NPO Nogakujuku and Sumida Ward Implement Joint Food and Agriculture Project

As part of its efforts in food education, Tokyo's Sumida Ward hosted the "Sumida Food Education Festival" from July 15 to 19, 2011. Waseda University students of the student-run NPO, Nogakujuku, participated in the festival as lecturers and held a workshop called "The Which Vegetable Show" focused on reassessing how to choose food ingredients and products after rumors following the nuclear accident in 2011 damaged the reputation of certain foods and food producers in Japan.

In the workshop, the students discussed what kind of things consumers should pay attention to when choosing what food products to buy. They mentioned taste, price, and safety. The participants engaged in a lively discussion.

Nogakujuku was founded in 2003 by students from one of Waseda's open education classes, "Farming and Mountain Villages Learning," based on the key concept, "Why are there no rice fields in Waseda?" (The Japanese characters for "Wa-Se-Da" literally mean, "Rice paddies that ripen early.") The NPO cultivates rice in the Okuma garden park at Waseda and is working on various other agricultural activities.

Waseda University and Sumida Ward, which made a public-private-academic cooperative agreement in December, 2002, have been carrying out a wide range of joint programs, including programs focused on environmental issues. Nogakujuku plans to move forward with Sumida Ward on projects that focus on food and agriculture.

Posted: 2012/02/14 06:00:15 AM