Goyang City-National Cancer Center Hold Healing Agriculture Event for Kawaji Rice Harvest

by Lee jonggu

Published 21 Oct.2024 19:41(KST)

Harvesting of No. 1 Kawaji Rice in the Cancer Center Healing Garden Rice Field

Ten officials from Goyang Agricultural Technology Center and the National Cancer Center participated in the Kawaji Rice Harvesting event with patients on the 18th at the paddy field established in the Healing Garden of the National Cancer Center.

Goyang Special City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Dong-hwan) announced on the 21st that a Kawaji rice harvesting event was held on the 18th in the paddy field established in the Healing Garden of the National Cancer Center.

In this event, 10 officials from the Goyang Agricultural Technology Center and the National Cancer Center participated to harvest Kawaji No. 1 rice together with cancer patients in the Healing Garden within the Cancer Center.

The Healing Garden of the Cancer Center has been established and operated for four years to raise awareness among patients and visitors about the importance of urban agriculture and to provide a space for physical and mental healing.

The rice variety cultivated in the Healing Garden is 'Kawaji No. 1,' the first rice seed variety grown on the Korean Peninsula, designated as a specialized agricultural product of Goyang City and actively promoted.

A patient who participated in the rice harvesting said, "Watching the rice grow made me feel like I was growing along with it. It was a precious and beneficial experience as it was my first time planting rice seedlings and harvesting. Seeing the plants grow allowed me to feel the change of seasons, which brought healing to my mind."

An official from the city stated, "We received various positive feedback from patients, such as feeling 'the persistence of life' while watching the rice grow in the Healing Garden. We will continue to cooperate with the National Cancer Center to provide various experiential activities and programs utilizing the healing function of agriculture to greatly help stabilize the minds and bodies of cancer patients."