International Training Program on Rural Development for the 3rd Golden Village Competition in Germany and the Netherlands - Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation, MOA

This visit brought together gold, silver, and bronze award-winning rural communities from the 3rd Golden Village Competition for an international training program in Germany and the Netherlands. The delegation aimed to gain insights into rural development practices from various levels of German government agencies, educational institutions, local initiatives, and villages. Additionally, the delegation visited the Netherlands, a leading agricultural nation in the EU, where they explored agricultural social enterprises, including Van der Hulst Rozenkwekerijen, which has received the internationally recognized MPS-A+ sustainability certification. This exchange encouraged participants to share ideas, adopt successful practices in Taiwan, strengthen collaboration with the German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), and establish grassroots sister village relationships with award-winning rural communities in Germany.

The itinerary focused on three key stakeholder levels in rural development—government, local communities, and industries. The government sector included visits to the German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), which organizes the national rural competition "Our Village Has a Future," as well as the municipal government of Weimar in Thuringia. For local initiatives, the delegation explored the EU-level LEADER program in Marburg, Hesse, and engaged with three award-winning rural villages—Nieder-Waroldern, Lütgeneder, and Marbeck—as key learning and exchange partners. The industry component featured a visit to Van der Hulst Rozenkwekerijen in the Netherlands, a social enterprise excelling in sustainable agricultural practices.

By examining rural development from different stakeholder perspectives, the delegation aimed to gain a deeper understanding of Germany’s rural development strategies and the Netherlands' innovative agricultural social enterprises, ultimately fostering the sustainable growth of rural Taiwan.