Taiwan is helping farmers in Hualien return to work after last year's flood buried their fields in mud and rock, a slow but hopeful recovery for a badly hit farming region.

• When Typhoon Ragasa hit last September, a barrier lake on the Mataian Creek overflowed and dumped mud and stone across a wide stretch of farmland.
• Many fields could not be farmed at all, cutting off income for local farmers.
• The government's plan is not just to clean up but to switch crops — pushing hard corn, soybeans and sorghum, which machines can handle and Taiwan already needs.
• One farmer in Guangfu had 26 hectares buried; he has replanted 4 hectares with hard corn and now rents another 6 hectares of state land from Taiwan Sugar to keep going.
• Farmers are getting help with equipment subsidies, soil treatment, fertilizer, plowing services and matching to public land they can lease.

Outlook: More field demonstrations are planned in the coming weeks, with the aim of turning a disaster zone into a tougher, more diversified farming area in eastern Taiwan.