Résumés > Flavor of the Mountains: The Development of Taiwan’s High-Altitude Agriculture

Vendredi 7 novembre 2025 - 10h45-11h30

Chia-Ling HSU, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan.

This study examines the historical evolution of Taiwan's high-altitude agriculture, followed by in-depth interviews with high-altitude farmers to explore the "making" of high-mountain flavor.
With the rise of specialty coffees, global research on high-altitude agriculture has attracted increasing attention in recent years. In Taiwan, farmers have also begun cultivating coffee trees at progressively higher altitudes, but commercial agriculture in Taiwan's mountainous regions did not begin with coffee. Since the 1950s, these regions have served as key production areas for a variety of commercial agricultural products, ranging from temperate-climate fruits and vegetables and high-mountain tea to today’s specialty coffees.
Throughout the development of mountain agriculture, farmers have drawn on their expertise to associate high-altitude areas with high quality and superior flavor across different crops. In so doing, they have shaped the symbolism and narratives surrounding Taiwan's mountain agriculture. Furthermore, the flavors associated with high-mountain cultivation are actively being "made" to monopolize the perception of flavor and quality. And this practice ultimately leads to the commodification and alienation of value.