Integrating Food and Agriculture Education into Exhibitions: Elementary Students' Farmer Diaries Reveal the Joy of Planting

Central News Agency (Taipei), June 1. Uncovering the origins of okra and the destination of Taiwan's 200,000 tons of annual potato consumption, the Taiwan Good Foundation is launching a special exhibition today based on years of experience in food and agriculture education. The exhibition features elementary students' farmer diaries and interactive experiences to help the public learn about crops suitable for home planting. The Taiwan Good Foundation launched the 'Shennong Project' in 2013, adopting 18 elementary schools in Miaoli, New Taipei, and Pingtung, allowing children to experience planting through the 'one school, one acre of school field' model. In 2022, following the enactment of the 'Food and Agriculture Education Act,' the foundation launched an upgraded 'Shennong Sustainable Living Project' and established the 'Shennong Sustainable Living Co-learning Network,' where 'farming teachers' can answer questions about food and agriculture education online. Based on these accumulated results, the special exhibition 'My Sustainable Living Proposal' opened today. It features various interactive experiences, such as allowing the public to browse 'children's garden diaries' to see the joy of planting from a child's perspective, and the 'Food and Agriculture Q&A' section, which uses flip boards to solve common planting myths. Liu Shih-ho, principal of Zhitan Elementary School in New Taipei City, shared that when he worked at Yunhai Elementary School, the highest-altitude school in New Taipei, he discussed creating a school field with other teachers and students. The Taiwan Good Foundation happened to seek cooperation, introducing different farming teachers and resources to assist and accompany the students. He discovered that in the process of learning to plant, children also learned to be masters of themselves, not only making Taiwan's education more vibrant and hopeful but also creating a virtuous cycle. Ko Wen-chang, Chairman of the Taiwan Good Foundation, shared that the process of children touching the land and participating in planting cultivates observation, creativity, communication, action, and social skills—five abilities they can carry with them for life, and a gift from the foundation. Ko stated that for over a decade, children have grown up happily alongside the land and plants in school fields. Many have now entered university or started working. 'Watching them return to school to harvest with their juniors, we know that the affection for their hometown and the land is deeply rooted in their hearts.' The special exhibition 'My Sustainable Living Proposal' is on display at the Eslite Zhongshan Underground Book Street until July 26. (Editor: Guan Zhong-wei) 1150601