Effects of Land Reform, Agricultural Pricing Policy and Economic Growth on Multiple Cropping and Agricultural Diversification

The multiple cropping system, which is a special feature of agricultural development in Taiwan, enables farmers to grow two or more crops a year on the same piece of land. Usually, multiple cropping includes two rice crops with one, two, or three other dry land crops. This intensive use of land not only increased land productivity and crop production, but also provided employment opportunities for the farmers, thereby absorbing surplus labor that existed before 1971.