Bookstores also sell vegetables? Engineers ditch high salaries to farm in Yilan

▲ Jiang Yingde and Peng Xianhui left the city and moved to Yilan with their children. (Photo provided by Liang Bai Jia)

Reported by Xiao Wan Ning / Taipei

It’s both a bookstore and a vegetable stand. “Little Space Books & Veggies,” located next to Yuanshan Shengou Elementary School in Yilan, sells books as well as rice and vegetables. The once dilapidated rice mill has been given new life by Peng Xianhui and Jiang Yingde. The couple, formerly engineers and designers in Taichung, grew tired of city life and embraced a self-sufficient farming lifestyle. Not only that,they also source friendly vegetables from various local Yilan farmers and sell them via a book-for-veggies model. In addition, the couple participates in the “Zero-Distance Tableland” project, ensuring that the kindergarten attached to Shengou Elementary School can enjoy clean organic vegetables and rice.It is expected that the kindergarten attached to Neicheng Elementary School will join the initiative this September.

▲ The storefront of Little Space Books & Veggies (left) was originally an abandoned rice mill, Xin Shun Yi (right). (Photo from Little Space Books & Veggies FB)

“Actually, we’ve just started farming. We’re not very skilled or experienced yet, but our commitment remains—to treat crops with a friendly farming approach,” explained Peng Xianhui, the owner of Little Space Books & Veggies. The so-calledfriendly farming mainly means cultivating without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides. All crops rely solely on the nutrients from the land.Thanks to these eco-friendly farming methods, Jiang Yingde’s fields are often home to natural wildlife such as frogs and shrimp.

▲ Jiang Yingde, the male owner of Little Space Books & Veggies, is now a full-time farmer focusing on rice cultivation. (Photo from Little Space Books & Veggies FB)

In addition, the couple, along with local farmers, co-founded the “Shengou Canteen.” For just a 70 NTD material cost, diners can enjoy a meal of organic vegetables. However, it is currently not open to the public and mainly serves friendly farmers in the Yilan area. Peng Xianhui said, “It’s like the old concept of a rural communal canteen. Aside from providing a space for everyone to eat and socialize together, it also helps us use up leftover vegetables from Little Space Books & Veggies, reducing waste.”

▲ The vegetables at Little Space Books & Veggies are all products of friendly agriculture—no chemical fertilizers or pesticides used (left). In the fields, you can even catch apple snails and stream shrimp (right). (Photo from Little Space Books & Veggies FB)

Giving up their careers as designers and engineers, Peng Xianhui and Jiang Yingde returned to the countryside, expressing their love for Taiwan by farming in the most land-friendly way possible. They have breathed new life not only into the old grain barn but also into the land itself.

【Little Space Books & Veggies】
Phone: (03) 922-0781
Address: No. 124, Shangshen Road, Yuanshan Township, Yilan County