Today’s Planet Earth:
Our Loving Home
will be presented
in Japanese,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Indonesian, Japanese,
Korean, Malay,
Persian, Portuguese,
Russian, Thai
and Spanish.
Hallo, eco-wise viewers
and welcome
to another edition of
Planet Earth:
Our Loving Home.
Today we will continue
with an introduction to
the “Natural Farming”
method that was created
by Japanese farmer
Mr. Yoshikazu Kawaguchi
of Sakurai City,
Nara Prefecture, Japan.
This method is gentle
to both the environment
and our bodies, because
it complements nature well.
He developed
this eco-friendly style
of agriculture
after falling ill from
the chemical fertilizers
he routinely applied
to his crops.
Under this system
crops are to grown
with very little
human intervention
and thus nearly everything
is left to nature.
The land is not tilled and
no fertilizers or pesticides
are used.
Compared to
conventional agricultural,
water usage is minimal.
Mr. Kawaguchi
also started the Akame
Natural Farming School
19 years ago for those
who wished to be trained
in Natural Farming.
Students can learn
the system
through actual practice
in rice fields.
Let us now join
Mr. Kawaguchi in his fields.
This is the rice field
that we haven’t tilled
for 30 years.
Here we have used
no fertilizers or
agricultural chemicals,
and we have grown
mainly rice crops, with
oat and wheat grains
as secondary crops, all
as naturally as possible.
Winter grasses, especially
meadow grasses,
are flourishing now.
No crops are growing,
but below, the soil is
very rich and fertile,
and is becoming
a good environment
for growing.
I would like you
to observe what the soil,
which we haven’t tilled
for 30 years, looks like.
You can easily enter here.
Nothing grows here now,
but please watch your step
because there are holes
from place to place.
This is rice straw that
we produced last year.
You see, under
the summer grasses the
decomposing organic life
that used to live here
has piled up
with the passing
of every six months.
The lower the layer,
the more it is decayed.
And you can see
that the deeper layers
have turned into humus
already, like soil.
What were you sowing
in the seed beds?
I was taking care of
rice seed beds.
In the case of rice,
we nurture seedlings
in seed beds
for one-third of six months,
and then we replant it
during the young
seedling period.
We clear away weeds and
prepare the seedling bed
so that it is occupied
only by rice seeds.
Therefore, the power of
the soil becomes weak.
We never do this
when we plant rice seeds
in a field full of grass though.
When we scrape
other plants away and
take other seeds of weeds
away from the seedling bed,
some holes are made
in the seedling bed.
Because the power of
the soil has become weak
we refill them
with rice bran that
we harvested a year ago.
We sprinkle and refill them
with the empty rice husks
or we refill it
with rapeseed meal
or wheat bran
grown in the field.
Wheat bran is called
“fusuma.”
Or we sprinkle husks
of various grains.
When those things decay,
they nurture the life
of rice vibrantly.
Some crops need
a lot of this, and
some do not need much,
and it is different
according to the crops.
We dig every four meters
to make ditches,
and let water drop below
when we produce wheat,
because wheat dislikes
water being near it.
When we make rice,
an entrance is closed
and water is stored.
Rice likes dampness.
Their characters
are just opposite.
So, in order to
make two opposite things
in a rice field,
we first make ditches and
make ridges in preparation,
and raise the seedlings
and plant here
in the rice field,
and keep sowing and
harvesting in repetition.
The characteristic
of a rice field is just that.
In this rice field,
rice is just in the middle
of the young seedling
period, and is
showing growth like this.
We let the rice seedling
grow here for
one-third of the period,
or about two months.
Then we plant
the seedlings in this field.
These grasses are
at the end of their lives
and are about to die.
They are still alive though.
The rice seedlings
are nicely planted there
one by one.
In Japan, rice is grown
in a flooded rice field and
harvested after six months.
By experience,
Mr. Kawaguchi has found
that rice crops actually
need much less water
during the growing season
than is believed
by most farmers.
Of course,
dampness is necessary.
So for the first two months
of the six months,
there is no water, and
only for three months in
the following four months
the rice is in the water.
So for one month
in the latter period
rice does not need
much water.
We all assume that when
growing vegetables,
we need to give them
plenty of water
on a daily basis.
However according to
Mr. Kawaguchi,
this is not the case.
If there is grass in the field,
sufficient moisture
will be retained for
the vegetables to thrive.
Once we start
to water them,
vegetables won't grow well
without water.
However, the ground
won't be dry, because
there are grasses below.
And since we don’t till,
the soil won't be dry.
Or dry grasses or
once-living organisms
are piled up below,
so the soil won’t be dry.
Therefore,
it is not necessary
for us to water
even after we sow seeds,
because it would
rain sufficiently
and the ground
would get damp anyway.
So, it is not fundamental
to water.
However,
when we sow seeds
later than usual
and we want them
to germinate early,
or when sunny weather
has been continuing
for many days, we would
give water only once,
or before we transplant
seedlings, we would
give them enough water.
We give water according
to the weather and
how dry the ground is.
But basically,
there is no need to water.
This is much better.
When we return,
we will meet
some of the students
who are learning
the Natural Farming
method from
Mr. Yoshikazu Kawaguchi.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
Welcome back to
Planet Earth:
Our Loving Home where
we are speaking with
Mr. Yoshikazu Kawaguchi
from Sakurai City,
Nara Prefecture, Japan
about the
Natural Farming method.
Mr. Kawaguchi raises
a diverse number
of crops in his fields.
He now introduces us
to some of them.
Around here we mix crops.
According to
their relationship
with the rain, sunlight,
temperature and so on
some crops
are appropriate here
and others aren’t.
Here are chrysanthemums
and green onions
and here are tomatoes.
Santo greens or
Chinese cabbages are here.
Or, these are radishes.
These are carrots.
A variety of vegetables
are planted
in a mixed fashion.
We call it “konshoku.”
When we plant
many kinds of plants in
a mixed fashion like this,
the ground below
will make the crops
bring various blessings
owing to the condition of
the soil and the grasses
growing there
and damage from
continuously planting
may disappear.
That’s why
we plant different crops
at the same time.
In short, we can plant
various crops we want
according to the climate
without worrying so much.
Mr. Kawaguchi founded
the Akame
Natural Farming School
so that others may learn
his farming techniques.
The school is free
and he has taught
more than 5600 students
over the past 19 years.
We asked him about
the typical background
of his students.
Let me see,
most live in big cities:
they were born and
brought up in big cities.
So, some are office workers
doing desk jobs in
a very ordinary company,
both men and women.
But there are
more women in number.
And some are self-employed.
And some are teachers.
And unexpectedly
many are working
in the medical field.
And, some are housewives.
So, they have various jobs.
Maybe they cover almost
all the jobs in the world.
Of course, each is here
for his or her own reason,
but what is
the major reason
for them to be here?
I think that
the fundamental reason
is to take good care
of their lives.
To gain satisfaction in life,
and to take good care
of this given body
which is given for
a hundred years or so.
To take good care
of this physical body
and to ensure
the safety of food.
Let us now meet some
of his splendid students.
What made you come here
to the Akame
Natural Farming School?
I have been interested
in environmental issues,
and have decided
to learn here in order to
practice the best method.
Are you already
practicing this method
at home?
No, not yet.
But I think I will do that
in future.
What made you come here
and study
the Natural Farming?
Basically, because of
the same reason
Mr. Kawaguchi
has changed to the
Natural Farming method.
I used to engage
in agriculture with
agricultural chemicals.
But I didn’t like it
because I didn’t feel well
afterwards.
I am very happy when
I work with many people
with various ideas
who are gathering here.
I have become very joyful
both mentally
and physically.
When you come here,
you are embraced
by very warm-hearted
and gentle people.
So I look forward to
visiting here every month.
How long have you been
learning here?
About eight years.
I have been renting
a little field to practice
this method of agriculture.
Really?
What is your impression
of this school?
While I am working
alone or all of us are
working together under
the blessed environment
here in nature, I am very
thrilled with excitement.
Whenever I come here
my heart dances with joy.
We deeply thank
Mr. Yoshikazu Kawaguchi
for sharing his
Natural Farming method
with others
and for practicing
a form of agriculture that
respects our environment
and all the beings
that reside within it.
May many more people
soon practice
this wonderful style
of natural farming.
For more details on
Yoshikazu Kawaguchi,
please visit
Iwazumi2000.cool.ne.jp
Thank you
for your kind company
on today’s edition of
Planet Earth:
Our Loving Home.
Up next is
Enlightening Entertainment,
following
Noteworthy News.
May we all be embraced
by Divine Love
and Light from Heaven.