A local farmer provided his fallow paddy field for primary school children
[From Ofunato city-my stricken home town]
-Great East Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Disaster-
Rice farming could start at Ikawa Primary School as usual
The 5th grade of 50 pupils at Ikawa Elementary School planted rice seedlings into a paddy field near their school on May 25. Although, their regular school paddy field became unable to plant, substitute paddy field was provided by a local farmer. Mr. Kiyoshi Chiba (80), Mitsugu Nakahira (67), and other 3 local farmers instructed school children how to plant seedlings into the paddy. Children in bare feet cautiously stepped into the paddy field and tried planting. ‘It’s too cold!’ or ‘Mud feels something like a fresh cream.’ Pupils cried as they put their feet into the paddy field. Some children fell backward and landed on their rear end into the mud. ‘I really enjoyed even the mud was not pleasing to my feet.’ Although, Mr. Haruki Koyama’s back was covered with mud, he looked satisfied with rice planting. Their regular paddy field became unable to get enough water for rice farming caused by the disaster this year. So, substitute paddy located 200 meters upper was provided by a local farmer. The general procedures such as puddling of mud and plastering of balk have been done beforehand on May 23.
＜Reference＞
http://www.iwate-np.co.jp/
View Ikawa Primary School in a larger map
Loading...