Appreciation at the Dinner TableA Japanese farmer from the city of Tamana is promoting a natural and sustainable method of agriculture. His methods and ideas have been gradually adopted by international trainees.Tamana, Japan By Yas Mamemachi
Hirano is a leading member of the Association for Rengein Tanjoji International Cooperation, an active non-governmental organization supported by a local Buddhist temple. His field is called Lotus Farm. “We used to appreciate farmers for the rice and other crops we ate at the dinner table. In other words, eating rice, for instance, was not simply consuming a common staple food produced in Japan, but also involved absorbing the rice farmers’ energy and spirit through the process of eating their products,” says Hirano. “I think less appreciation at the dinner table may have a negative impact on Japanese society today, which succumbs to a serious moral hazard. I think we will eventually regain this value system. “ The Lotus Farm used to be bamboo grove owned by the temple. Hirano started cultivating the area by himself using non-mechanized tools in August 2004, It took him about two years to complete several terrace fields. He takes water from a small stream in the mountain near his field and produces compost by means of a three-month fermentation process using a mixture of locally and easily prepared materials-- weeds, potato vines, rice hull and cattle dung. Also, he never uses any chemical fertilizers. Instead, he uses wood acid from burned charcoal. His only disappointment is that he has no choice but to use a single tractor rather that water buffalos, which are not available in Japan. These natural and sustainable agriculture methods were a lot of trouble, especially in the summer. “I spent most of my days on weed control.” Enjoying the hard time Hirano himself doubts that there is any difference in taste or nutrition between his produce and that grown the regular way with firm machinery. However, he prefers his way of agriculture because taking the time to produce quality crops is a prerequisite for consumer appreciation, he says. “I think there is a sense of appreciation at the dinner table when consumers can share in the farmers’ hard work.” That hard work produces more than 30 kinds of naturally grown products at the Lotus Farm over the course of a year. These include different kinds of rice, soybeans, eggplants, aroids, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and Chinese cabbage. Most of the products are sold by mail order to consumers all over Japan on a regular basis. Hirano’s diehard philosophy developed over years working on village development projects, chiefly teaching composting techniques using indigenous bacteria in two areas of Myanmar. This Southeast Asian country is often criticized in the international arena for its lack of democracy. However, “people in the rural areas of this Buddhist country live with a sense of appreciation. It gave me the rare chance to think about how I could positively contribute to Japanese society with my profession.” In the last couple of years, his value system and farming methods have been shared with young trainees from foreign countries, such as the UK and Thailand who lived and worked on the farm. An American trainee has been with Hirano since April this year. “Some of the trainees may be interested in only the technical aspects of organic agriculture. But I always expect them to have a hard time practicing the old Japanese methods of agriculture in the field,” says Hirano. “These days, it is not easy to maintain a sense of appreciation as people get used to an easy and convenient lifestyle. Losing that sense of appreciation, they complain about anything to anybody except themselves. I think having a hard time leads to that sense of appreciation. And, if you enjoy having a hard time, your life will be fuller and richer.”
Having a hard time with Hirano in the Lotus Farm? |
n the rural city of Tamana on Kyushu, the large southern island of the Japanese archipelago, a 47-year-old farmer named Nobuyuki Hirano has introduced a natural and sustainable method of agriculture on his 1.2-hectare field. His chief aim is to regain the sense of appreciation that once characterized dinner tables in Japan, as well as to promote organic farming.