Tags：Food and AgricultureKanto

On January 15, the “2024 National Organic Village Meeting” was held at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and was streamed online nationwide. Among 12 presentations given by local governments that have declared themselves Organic Villages and are actively promoting organic farming, as well as businesses and organizations that work with production areas. Mr. Suguru Abe, Executive Director of the MOA Natural Farming Culture Foundation, one of the organizations that teach systematized techniques throughout the country, gave a presentation outlining the foundation and examples of the Nature Farming Method cultivation.

 

 

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries formulated the “Strategy for Sustainable Food Systems” in 2021, setting a goal of expanding the work area of organic farming to 1 million hectares, or 25% of the total cultivated land area, by 2050. The event aims to introduce cutting-edge work examples toward achieving this goal and create a new Organic Village, and this will be the second time the event is held, following the first event in December 2022.

 

At the opening, Satoshi Sakamoto, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, gave a speech. He stated that environmentally friendly agriculture will be a pillar in revising the Basic Law on Food, Agriculture and the Environment, which outlines the basic principles and policy direction of agricultural policy, to keep it in line with the times, and expressed hope that the rally will lead to the expansion of organic farming.

 

 

Mr. Abe, executive director of the MOA Nature Farming Culture Foundation, introduced the approximately 1,300 producers and 224 extension association activities throughout the country. He then explained how to create soil that adjusts its physical, biological and chemical properties in accordance with the natural environment so as to bring out the soil’s potential, and how to deal with pests and diseases, based on the MOA Nature Farming Method Guidelines, a guide to cultivation techniques. The city of Minami Satsuma in Kagoshima Prefecture, which has declared itself an Organic Village, held a seminar at the Nature Farming Method Experience School Arinomama Branch, as well as farm management and producer training conducted by the corporation. The seminar also introduced farm management and producer training that takes advantage of the soil characteristics of Saitama and Hokkaido, and insect pest control measures in Ogata Village in Niigata Prefecture.

 

 

One of the local government officials who attended the lecture said, “I thought it was great that they based their instruction on seeds and cultivation methods suited to the land, using the guidelines as a basis. They also introduced examples of crops being grown in the right place. Thus, I learned the importance of considering cultivation methods suited to the land and climate when farming without fertilizers or pesticides.”

 

In addition, presentations were made by mayors and officials from six local governments, including Matsukawa Town in Nagano Prefecture, which has accepted agricultural corporations as a measure to deal with idle farmland, promoting environmental conservation model agriculture, providing vegetables for school lunches, and providing food education; and Toyooka City in Hyogo Prefecture, which is promoting organic rice production with the aim of creating an environment where storks can live. The announcements were made by representatives of six organizations involved in distribution businesses and technical guidance, including Rakuten Agriculture Co., Ltd., which works in collaboration with community governments to develop agricultural production and processing businesses while supporting local farmers to become independent. The contents of each presentation can be viewed on the Organic Village page of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries website.

 

Sponsored by: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, co-sponsored by: Japan Organic Agricultural Products Association