2:45 PM - 3:00 PM
[HCG19-05] Survey of parents and children who participated in rice farming events and their attitudes towards rice farming work
★Invited Papers
Keywords:paddy field landscapes, rice farming event, children
1. Introduction.
Paddy field landscapes are one of the representative Japanese rural landscapes. However, the food supply-demand ratio and consumption expansion of rice have been in decline in Japan since the 1960s. The beautiful scenery of paddy fields is disappearing in Japan due to shifting land use and the abandonment of paddy cultivation caused by the policy of reducing rice acreage. One of the efforts aiming to preserve paddy landscapes is to encourage consumers to experience rice planting and harvesting and to promote their understanding of rice cultivation. These experiences have also been reported to be effective as ESD education. However, most rice cultivation experiences cover only rice planting or harvesting. Essentially, rice cultivation encompasses planting, weeding, and harvesting throughout the year. Therefore, this study targeted parents and children participating in a series of rice farming experience activities organized by a non-profit organization in the Minuma rice fields of Midori-ku, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture, in order to clarify how the unique tasks of rice farming changed children's awareness and behavior towards the environment.
2. Research methods
The rice farming experience events covered in this study were rice planting in May 2022, weedings in July and August, harvesting in October, and receiving the harvested rice in November. In this study, a questionnaire survey was administered to participating parents and children on November 12 and 13, 2022. The survey items included basic attributes: place of residence, motivation for participation, and availability of nature in the participants' residential area.
In addition, to clarify participants' environmental awareness during the rice planting, weeding, and harvesting operations, a questionnaire item with a five-point rating was provided for each event. The respondents were also asked about the most memorable tasks and their intentions to continue these activities in the future. Finally, parents were asked about the changes they observed in their children following the rice farming activities. Since the participants included kindergarteners to 6th grade elementary school students, all parents were asked to complete the questionnaires. 59 parents responded.
3. Results and Discussion
Among the rice planting, weeding, and rice harvesting events, rice planting was selected as the most memorable experience. A significant difference (p<0.05) was found in the crosstabulation responses of ""I used to feel resistance to getting dirty with water and soil, but I don't mind it anymore"" and ""difficulty of rice planting work"". In this activity program, activities aiming to familiarize participants with paddy fields, such as walking and playing in the paddy fields, were performed before the actual rice planting activity. This suggests that the participants became accustomed to the water and mud, which made the rice planting process less difficult.
Compared to rice planting and rice harvesting, weeding was rated lower in terms of ""enjoyment of the work"" most likely due to the fact that weeding is typically done in the severe heat of summer. On the other hand, a significant difference (p<0.05) was found in the crosstabulation results of the ""enjoyment of living creatures"" and ""would like to participate in this activity again"" responses to the weeding experience. In this program, in conjunction with the weeding work, organizers held activities where participants could observe a variety of organisms found around the rice paddies.
During the rice harvesting event, respondents highlighted their impression of the ""difficulty"" of harvesting rice using an unfamiliar sickle, but the ""enjoyment"" of the work was rated higher than that of rice planting and weeding. A crosstabulation result (p<0.05) was also found between ""whether there is much or little nature in the area where I live"" and ""enjoyment of the work of harvesting rice"". This suggests that the unusual nature of harvesting may be a significant factor in the enjoyment of rice harvesting.
4. Conclusion
This study revealed that the more enjoyment participants feel towards rice farming activities, the more likely they are to continue with their activities. In addition to the function of rice paddies as venues of food production, it is also important to take advantage of their multifaceted values, such as their biodiversity and beautiful landscapes.
Paddy field landscapes are one of the representative Japanese rural landscapes. However, the food supply-demand ratio and consumption expansion of rice have been in decline in Japan since the 1960s. The beautiful scenery of paddy fields is disappearing in Japan due to shifting land use and the abandonment of paddy cultivation caused by the policy of reducing rice acreage. One of the efforts aiming to preserve paddy landscapes is to encourage consumers to experience rice planting and harvesting and to promote their understanding of rice cultivation. These experiences have also been reported to be effective as ESD education. However, most rice cultivation experiences cover only rice planting or harvesting. Essentially, rice cultivation encompasses planting, weeding, and harvesting throughout the year. Therefore, this study targeted parents and children participating in a series of rice farming experience activities organized by a non-profit organization in the Minuma rice fields of Midori-ku, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture, in order to clarify how the unique tasks of rice farming changed children's awareness and behavior towards the environment.
2. Research methods
The rice farming experience events covered in this study were rice planting in May 2022, weedings in July and August, harvesting in October, and receiving the harvested rice in November. In this study, a questionnaire survey was administered to participating parents and children on November 12 and 13, 2022. The survey items included basic attributes: place of residence, motivation for participation, and availability of nature in the participants' residential area.
In addition, to clarify participants' environmental awareness during the rice planting, weeding, and harvesting operations, a questionnaire item with a five-point rating was provided for each event. The respondents were also asked about the most memorable tasks and their intentions to continue these activities in the future. Finally, parents were asked about the changes they observed in their children following the rice farming activities. Since the participants included kindergarteners to 6th grade elementary school students, all parents were asked to complete the questionnaires. 59 parents responded.
3. Results and Discussion
Among the rice planting, weeding, and rice harvesting events, rice planting was selected as the most memorable experience. A significant difference (p<0.05) was found in the crosstabulation responses of ""I used to feel resistance to getting dirty with water and soil, but I don't mind it anymore"" and ""difficulty of rice planting work"". In this activity program, activities aiming to familiarize participants with paddy fields, such as walking and playing in the paddy fields, were performed before the actual rice planting activity. This suggests that the participants became accustomed to the water and mud, which made the rice planting process less difficult.
Compared to rice planting and rice harvesting, weeding was rated lower in terms of ""enjoyment of the work"" most likely due to the fact that weeding is typically done in the severe heat of summer. On the other hand, a significant difference (p<0.05) was found in the crosstabulation results of the ""enjoyment of living creatures"" and ""would like to participate in this activity again"" responses to the weeding experience. In this program, in conjunction with the weeding work, organizers held activities where participants could observe a variety of organisms found around the rice paddies.
During the rice harvesting event, respondents highlighted their impression of the ""difficulty"" of harvesting rice using an unfamiliar sickle, but the ""enjoyment"" of the work was rated higher than that of rice planting and weeding. A crosstabulation result (p<0.05) was also found between ""whether there is much or little nature in the area where I live"" and ""enjoyment of the work of harvesting rice"". This suggests that the unusual nature of harvesting may be a significant factor in the enjoyment of rice harvesting.
4. Conclusion
This study revealed that the more enjoyment participants feel towards rice farming activities, the more likely they are to continue with their activities. In addition to the function of rice paddies as venues of food production, it is also important to take advantage of their multifaceted values, such as their biodiversity and beautiful landscapes.