2023 Volume 3 Issue 1 Pages 31-39
This is a report on the "Collaborative Project Study Program" targeting the Hamadori region of Fukushima Prefecture, an area affected by the nuclear disaster. The program is a part of Fukushima University's "Fukushima Future Studies" program for regional practical training. The " Collaborative Project Study Program " is a cross-disciplinary regional problem-solving activity at Fukushima University, which commenced in October 2021. Among the activities in Iitate village, we have been working with agricultural production corporations and schools offering compulsory education, from the viewpoint of the local community. In order to conduct profitable agriculture even on bare soil, and its implementation has begun with azuki cultivation. This is an attempt to achieve sustainable agricultural management by restoring the soil while reducing fertilizer inputs through crop rotation between existing cultivated crops and legumes. Iitate Yui Farm, an agricultural production corporation covering the entire administrative district of the community, considers farm work performed by a large group of people as an opportunity for communication, and places importance on the secondary effects of farm work. In addition, in FY2022, the company will be stepping out of the field and getting involved with IITATE Hope Village Academy. We were told that it is unusual for a group of university students to be involved in both the agricultural and educational fields. We participated in the 9th grade class at IITATE Hope Village Academy and introduced in-class problem-solving methods devised by university students. We were also continuously involved in organizing the student's ideas and in the education of the children of Iitate Village.
