The MOA Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation held the finals for the 14th College Student Country-Side Migration Competition at the Taipei Pop Music Center on September 14 (2024), and the student teams from NPUST enjoyed some brilliant results. After winning the bronze medal in the finals last year, this year the “Fishpond People” team stepped it up a notch to win the silver. You-Cheng Pan, a student from the Department of Agribusiness Management, also won the Future Star Award. Meanwhile, the “Puro Earth” team, composed of international students, won the “international migration” special award, and the “Village Etiquette” team, led by teacher Po-Lun Hou of the Department of Wood Science and Design, won multiple awards, including the “Peanuts & Good Deeds Award”, the “From Stone to Jade Award”, and the “Migration Rising Star Award”. All in all, NPUST enjoyed a full harvest at the country-side themed competition.
This year’s silver medal-winning team, the “Fishpond People”, was composed five students from various departments. The team has been working hand in hand with the Xiaofeng Community Development Association (Jiadong Township, Pingtung) and community volunteers to create a “Sustainable Fishing Village FUN Summer Vacation”, “Fishing Village Environmental Theater” and “SDGs Game Laboratory” to help promote sustainable marine revitalization in fishing villages. They have also been incorporating “fish-eating culture” educational materials to promote ecological environment conservation at seafood locations in the villages.
From the Department of Wood Science and Design, the “Village Etiquette” team, which won the most awards, has been cooperating with the Laopi Community (Pingtung County) to create valuable cultural and creative products using a local plant species, the Chinese chaste tree (vitex negundo). They also made good use of their woodworking skills to create a semi-outdoor space “East Bank No. 91 Store” along the Donggang River. The space will be used as a base for community crafts and various activities and courses in the future.
The Puro Earth team is a multinational team with members coming from St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Belize, Malaysia and India. The team is led by Professor Herlin Chien from the Center for General Education and Assistant Professor Pearl Chang from the Department of Agriculture. Together, the team has been working with the Nanzhou Farmers’ Association to organize activities designed to familiarize international students with the features of local farmers’ associations and Taiwan’s agricultural technology. The activities are also helping to create connections for the international students in Taiwanese rural areas and build a bridges between those areas and the outside world.
As Taiwan’s leading agricultural university in Southern Taiwan, NPUST has a strong affection and sense of responsibility for farmers, agricultural products, and rural areas. By encouraging participation in the College Student Country-Side Migration Competition, the university is creating opportunities for students to go to the countryside and practice university social responsibility (USR)—and with such impressive results at this year’s competition, it is clear that the students’ work is having a positive impact.
