Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine

The first Summer Joint-Program with the University of Wisconsin – Madison (hereinafter referred to as UWM) was held from Monday, August 20 to Tuesday, August 28 at our university.

This program was conducted in cooperation with UWM, which has concluded an academic exchange agreement with our university for the purpose of providing opportunities for both our students and UWM students to learn about Hokkaido’s nature and food, from production to processing, through discussions, presentations and field work.

This program was conducted entirely in English. Twenty-six participants (13 from UWM, 13 from our university) attended lectures on soil, food, dairy husbandry and agricultural economy in Hokkaido, visited several facilities and took part in a training course with an overnight stay in eastern Hokkaido. On the final day, participants made a presentation on the achievements of this program.

This program included a combined classroom lecture and hands-on practice to improve their knowledge of agriculture in Hokkaido. Discussions and collaborative activities between students from different countries assisted in developing mutual understanding and cross-cultural awareness. Many of the students who participated in this program said their communication skills improved as a result. This nine-day program was a great success.