Seongbuk-gu Elementary Students' Rice Planting Experience and Other Rural Activities

Rice Planting Experience for 892 Students from 8 Schools at School Sports Fields... Agricultural Education with Sanji Farmers Visiting Directly

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) operated the ‘Seongbuk-gu Visiting Rural Experience,’ a part of the urban-rural exchange activities, to provide proper education on eco-friendly eating habits.

In this rural experience activity, farmers from production areas directly visited urban educational sites to create agricultural environments (rice paddies) at schools and conducted agricultural education programs where students could experience the eco-friendly rice production process over the course of a year. In the first half of the year (around May), students participate in rice planting experiences, and in the second half (around November), they engage in rice harvesting experiences.

Seongbuk-gu recruited schools to participate in the program last month and selected 8 schools (▲Seongbuk Elementary ▲Sungdeok Elementary ▲Janggok Elementary ▲Jangwol Elementary ▲Jangwi Elementary ▲Jeongdeok Elementary ▲Jeongneung Elementary ▲Jeongsu Elementary), totaling 892 students.

The rice planting experience in the first half was held from May 13 to 28, and the school playgrounds of the selected schools were transformed into eco-friendly rice paddy experience sites.

The experience is linked and promoted in cooperation with five production areas that supply eco-friendly rice to school meals in Seongbuk-gu (▲Gokseong Okgwa Nonghyup ▲Naju Mahan Nonghyup ▲Namwon Namnong Agricultural Cooperative ▲Damyang Geumseong Nonghyup ▲Haenam Insu Agricultural Cooperative), where eco-friendly rice producers serve as farmer instructors for a day to conduct the experience.

The rice paddy experience sites are created on school playgrounds using rubber pots. Students directly plant rice seedlings at these sites, observe the growth process of eco-friendly rice, and participate in cultivation and harvesting.

Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, stated, “Through this experience, I hope students understand the importance of eco-friendly school meals, communicate with nature, and learn the value of agricultural products,” adding, “We will continue to strive to promote student health through support for healthy eating education.”

Seongbuk-gu has been promoting urban-rural exchange experience activities since 2010. Although activities were suspended last year due to COVID-19, this year they were conducted while strictly adhering to quarantine guidelines, including prior COVID-19 testing of producers (farmer instructors).

Meanwhile, Seongbuk-gu is making efforts to awaken the educational value of agriculture by allowing students to directly experience the production process of eco-friendly agricultural products and to practice creating healthy meals through support for dietary education.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.