moreover, organic and natural farming boosts the value and sales volume of the crops grown by farmers seeking to make a living on increasingly small plots of land. Despite the continuing tension between ‘production first’ and ‘multifunctional agriculture’, the case of Shuitou demonstrates the diversification and transformation of the meaning of contemporary agriculture as way of making a living and as a way of life, all of which can be seen as the result of the interaction between environmentalism, kinships, national policies, and market mechanisms.