- Chinese Name: 桃米社區發展協會
- Year of Establishment:1996
- Located At: Nantou County (Central Taiwan)
- Did You Know That ...?
- The region, which is located in a low mountainous terrain, was where residents had to trek by to buy supplies from the plains in the past. It was originally called "Tiaomikeng (挑米坑),” which literally means a pit where people take a rest while carrying rice back home.
- English Address: No. 31-6 Taomi Rd., Puli Township, Nantou County, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
- Contact Number: +886-4-92918030
- Website:http://tao-mi.com.tw/
The Taomi Community Development Association, which aims to empower its shrinking community, has played a key role in the region's reconstruction work after the 1999 Jiji Earthquake. By working with professional teams from different fields, the association has transformed Taomi into a cultural, ecological, and recreational community.
Located at the entry to Sun Moon Lake, Taomi Village used to be a traditional agricultural settlement that grew and harvested produce such as bamboo shoots, sugarcanes, ginger roots, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes. However, with the decline of the local agricultural industry, the community population began to dwindle.
Moreover, the community was devastated after a deadly 7.6-magnitude earthquake in 1999, which made the economic situation even worse for the villagers. To revive and reconstruct Taomi, the association discussed with local residents and worked with public and private sectors to redevelop the traditional village into a sustainable community.
Since the region contains a diverse ecosystem, of which frog and butterfly species are particularly abundant and valuable, the association and village residents agreed to follow an eco-village model and transform the traditional agrarian settlement into a market-oriented and tourism-based community.
The association has since carried out several projects, including river and wetland preservation, nature surveys, as well as educational campaigns on tourism and ecosystem management to raise awareness. Such projects have introduced eco-engineering methods into the community, positively changing the environment and attaining sustainability.
In 2001, the Taomi community was reintroduced to the public as an eco-village. It now offers cultural and recreational activities such as guided tours for learning about nature, animals, and the ecosystem in the region, as well as workshops featuring nature conservation. The activities have attracted many tourists and boosted local tourism.
In addition to empowering the physical conditions of the community, the association also holds various events to create opportunities for residents to communicate and interact with each other, which has helped to promote participation and joint efforts in making the community spiritually stronger.
With the association's efforts, Taomi has demonstrated how a traditional settlement can become an eco-village in Taiwan. With a population of around 1,157 people today, Taomi enjoys a strong community identity and residents continue to work together to bring prosperity while maintaining the ecological integrity of the surrounding region.