By MOOK Scenic Spots Home Travel Life Network, reported by Li Mei?
Don’t think that Taiwan’s advanced agricultural technology and abundant produce mean there’s no risk of a food crisis. In fact, Taiwan’s food self-sufficiency rate has been declining year by year and is currently only around 32%, putting the country at constant risk of food shortages. The “Food Ark” special exhibition (Food Ark), on display from March 12 to September 22 at the National Museum of Taiwan, centers around the theme “Food Knows No Borders—Where Will Our
The National Taiwan Museum is hosting the special exhibition "Ark of Food" from March 12 to September 22. (Photo provided by National Taiwan Museum)
Due to climate anomalies and water resource issues, a global food crisis could occur sooner than expected. Apart from rice, Taiwan relies almost entirely on imports for its other food supplies, making the issue of food security impossible to ignore. In the event of a food crisis, countries would ban food exports, making it impossible to buy food even with money. Many nations are currently establishing seed conservation centers or seed banks to preserve plant seeds, ensuring future food security. The main mission of Taiwan’s Crop Genetic Resources Center is also to collect and preserve Taiwan’s precious genetic resources, launching a “seed preservation campaign.”
The tissue culture room in the Ark of Food special exhibition. (Photo provided by National Taiwan Museum)
The exhibition introduces the major methods of seed preservation, including two main goals: “genetic resource conservation” and “breeding.” “Genetic resource conservation” is tasked with collecting and preserving existing plant seeds for future needs; “breeding” involves cultivating new varieties that meet specific requirements through genetic screening or genetic modification. These are further divided into “in-situ conservation” and “ex-situ conservation”: “in-situ conservation” means storing seeds within farming environments — preserving seeds in their original growing and living conditions; while crop genetic resource banks are “ex-situ conservation” efforts that gather seeds from various locations and store them in a designated place. Both methods complement each other and are important ways of preserving seeds. For more details, visit the official website: www.ntm.gov.tw.
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