农复会与战后台湾四健会的设立与发展

The Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction and the Establishment and Development of 4- H Club in Postwar Taiwan

四健会是20世纪初兴起于美国的农村青少年社会教育组织,是美国现代农业推广制度的一部分。1950年代初,对战后台湾农业制度建设和农村发展有很深影响的＂中＂美合作组织农复会将四健会引入台湾,试图从农村青少年工作入手,提高农民素质,发展农业生产,改善农民生活,繁荣农村。在美籍四健会专家白仁德的指导下,农复会在台湾建立起四健会组织,在农复会将四健会交由农会主办后,四健会更在台湾农村普遍设立起来。四健会在农业生产技术推广与农村青少年个人成长方面发挥了一定的作用,但总体而言,战后台湾四健会的发展并不尽如人意,会员人数一直无法突破的事实,说明四健会在深入农村基层社会方面并不成功。这种不成功背后,固然有制度设计与技术性的原因,农复会缺乏执行力的组织特性也产生了一定的制约,而政府支持的缺乏更是非常重要的因素。

4- H Club was a social education organization for rural young boys and girls.It originated in the USA in early 19 th century,and was a part of modem American agricultural extension system.In the early 1950 s,the Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction(JCRR),which was jointly sponsored by the USA and Taiwan and exerted far.caching influences on postwar Taiwan’s agricultural system construction and rural development,introduced 4- H Club in Taiwan,trying to start from education of rural young boys and girls to improve quality- of peasants,develop agricultural product,improve the life of peasants and promote prosperity of rural areas.Under the guidance of American 4- H Club expert A.J.Brundage,JCRR established4- H Club organization in Taiwan.After JCRR transferred 4- H Club to the Farmers" Association,4- H Club became spread in all over Taiwan.4- H Club made some contributions to agriculture technique extension and growth of rural youth,but overall the development of 4- H Club was not very successful in postwar period.The fact that there was no enormous growth in the members of 4- H Club indicates that 4- H Club was not successful in going deep into rural society.Why.7 Firstly,defects of system design and some technique factors affected the result;secondly,JCRR’s character of lacking executive power performed certain restrictive functions;thirdly,lacking of the government’s support was even a more important factor.