Shim Hyun-chul has been a photojournalist for The Korea Times since 2006, covering news events throughout the country. He is committed to strict journalism ethics, and it has never changed since his first day in the newsroom. He has covered four presidential elections, two Olympic Games and countless daily assignments around the world. When he is not at work, he plays tennis. Shim is also a certified lifeguard by YMCA International, which means he can actually save lives.
Eco farm experience in city
By Shim Hyun-chul
By Shim Hyun-chul
The scorching summer heat might make most people lethargic but the high temperatures seem to be no problem for children who are participating in a hands-on experience at an eco-friendly farm operated by the Gangdong-gu District Office, eastern Seoul.
Since April in 2009 the office has operated the eco-friendly farms in Sangil-dong and Dunchon-dong as children living in the city have fewer chances to experience agricultural activities.
On the farms, agricultural products such as pepper, tomatoes, corn, potatoes, cucumbers and eggplants are grown in an organic way without the use of chemical fertilizers.
Targeting children in the kindergartens and elementary schools in the district, the classes teach them to observe the seedlings and experience cultivating and planting, along with volunteers.
Children can taste the vegetables such as the potatoes and corn they harvest themselves and take part in a handkerchief making event, using the dyes of the flowers and grass growing naturally around the farms.
In spring, lettuce, young radish, spinach and crown daisies are planted for the summer harvest, while, in fall, cabbages, radishes and green onions are sown for winter kimchi making.
At the end of the year, participants and their families can join in a charity event to help underprivileged families and an essay contest on the topic of experiencing the eco-friendly farms in November.
“It’s my first time to do agricultural activities. It’s very exciting to taste the potatoes and corn I picked myself. I’d like to participate in the event next time,” Yu Ju-chan, a student of Cheonho Elementary School, said.
“The eco-friendly farm offers a great learning experience for children. We will further develop urban agriculture and extend the project to supply eco-friendly food to the schools. We are trying to equip the system to feed our students with healthy products grown from urban agriculture,” Lee Hae-sik, district head, said.
For participation, only group reservations are available for Wednesdays and Thursdays. For more information, call (02) 480-1210.