從阿根廷回來以後， 我們放棄了。
放棄了徹底移除螺的想法， 決定與福壽螺共存。
我們目標變成把田裡的福壽螺， 減低到一個可忍受的量，
不再鑽牛角尖要全面移除； 但另一方面，
打算把秧苗變得更健壯， 並且改變耕作節奏，
不讓螺把嫩秧吃到飽。
於是農田裡的科學計畫再度啟動「大小秧」的實驗。
＃哈螺農法 農田裡的科學計畫
與螺共存
Coexisting with the Snails
After returning from Argentina, we gave up on the idea of trying to completely remove the apple snails and decided to coexist with them instead.
Our goal became to reduce the number of apple snails in the rice paddies to a tolerable level instead of completely eradicating them.
In addition, we planned to cultivate even stronger rice seedlings and alter the timing of cultivation to prevent the snails from feasting on the young, juicy rice seedlings.
Thus, Science in Field conducted a new experiment to test the ability of older rice seedlings to withstand the damage caused by apple snails.
某天我闖入了一個極度家庭手工的育 苗現場。
＃這不是小默
One day, I stumbled upon a family handiworks activity…I mean rice seedling nursery.
＃That is not Momo.
是的，
這是新同學小語
農田裡的科學計畫第四位工作人員。
Yes, it was their newest family member, Siaoyu, the fourth member of the Science in Field team.
當時我看到這一家人，
跟來幫忙的農友，
一格一格的把稻穀播進育苗盤裡。
堆在旁邊要做的秧盤有一大堆，
我心想，
這是什麼台灣早期農家的畫面嗎？
I watched as this family and their farmer friends sowed rice seeds, one by one, into seedling trays by hand.
There was still a huge pile of seedling trays beside them, and I thought, is this a scene out of the early days of Taiwan’s rural villages?
Nowadays, rice seedlings are cultivated by machines, with a semi-automatic production line for filling the soil, placing the seeds, and then watering.
現在育秧， 都是用機器做秧盤。
覆土、放穀、澆水、 有一條半自動的生產線。
整盤整盤的秧， 符合插秧機的規格。
但因為撒的很密， 空間不夠，沒辦法長成大秧， 久放就會黃掉。
＃秧苗場正在把秧苗捲起來 ＃準備出貨
The rice seedlings raised this way are uniform in size to fit the specifications of modern transplanting machines.
However, because they are so densely sown, there is not enough space for rice seedlings to grow big and strong
If these rice seedlings are left too long, they start to yellow and become unhealthy.
＃Nursery staff roll the mats of rice seedlings to deliver to farmers.
「比較大的秧，纖維比較老， 福壽螺比較啃不動， 可以減少螺害量。 理論上是這樣， 但要怎麼證明， 要怎麼實作呢？」
科學家的腦子滴溜溜的轉。
"The older rice seedlings have tougher fibers that should be less vulnerable to the feeding of apple snails. They could theoretically reduce the damage caused by snails. But how can we prove it?"
The scientists’ brains were spinning.
先講結果， 實驗做出來， 高下立判，
小秧的受損面積高於大秧。
（後期小秧區還繼續慢慢被吃光
The experiment they came up with was as follows: divide the rice paddy into several grids, with half of the grids planted with large seedlings and the other half planted with small seedlings.
The results of the experiment were clear: the small seedlings had a higher rate of damage than the large ones. Additionally, the damage to the small seedlings continued to gradually increase throughout the experiment.
科學家想出來的實驗是這樣， 田區分成幾格，
一半格數插大秧， 一半格數插小秧。
＃嚴格的本地插秧教官 ＃正在指導工人插滿空位
This experiment required raising and transplanting rice seedlings manually. Of course, it was super laborconsuming. Fortunately, a team of volunteers comes to help every year.
＃ The strict local instructor pointed out empty spaces for the volunteers to fill with rice seedlings.
但這個實驗， 手工育秧又分區插秧， 人力需求可想而知， 還好有一團人每年都來幫忙。
富邦文教基金會～
＃把人家的員工當自己的用
It is volunteers from the Fubon Cultural & Educational Foundation.
＃ Using someone else’s employees as their own workers…
Twice a year, during transplanting and harvesting, a busload of people comes to help out with the implementation of this field experiment.
每年兩次，插秧收割， 都載一車的人來操作實驗田。
＃攝影師本人已經很想撤退
Rain or shine, they always work until the job is done.
＃ As the photographer, I was ready to call it quits.
不管下雨還是大太陽， 什麼鬼天氣都下去。
插秧、收割， 總是把工作做完才走。
Rain or shine, they always work until the job is done.
＃ As the photographer, I was ready to call it quits.
#不是春初下雨就是暑假爆熱 #富邦每次來天氣都很激烈
They made a commitment to get the job done, even when the weather conditions are challenging.
走一個使命必達路線。
後來大家都變得很悍。
帶隊來很多年，
小默跟小語最愛的長睫毛姊姊， 從第一年穿著塑膠袋鞋套， 整組被田吸走，動彈不得， 到後來進化成在田裡狂走， 飛來奔去的指揮。
這就是員工訓練活動要的嗎？？
Over the years, they’ve gotten pretty tough.
The volunteer team leader, Momo and Siaoyu’s favorite auntie with the long eyelashes, has come a long way from getting stuck and losing her sandals in the rice paddy to running around effortlessly and directing volunteers.
Is this what was meant by employee training activity?
Momo has become a deft hand at transplanting and harvesting.
＃ She has experience from highlighting record sheets when she was little.
＃ Now she can help her parents to key in experiment data.
小默被培養成插秧跟割稻快手 ＃小時候有幫記錄紙畫重點的經驗 ＃現在可以打工key實驗數據從蹲秧步開始練。
Siaoyu’s not going to shy away from competition. She’s practicing her rice transplanting squat technique.
小語也沒有要輸，
幾年中，一路這樣做， 過程是幾度累到覺得 Ｗhy~~~~？？？？
Over all these years of doing this work, sometimes in moments of exhaustion, they have asked themselves “Why????”
I-Han has been so depleted he has lost all his body fat.
毅翰則是被消耗到，感覺體脂肪不斷 流失
Eventually, after experiment results showed that transplanting large seedlings effectively reduced the damage caused by apple snails on rice seedlings.
但總之就在實驗數據證明， 插大秧可以有效防治福壽螺下。
這家人終於決定貸款跟寫計畫找錢， 買下插秧機界中的奇行種， 「大秧插秧機」。
＃芳儀深吸一口氣
＃跳入行政工作的深潭
接下來就是另一個補了螺坑， 挖了錢坑的故事了。
#待續 #哈螺農法
Fang-yee and I-Han decided to purchase a peculiar transplanting machine despite the significant cost.
However, with every snail problem overcome, a new set of challenges (and costs) emerges.
# To be continued...