TOMODACHI Tanaka Sangyo Agricultural Exchange Initiative: Climate and Food System Awareness Program: In-person session held in Texas
From March 8 to 15, 2025, the in-person U.S. training of the “TOMODACHI Tanaka Sangyo Agricultural Exchange Initiative: Climate and Food System Awareness Program” was conducted in the state of Texas. Eighteen students selected from universities in Niigata Prefecture and the state of Texas, who had been participating in the program’s online sessions since October 2024, gathered in College Station, Galveston, and Houston. Through lectures, site visits, and hands-on activities, they explored key themes of this program, including agriculture, climate change, sustainability, and leadership.
At Texas A&M University, students attended lectures by experts in renewable resources and hydrology, Dr. Mark Holtzapple and Dr. June Wolfe, gaining valuable insights into their respective fields. They also toured the Automated Precision Phenotyping Greenhouse, where they learned how MRI-based technologies are used to analyze plant traits and enable efficient breeding programs that enhance crop resilience to climate change. During a visit to Star Creek Ranch, participants observed longhorn cattle grazing freely across vast Texan pastures and learned about breeding practices. Ryuki Kagojima, one of the participants, commented, “I realized that grazing a small number of cattle over large areas not only reduces stress on the animals, but also helps address climate change by reducing methane emissions. However, this approach would be difficult to implement in Japan, where land is limited.”
In the latter half of the program, participants visited the Daikin Texas Technology Park, where they deepened their understanding of countermeasures for global warming through environmental technologies. They also visited POST Houston, a multi-purpose facility transformed from a former post office building in Houston. There, they explored the rooftop garden and other areas, learning about the potential of urban agriculture and practical examples of sustainability initiatives pursued over the long term.
Additionally, at the Galveston Bay Foundation, participants took part in volunteer activities aimed at wetland restoration. They helped mix soil and fertilizer and planted seedlings of native wetland plants. One of the participants, Hallie Cook, shared her impression, saying, “I was deeply moved by the passion with which the Galveston Bay Foundation is engaged in environmental conservation activities.”
On March 26, students from Niigata visited the Niigata Prefectural Government Office to pay a courtesy call. They reported on their learnings from the U.S. session to Governor Hideyo Hanazumi. This visit was featured in The Japan News, the English edition of The Yomiuri Shimbun. You can read the article here. The program also featured leadership development sessions. Many students initially assumed that a leader must always be the person standing at the front of a group, but they learned that leadership comes in many forms. The sessions emphasized the importance of recognizing and supporting diverse leadership styles.
Attending a banquet hosted by the Consul General of Japan in Houston, Mr. Zentaro Naganuma, and a dinner with members of the U.S.-Japan Council provided students with opportunities to witness real-world examples of diverse leadership in action. The program will continue this summer, when the students from Texas will travel to Japan and reunite with their peers in Niigata. Having deepened their friendships during the in-person session in Texas, participants are eagerly looking forward to their reunion and continued learning in Niigata.
