The joint opening and award ceremony of the 2026 Smart City Summit & Expo and Net-Zero City Expo was held today (17th) at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. Yunlin County Government received the Smart City Innovation Application Award for its project “Agricultural TSMC: AI-Driven Innovation Services Transforming Yunlin Agriculture.” County Magistrate Chang Li-Shan personally attended the ceremony to receive the award, accompanied by Planning Director Lee Ming-Yue, Agriculture Deputy Director Tsai Geng-Yu, and other officials. Afterward, they visited the “Yunlin Pavilion” to congratulate and commend the award-winning teams, sharing the joy and honor of the achievement.
Magistrate Chang Li-Shan stated that Yunlin first won the Smart City Innovation Application Award in 2022, and this year marks the fifth consecutive year of recognition. To date, award‑winning cases span across farming, fisheries, and livestock, accumulating dozens of smart agriculture achievements. This year’s award not only affirms the application of smart technologies in agriculture but also signifies Yunlin’s transition from single-site demonstrations to a new phase of cross-domain integration and ecosystem-based governance with sustainable scalability.
Magistrate Chang emphasized that Yunlin is a major agricultural county and one of Taiwan’s most important practice fields for agricultural transformation. In response to challenges such as extreme climate, shifting labor structures, increasing production risks, and the transition toward net zero, the county government continues using technology as a governance tool. By integrating capacities from industry, government, academia, and research sectors, Yunlin is gradually establishing a more complete smart agriculture service system from production, management, to decision-making. The award-winning concept of “Agricultural TSMC” showcases not just technological advancements, but an agricultural ecosystem formed through the linkage of data, services, and field applications—demonstrating Yunlin’s concrete progress from pilot demonstrations to widespread adoption.
Magistrate Chang noted that the Department of Planning and the Department of Agriculture worked with partners including EZaquaculture Company, KSI Co., Ltd., National Formosa University, Z-Mao Production Cooperative, and Shin Hu Cooperation Farm to implement smart city technologies, IoT, AI, and digital decision-making tools in agricultural fields. Custom applications were developed for diverse agricultural sectors. This year, multiple field applications—including aquaculture management, apiculture early warning, contract farming management, and climate adaptation—were integrated to help agriculture shift from passively reacting to environmental changes to a model of data-driven monitoring, risk forecasting, and decision support, enhancing precision, resilience, and stability.
Planning Director Lee Ming-Yue stated that under the global trend of 2050 net-zero emissions, agricultural value is no longer measured solely by yield and output. It now extends to carbon management, resource efficiency, circular utilization, and risk adaptation. Agriculture not only ensures food security but also holds potential for carbon sequestration and green economic development. By introducing new technologies and strengthening data governance, production efficiency, product quality, service capability, and industrial resilience can all be improved—creating higher added value in the transition toward sustainability.
Agriculture Deputy Director Tsai Geng-Yu stated that the core of smart agriculture is not to replace manpower with technology, but to help farmers reduce repetitive workloads, improve management efficiency, and transform frontline experience into accumulated, inheritable, and replicable knowledge systems. The county’s promotion of smart agriculture aims to ensure that technology directly addresses field needs, guiding farmers from experience-based production toward data-assisted decision-making, ultimately enhancing overall industry competitiveness.
After receiving the award, Magistrate Chang led the county team to the “Yunlin Pavilion” at the 2026 Smart City & Net-Zero City Expo to congratulate the award-winning representatives: Mr. Hsu Hong-De (EZaquaculture), Chairman Wu Jen-Yao (KSI), Professor Peng Ji-Chung (National Formosa University), Chairman Chen Ching-Shan and Marketing Manager Lai Yi-Heng (Shin Hu Cooperation Farm), and Mr. Chen Yen-Ting (Z-Mao Cooperative). They also joined Taipei City Mayor Chiang Wan-An to listen to the presentations on smart agriculture innovations. The four cases displayed at the Yunlin Pavilion represent the concrete manifestation of Yunlin’s smart agriculture ecosystem—from field operations to early warning management and decision support. The exhibits include:
1. EZaquaculture Company: Modular Unmanned Aquaculture Vessel
The “Modular Unmanned Aquaculture Vessel” is a smart waterborne assistant designed for traditional fishponds and aquaculture‑solar dual‑use systems. Equipped with remote control and satellite navigation, the vessel can follow planned routes and use AI technologies (LiDAR, imaging sensors, motion control) to automatically avoid waterwheels, pillars, and other obstacles, enabling stable navigation even in narrow ponds.
Its patented quick‑swap module system allows feeding units, water quality sensors, or cleaning modules to be replaced in about 10 seconds depending on field needs, supporting tasks such as distributing feed, lime, or liquid agents. A single vessel can flexibly operate across multiple ponds and stages.
Through precise automation and data-driven management, the system reduces labor, minimizes chemical contact risks, and enhances scientific and safe aquaculture management. This innovation previously won the 2024 “Startup Returning Home Competition” Gold Award and the 2025 APICTA Silver Award, and is one of this year’s Smart City Innovation Application Award winners.
2. KSI Co., Ltd.: Varroa Mite Detection & Safe Prevention Service
KSI adopted technology transferred from the Miaoli District Agricultural Research and Extension Station to develop a smart monitoring service that upgrades Varroa mite detection from manual inspections to mobile image recognition.
Beekeepers simply upload photos of bees on combs, and the system returns the parasitism rate and prevention guidelines within minutes. The system includes a “treatment calendar” recommending safe pesticide use and schedules, reducing delayed treatment and resistance risks, and is integrated with honey TGAP traceability.
The model was trained with nearly 4,000 images and 50,000 labeled data points, achieving 83–97% accuracy. It assists beekeepers in early detection and mitigation. The system also incorporates “nectar source crop maps” to support hive relocation and production planning.
According to Miaoli researchers, Varroa mite infestation caused 40–50% colony losses nationwide in 2023, highlighting the importance of such early warning services. This project is also one of this year's award‑winning applications.
3. Z-Mao Production Cooperative: Adoption of JoinFarm Smart Agriculture System
Z-Mao Cooperative introduced the “JoinFarm” management system in Tuku, Yunlin. Micro-weather stations and sensors were installed, integrating CWA station data and forecasts. Continuous environmental data—temperature, rainfall, wind speed, and sunlight—support contract farming management.
Through “growing degree-day analysis” and “cultivation calendars,” farmers can estimate crop growth stages and harvest periods, allowing earlier planning of labor, harvesting, and logistics. Alerts for abnormal weather enhance risk management and reduce losses.
The system also supports production records and traceability uploads, helping farmers transition from experience-based operations to data-based management and smart decision-making. Z-Mao is one of Yunlin’s demonstration cases under the Smart Agriculture Innovation Subsidy Program.
4. Shin Hu Cooperation Farm: DSSAT Crop Modeling for Climate Adaptation
Shin Hu adopted the DSSAT crop model to simulate interactions among crops, soil, and climate. By integrating crop varieties, soil conditions, cultivation, and irrigation management, the model outputs actionable indicators such as growth stages, yield, and water demand.
In Yunlin’s climate adaptation initiative, NTU researchers integrated meteorological applications, DSSAT, water resource management, and climate decision platforms, using Shin Hu as a demonstration site. Paired with IoT/AIoT sensors, the crop model predicts growth and irrigation needs, linking to automated irrigation systems.
Scenario simulations (such as “automatic irrigation” vs. “no irrigation”) help identify sensitive periods and optimal irrigation timing, ensuring scientific water-saving and stable production under extreme weather.
Planning Director Lee Ming-Yue emphasized that these four cases represent not just individual technologies, but a scalable smart agriculture service architecture capable of connecting diverse fields and meeting various industry needs. The county will continue deepening cross-domain collaboration to promote localized, replicable, and scalable models—turning smart agriculture from pilot projects into a key driving force for agricultural upgrading, local innovation, and sustainable transformation.
The public is invited to visit the “Yunlin Pavilion” on the 1st floor of Hall 2 at the 2026 Smart City Summit & Expo to explore Yunlin’s smart agriculture achievements. Participants who complete designated on-site activities may receive Yunlin’s premium agricultural products, while supplies last.
Sources: Yunlin County Government
