“Giving Back to the Source, Honoring Teachers Through Rice Cultivation”
Students Return Rice and Coffee Seedlings to the Community, Strengthening Local Connections Through USR Initiatives
National Yunlin University of Science and Technology’s (YunTech) Social Dream Makers course held its final project presentation on June 5, 2026, at the Taiwan Coffee Manor in Gukeng Township, Yunlin County. Centered on the theme “Giving Back to the Source, Honoring Teachers Through Rice Cultivation; Cherishing Water Resources, Planting Seedlings for a Shared Future,” the event showcased a semester of sustainability-focused community engagement led by Professor Hsiang-Hui Kung and Professor Chih-Lung Pan.
Distinguished guests attending the event included Gukeng Township Mayor Hui-Ju Lin, Chairman Yi-Hung Hsu of Yunlin Gukeng Coffee Enterprise, and Executive Director Ho-Hsien Chang of Dapu Community Development Association. The guests witnessed and accepted rice seedlings and coffee tree seedlings cultivated by students as a symbolic gesture of gratitude and community partnership.
The course is built upon the three core frameworks of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles, and University Social Responsibility (USR). Drawing upon local revitalization initiatives across Yunlin County’s 20 townships and cities, students conducted field visits, prepared presentations, and received rice and coffee seedlings from local communities and cooperatives for independent cultivation projects.
Throughout the cultivation process, students exclusively used hydrolyzed feather meal, a low-carbon organic fertilizer produced from recycled poultry feather waste, demonstrating the principles of circular agriculture and sustainable practice. After ten weeks of care and cultivation, the students returned the rice and coffee seedlings to community representatives and local residents. The seedlings were formally accepted by Mayor Hui-Ju Lin, Chairman Yi-Hung Hsu, and Executive Director Ho-Hsien Chang, symbolizing the spirit of “learning from the community and giving back to the community.” The initiative exemplified the University Social Responsibility values emphasized throughout the course.
Following the ceremony, faculty members and students toured the coffee plantation, where Cooperative Chairman Chien-Chieh Hsu provided guided introductions and shared insights into the local coffee industry and culture.
Professor Hsiang-Hui Kung remarked, “Through the cultivation and return of a single seedling, students gain a profound understanding of their connection to the land and their responsibilities to the community.” Professor Chih-Lung Pan added, “When students place these seedlings back into the hands of local farmers, they begin to embody the true spirit of social dream makers.”
Mayor Hui-Ju Lin expressed her appreciation, stating, “We are grateful to YunTech’s faculty and students for transforming classroom knowledge into meaningful sustainability actions. These seedlings symbolize a promising beginning for collaboration and mutual growth between the university and the local community.”
Chairman Chien-Chieh Hsu also noted, “Seeing young students carefully cultivate these seedlings and sincerely give back to the community brings renewed hope and energy to the future of local agriculture.”
YunTech will continue to strengthen its USR-centered curriculum and cultivate a new generation of talent equipped with sustainability awareness, social responsibility, and a commitment to community engagement.
Organizing Unit: Smart Agriculture Professional Center
Director: Min-Sheng Chen
Contact Person: Chih-Yu Wu
Contact Number: +886-910-999-205
