Dr.Teruo Higa’s
Living A Dream

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#157 Enjoyable Farming for Self-Sufficiency that Even Amateurs Can Do

#157 Enjoyable Farming for Self-Sufficiency that Even Amateurs Can Do
Countermeasures against the uncertain future of the novel coronavirus are all about thoroughly implementing the EM lifestyle, boosting immunity, and increasing the density of EM in the environment. In order to cope with social conditions in the future, we will do our best to be self-sufficient, to live without getting sick, and to put into practice the spirit of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).

Needless to say, EM is indispensable for the ideal implementation of the SDGs, and continued use of EM is directly linked to essential solutions to health and environmental issues. It is important here to reaffirm our starting point, namely that continued use of EM itself promotes the spirit of SDGs and contributes to society’s wellbeing.

Toward the end of December last year, I received a nice letter about the kind of self-sufficient farming that even amateurs can do, along with some wonderful black soybeans, and I’d like to share it here.

Earlier in this series of articles (see the 147th issue, February 2020) I introduced Ms. Nakamichi, who was growing some amazing Anno Imo, a variety of sweet potato, and the letter I received was from the group she belongs to. I think this letter is a valuable source of information showing how even amateurs who do not know anything about agriculture can still enjoy farming.

 


                                                                                                     

December 18, 2021

Dear Dr. Higa,

As the year is drawing to a close, we send you and your family our very best wishes.

We are so grateful for you and EM. Starting two years ago, in the fall, our group, the EM Cosmos group, started clearing bamboo bushes to make bamboo charcoal. 

The following spring, we started planting squash, watermelon, and summer vegetables in the area that used to be covered with bamboo bushes. The EM Research Organization gave us lots of valuable advice, and we applied salt, charcoal, and activated EM, and occasionally used EM II type Bokashi.

We also made an EM Barrier, and had a plentiful harvest. We continued to dig up the roots of the bamboo from places where we wanted to plant vegetables, and gradually widened the field.

At first, eight people cleared the land, but for various reasons now there are four of us working together once a week. 

In the fall we planted onions and garlic, and in the second spring we grew a variety of summer vegetables. In particular, the tomatoes were excellent and bore a lot of fruit until the frost came.  

In addition, since no typhoons occurred, the chayote squash grew very well. There was such a wonderful harvest of crops that we were amazed every time we went to the field.

Tamba black soybeans were grown in insect repelling domes using bamboo. It is a lot of fun to work with everyone sharing their wisdom, and it is also enjoyable to take the crops home as a kind of memento of our work.

We are grateful to Dr. Higa for helping us through EM, and as a small token of appreciation we are sending you some of our Tamba black soybeans. We hope you enjoy them!
We pray that EM will continue to develop and grow.

Best wishes,

Naoko Yarita, Yasuyo Ono, Kaoru Kurihara, and Yoshiko Nakamichi
Mobara City, Chiba Prefecture

   

 

Began clearing land in fall, 2018
Began clearing land in fall, 2018
First planted vegetables in spring, 2019
A small area to take a break in 
First planted vegetables in spring, 2019
A small area to take a break in 
The field as it appeared in 2020
The field as it appeared in 2020
We placed some bamboo roots from clearing the land in front of the field
We placed some bamboo roots from clearing the land in front of the field
Hayote squash grew from two seedlings
Hayote squash grew from two seedlings
Tomatoes growing in November 2020
Tomatoes growing in November 2020
Last crops of the year, December 12, 2020
Last crops of the year, December 12, 2020
Growing black soybeans in insect repelling domes
Growing black soybeans in insect repelling domes
Harvested black soybeans
Harvested black soybeans
(January 22, 2021)
Courtesy of Ecopure

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