Tags：Food and AgricultureOkinawa

On November 17th, the Food and Agriculture Nuchigusui Festa 2024 Autumn was held in Nanjō City, Okinawa Prefecture.

 

“Nuchigusui” is an Okinawan word that refers to medicine for life, love that heals the heart, and warm meals. The Festa was held with the motto of “Food and Agriculture, a spirit that connects. Connecting with the community for a healthy and delicious tomorrow,” the event combines agriculture with the SDGs, environmental protection, and health, promoting health promotion and environmental conservation throughout Okinawa Prefecture, and contributing to the creation of healthy communities. Since 2013, the MOA Okinawa Nature Farming Association and organic farming organizations in the prefecture have been collaborating to hold the event in various parts of the prefecture.

 

 

The 9th Nuchigusui Festa was held at the same time as the Nanjō City Festa, which is held once every four years, and many citizens flocked to the venue, Nanjō City Hall, and the adjacent public parking lot.

 

 

At the Nuchigusui Festa, 25 groups will be selling nature farming and organic produce, processed foods, and food trucks using Okinawan ingredients. Additionally, the Okinawa Wellness Centerwas dispatched to the venue to offer experiences such as the Okada Purifying Therapy and the Arts and Culture Program’s Single Flower Experience. There was also an experience corner where visitors could experience vascular age measurement provided by the MOA Health Science Center (a non-profit foundation) and a “Vegetable Check” where vegetable intake is estimated by placing the palm of the hand against a sensor.

 

 

One visitor said, “I tried energy therapy (Purifying Therapy) for the first time, and even though I was just sitting there, my body felt lighter and more relaxed. After the therapy, I had my vascular age measured again and was surprised to find that it had dropped to almost my actual age in an instant. I had no idea your body could change so much in just 15 minutes.” (Woman in her 20s)

 

Seminars were held regularly at the venue, and lectures were given by Katsumi Agena, head of the Okinawa branch of the MOA Nature Farming Culture Foundation,

 

After giving an overview of the Nature Farming Method, saying that “Nature Farming is a systematic agricultural production method based on respecting nature and adapting to it,” Yasune Branch Chief went on to introduce the operations of the MOA Ogimi Farm in the northern part of the prefecture. While showing photos of tomatoes and peppers being grown using “grass cultivation,” a Nature Farming technique, he explained the usefulness of the method, saying, “Grass cultivation is a method in which the surface soil is covered with grass. The grass cultivates the soil by extending its roots, allowing water and air to pass through, creating a good environment for microorganisms to live in.”

 

 

Chief Researcher Uchida gave a lecture titled “How to improve stress coping abilities: the effects of dietary awareness and flowers.” It was stated that people who choose ingredients full of vitality, such as organically farmed vegetables, seasonal vegetables, and locally grown ingredients, as part of the Okada Health and Wellness Program‘sdietary method, and who enjoy eating and are grateful for the food and the people who prepare it, have a significantly higher ability to cope with stress. He also reported on research showing that even people who do not follow the diet have found that they are better able to cope when they start practicing it.