彰化平原農業土地利用變遷與地區差異

Abstract

彰化平原作為台灣的農業重鎮，其農業土地利用方式亦隨著不同時期而有所差異。因此，本文透過 Weaver 的作物組合指數,並採用 1925年、1930年、1935年的《台中州統計書》以還原日本時代彰化平原的農業土地利用概況;而戰後則是以 1950 年始至2010年終，每隔10年的《彰化縣統計要覽》作為該時期的農業土地利用概況之展現。 彰化的平原地形、氣溫高、雨量充足等，皆為本區的農業發展提供了一個相當優越的發展背景。不過,降水集中卻是本區農業開發之一大限制。因此，早期的平埔族聚落,多在取水方便之高地,農業發展較為緩慢。這種情形一直持續到康熙年間，以施士榜為首的開墾下，第一座大型的水利設施——施厝圳完工。 亦帶動整個彰化平原的土地墾殖，使得彰化平原的土地開發達到第一波的飽和期。 在清代末期，呈現極高度的水田化地景。 而後，日本政府開始治理臺灣，透過一系列的政策使得彰化平原的農業土地利用呈現三個不同的發展脈絡：北部以水稻為主的單一作物組合、中部以水稻為主、蔬果為輔的複雜作物組合形態、南部則同時具有多種作物組合類型的形態。 到了戰後，再次經歷政權的移轉,此時的農業土地利用亦產生極大的變革。戰後初期，整個彰化帄原呈現極為複雜的土地利用形態，區域化不明顯。直到 1990 年始,平原內部開始轉向以水稻為主的農業土地利用方式,農業土地利用分區亦大抵出現。此時則呈現四個不同的區域發展：北部水稻單一作物組合、中部水稻複合區、南部水稻單一作物組合、西南部高雜異度作物組合。 從彰化平原的個案中可發現：本區的農業土地利用，與不同時期、不同人群使用下，所產生不同的農業地景，也使得整個彰化平原的農業區劃有所差異。另外，即使至今日，整個彰化平原的農業土地利用仍深受自然環境與其過去發展脈絡的影響，且本區的作物種類有明顯朝向專業化發展之趨勢。As an important agricultural heavyweight in Taiwan, Changhua Plain’s land-use has changed over time. This paper intends to discuss the agricultural land-use of Changhua Plain duringthe Japanese rule and after WWII. This paper uses John C. Weaver Crop-combination Index, the Taichū Prefecture’s Statistics in 1925, 1930, and 1935, and Changhua County’s Statistics Overview from 1950 to 2010, which was published every ten years. The terrain, high temperature, and abundant rainfall make Changhua Plain a suitable place for agriculture, but concentrated rainfall is a restriction on its agricultural development. Previous Taiwanese plains aborigines had no other choice but to live in high lands where water was easily accessible, and agriculture developed slowly. The situation did not change until the Kangxi Dynasty, when Shi Shi Bang led the land development and built the first large-scale water conservancy facilities— Shi Cuo Zun(施厝圳). The construction accelerated the land reclamation of Changhua Plain, so paddy fields gradually became prevalent by the end of the Qing dynasty. During the Japanese rule, the Japanese government adopted a series of measures and changed the agricultural land-use in Changhua Plain: the northern plain grew paddy rice; the central plain mostly grew rice, supplemented with fruits and vegetables; whereas the southern plain grew diverse crops. After the WWII, Taiwan was under the rule of a new government, and the land-use changed drastically accordingly. During the early post-war period, the agricultural land-use of Changhua Plain was diverse with no specific regionalized plans. In the 1990s, regionalized cultivation started to occur, and Changhua Plain started to grow mostly paddy rice. The land-use at this time could be divided into the following categories: the northern and southern plain was a simple monoculture (paddy rice); the central plain had combinations of crops, with paddy rice as the main crop; the southwestern plain had highly diverse combinations of crops. From the case study of Changhua Plain, this study shows that different land-use at different times contributes to different agricultural landscapes. Even until now, the agricultural land-use of Changhua Plain is still influenced by its history and natural environment, and it is on its way towards crop specialization.