At a rooftop farm on a commercial building
There are concerns that global climate change and population growth will affect food sustainability in the future. How can food sustainability be addressed?
In order to find the answer, the Food and Our Sustainability program was conducted from February 11 to 21 this year, based at Meiji University Headquarters of International Collaboration.
Twenty-four students from five universities, Meiji, Rikkyo, Hosei, Kansai and Srinakharinwirot University in Thailand, participated in the program.
The program kicked off with an exchange held at Meiji University ASEAN Center, located on the campus of its partner university, Srinakharinwirot University. Agricultural researchers working toward sustainability joined the session, along with representatives from international NGOs, JICA Thailand Office, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), to share their initiatives and challenges with the participating students.
Then, the students visited local farmers working on a range of projects to achieve sustainable agriculture. They participated in hands-on farming activities and deepened their understanding of processes such as upcycling, which gives new value to unwanted items and waste.
KONDO Sho, a second-year student in the School of Commerce, reflected on the program and said, “I realized that both people directly engaged in farming there and those involved in agriculture place great value on human connections and have the courage to take on new challenges.”
Students attempting compost-making