Taiwan’s agriculture is facing a do- or- die crisis. The combination of the Internet and traditional agriculture can create the farmers for a new era. Imagine farmers toting PDAs around their fields to keep detailed track of what they are growing. Websites could take consumer orders, display the exact characteristics of farm products, and the approach the farmer has taken to raising them. This would free the farmers of their dependence on luck and abandon their fatalistic worldviews, like those held by the old peasant in the movie Happy Rice or a character in Pearl Buck’s novel Good Earth. They can build a future in the countryside in a more positive spirit, while at the same time preserving a collective and contented lifestyle.

Now, through EZcall, people can find that the day-to-day toil of traditional agriculture has evolved into a more relaxed lifestyle, devoted to the production of healthier agricultural products from farms and orchards. Visitors can experience the optimistic, active, and cordial life of the countryside.

With support from the Council of Agriculture,Internet telephony has become the bridge linking the various parts of the regional agricultural information network. These include .farmers groups, special products producers, the leisure industry, and cultural workers in rural areas. It helps promote regional agricultural development, as well as making leisure more pleasant.

EZcall has already been set up in train stations in Taipei, Yilan,Jiaosi, and Luodong, as well as in the administration center of the Jinguashih scenic area. Establishing an IP information network will be an important part of the e-Taiwan component of the Year 2008 government program.

When the farmers have broadband connections and a VoIP gateway, they can be part of a service network with the businessmen. They can increase their exposure thorough the use of EZcall and save on telephone expenses. IP saves visitors money as well. If you know the store’s code, you can speak with it as long as you want. The need for maps or local friends vanishes. A few buttons pushed at EZcall, and a local tour guide will be right in front of you.