Abstract
Against an aging and declining population of rural communities, it is necessary to revitalize communities related to farmers. However, the number of farmers who can make contacts with consumers directly is still limited. To promote communication between farmers and consumers, an initiative to redesign unmanned sales places as a point of contact was started, because unmanned sales places do not require much time and effort for maintenance. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the educational benefits of developing and operating an unmanned sales place that connects farmers and consumers by high school students. The students of the commercial research club of Isesaki Commercial High School were the target of evaluation, and they developed and operated an unmanned sales office three times, while communicating with farmers. They also conducted questionnaire surveys and used them as references for evaluation and improvement. The results of the questionnaire survey of high school students by Kyoto University of the Arts graduate school revealed that the students learned about: (1) the thoughts and feelings of farmers and agriculture, (2) design and development of a story panel, (3) communication with various people, and (4) problem solving. The students received the reactions of farmers and consumers to the students’ products and actions which reflected their learning and ideas. In the motivation and consciousness of the students, there were changes such as: (1) increased motivation to contribute to farmers and local communities, (2) realization of the joy of expression, (3) increased proactiveness in communication skills, and (4) increased proactive attitude toward problem solving.
