From Crops, Food to Gifts: The Dialectics of Social Life of Pineapple in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Chen, Chi-Shan, 陳琦珊
• Other Authors: Tan, Hung-Jen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/5sn6zz

博士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 地理學系 === 106 === The development of the pineapple industry in Taiwan could be dated to the Japanese colonial period. Canned products had once become the best way to transport tropical fruit. In 1971, Taiwan became the biggest canned pineapple exporter in the world. However, Taiwan’s canned pineapple export faced serious global competition. Since then, the pineapple industry has transformed the business from canned pineapple to fresh pineapple and developed new production and marketing relationship. The mode of production changed from production oriented to consumption oriented and formed three Alternative Agro-food Networks: self-produce and marketing, private collective marketing and consumer- oriented E-commerce. On the other hand, the cultural meaning of pineapple also underwent similar transformation. Since Three Direct Links Across the Taiwan Straits in 2008, the cultural meaning of pineapple has changed from blessing, celebration, and prosperity to the symbol of Taiwanese value and culture. A series of evolution of pineapple as a commodity and cultural icon reflects the transition of political regimes and consumer behavior. This transformation also emblematizes how market preference and conscious consumption shape the production and marketing of agricultural commodities. The study discusses the history of pineapple industrial revolution, Alternative Agro-food Network and the change of quality convention to conclude three periods of social life of pineapple. Influenced by different political and economic efforts, traditional production and marketing has changed that lead to commodities roles changed, value promoted, and sign value produced. By examining the case of pineapple, the study shows that during the fruit farming modernization process in Taiwan, the value of fruit will be revealed through different quality convention in distinct production and marketing network.