Eleven students and five professors from Japan’s Kyushu University visited the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for two weeks during August to study the intersections of agriculture, the environment, and people in central Illinois. 

As part of the robust program organized by the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) Offices of International Programs and Study Abroad and funded by Kyushu, the visitors participated in campus, farm, and industry tours, lectures, and cultural events. 

Daily themes included commodity farming and supply chains, waters of Illinois, youth in agriculture, producers and consumers, and food security in America. The students also interacted with Extension personnel and participated in service-learning at local non-profits.

"Service-learning with food and agriculturally based non-profits in town was a vital part of the course activities. Students reported gaining an appreciation for the physicality required for certain jobs in the food and ag industries, which led to reflections on how we must value this labor as a society," said Lauren Karplus, assistant director of ACES Office of International Programs.

To culminate the experience, the students gave short presentations on what they learned and could contrast with their own country; popular topics included recycling, pesticides, food loss and waste, and GMOs.   

"I am so impressed by the students giving presentations in English after only two weeks of being in-country. The group was not shy, and they conducted interviews with more people than I realized even in their free time," said Karplus. 

"The cultural exchange is beneficial to hosts just as it is to the visiting students. I got to study abroad in my hometown, and the students taught me a tremendous amount about Japanese agriculture and culture," she added.

This programming is a direct result of a March visit by a Kyushu delegation because the university wants to welcome more Illinois students to its campus. 

"This is just the start. We can’t wait to host Illinois students in Japan," said Kyushu professor and group leader, Yasuaki Hiromasa.

Study abroad programs in Kyushu are an affordable option which offer complementary programs to ACES coursework, such as experience with Japanese culture and aquaculture.

Kyushu University, one of Japan’s seven national universities, is located in Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu—the most southwestern of Japan’s four main islands. Kyushu University’s multiple campuses—home to around 19,000 students and 8000 faculty and staff—are located around Fukuoka City, a coastal metropolis that is frequently ranked among the world's most livable cities and historically known as Japan's gateway to Asia.