From June 23 (Mon.) to September 8 (Fri.), 2023, the Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University conducted the COIL＋ Program “Learning and thinking about SDGs onsite in Korea ~Agricultural economics~ “, which is a unique international training program for agriculture students, in which students learn together with students from overseas universities through online training (COIL, Collaborative Online International Learning), followed by on-the-job training in a foreign country.

This is the third in a series of international joint training programs unique to the School of Agriculture. The program was conducted with Kangwon National University in South Korea, with online training from June 23 (Friday) to August 17 (Thursday) and on-site training from August 28 (Monday) to September 2 (Saturday).

The field trip included a visit to the Eco-Agriculture Museum, a tour of an agricultural cooperative, a visit to an agricultural experience village, a hands-on learning experience in marine recycling at a fishery experience village, a tour of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Gangneung Branch /Smart Farm Institute, and a visit to a school for returning farmers. (Photo 1)　They also had the opportunity to experience the nature and culture of the Gangwon-do region by participating in the “Chuncheon Farm Tour” organized by Chuncheon City, where Kangwon National University is located, and the Chuncheon Tourism Council.

From September 3 (Sunday) to September 8 (Friday), the location was moved to Seoul, where the students visited AgriTech related companies and experienced harvesting at a plant factory located in a subway station(Photo 2).

Through this program, the students considered how the SDG targets (#2, 8, 9, 12, 16, and 17) can be addressed and achieved in their daily lives, and developed friendships using English, Korean, and Japanese.

【Comments】

Hyunjung BANG, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University
“Through this program, I hope that students will learn how the knowledge they have acquired at the School of Agriculture is connected to the world and that they will be able to clarify their current learning goals through practical experience in the field. It is my hope that the students will develop into problem-solving human resources who can think and act independently to address social issues on a global scale, as well as become human resources who can create new values through their learning and practice. We plan to expand the scale of this program so that more students can participate in it in the future.”

Miyo WATANABE, a third-year student at the School of Agriculture who participated in the program.
“I was able to meet and experience many things during the COIL+ program, and I was very inspired by the various facilities we visited that are related to the SDGs. Also, during the bus ride and the dinner party after the program, I was able to communicate with students from Kangwon National University in English, Korean, and Japanese, and I learned about the cultural differences between Korea and Japan. It was a very meaningful time.”

(Photo 1) Field Study with Kangwon National University

Click here to visit the Kangwon National University website.

(Photo 2) Harvesting experience at Agr-Tech Company “Farm 8 Academy”