陳憲明2014-10-272014-10-271994-03-??http://rportal.lib.ntnu.edu.tw/handle/20.500.12235/23662This paper sets out to establish agricultural regions of Taiwan in 1990, by identifying general factors from thirty-seven variables by means of factor analysis. Tweleve factors were obtained that together for 72.49% of total variance of the data matrix. These factors can be interpreted as representing: 1) Full-time/part-time farming households; 2) The impact of urbanization on rural areas; 3) Paddy/dry-field farming; 4) Farm housedold size; 5) Farming decline; 6) Farmers' ages; 7) Farm management willingness; 8) Livestock distribution; 9) Farm size; 10) Production of tea and other special crops; 11) Production of flowers and shrubs; 12)Fruit/cereal production. Based on the factor score of these twelve factors, farming classification was determined by means of cluster analysis. As a result, nine agricultural regions of Taiwan were mapped as in Fig. 5, i.e.: 1) Rice-dominant region; 2) Diversified farming region; 3)Flower and shrub region; 4)Special Crops region; 5) Fruit-growing region; 6) marginal farming region; 7) Urban-influenced paddy farming; 8) Urban-influenced dry-field farming; 9) Farming decline region. For purposes of simplicity, clarity and spatial contiguity, the spatial allocation of the nine agricultural regions is slightly modified in Fig. 6to take account of local characteristics and actual locations where farming occurred.