On August 29, CO-OP Ehime's Uwajima Branch held a harvest festival for the specially cultivated Koshihikari rice from Kihoku that it offers to consumers. This rice is grown using less than half the amount of pesticides and chemical fertilizers used in conventional cultivation.

Every year, CO-OP Ehime's Uwajima Branch jointly organizes a rice-planting festival in April and a harvest festival in August with JA Ehime Minami (Kihoku Early-Harvest Rice Producers' Group). These events aim to promote interaction with local farmers and help participants deepen their understanding of food and agriculture.

A total of 39 people from 16 CO-OP Ehime member families (23 adults and 16 children) participated in this year's harvest festival. The rice planted in April had grown well and was ready for harvesting. Working up a sweat, participants carefully cut the rice stalks with sickles, enjoying the valuable hands-on experience of harvesting rice.

A "Bucket Rice Growing Contest" was also held alongside the harvest festival. Participants had grown rice at home in buckets using seedlings they received at the rice-planting festival in April. Through this experience, they learned about the growth of rice and the work involved in rice farming, while gaining firsthand experience of the challenges farmers face, such as water shortages and damage caused by birds.
At the harvest festival, participants brought the rice they had grown for judging by JA Ehime Minami staff, who selected the top three entries. They also received explanations and advice on rice cultivation.
At the end of the event, participants received freshly harvested, specially cultivated Koshihikari rice from Kihoku as a commemorative gift to enjoy at home with their families.

CO-OP Ehime will continue to promote initiatives that deepen members' understanding of food and agriculture through interaction with local farmers and hands-on harvesting experiences.