Shunsaku Kawagoe (SHUN Co., Ltd.)

Producer: Shunsaku Kawagoe Production area: Tano-cho, Miyazaki Prefecture Main products: Soybeans, radishes, onions, Kyoto potatoes, shallots, etc. Use of pesticides: None Use of fertilizers: None


"With vegetables, the important thing is the result and the foundation."

Thankfully, the number of new farmers who are able to start natural farming has been increasing in recent years.

However, this group is determined to "just focus on improving the soil."

As he repeatedly mentioned this, I sensed his strong passion for natural farming and deep respect for nature.

Yaezakura-kai is a group of natural farming producers in Miyazaki led by Toshisaku Kawagoe.

Taking the soil preparation methods of Kawagoe Toshisaku, one of Kyushu's top organic vegetable producers, as their model, the group works hard every day to improve their skills and promote the spread of organic farming.

"Firstly, we prepare the soil using grass and wheat, which cannot be converted into cash. Vegetables are the result. The foundation is important." Firstly, he says, he creates an environment that is conducive to growing vegetables.

This soil preparation is carried out intensively for two to three years before crops are grown.

The ideal soil would be one that is in a state of "clumpiness" and where "no weeds can grow," and Kawagoe has established the process for creating such soil in Miyazaki from his own experience, which he generously shares with the other members of his group.

In this process, the soil is first broken down by the plant roots, and then humus is mixed in, stimulating microbial activity.

The timing of incorporating the humus is crucial. Because this is natural cultivation, ideally the humus should be incorporated once the plants have completed their life cycle (and have died), but to create soil that will not allow weeds to grow, the plants are first cut when they are still green, and then plowed in once they have completely died. This is done about three times a year. "This is an unnatural farming method, but by repeating this 'continuous' process and watching the condition of the soil, we space out the intervals between incorporating the humus, and finally, when the plants have completed their life cycle, they are incorporated." It is this process that creates the 'miraculous natural cultivation soil', where aggregated lumps prevent the growth of weeds.

I realized that the crops grown there take firm roots, thrive through the power of nature, and grow into crops that are truly delicious, with a clean, pure aftertaste and no impurities.

"It is an observational science."

But the most important thing is to look at the condition of the soil.

I felt that this is the very principle of natural farming and its greatest eternal challenge.

However, it is no good just doing things exactly as you have heard them, nor is it good to do things your own way. What is needed, from every conversation, is the power of observation to think about things in terms of natural norms.

Each field is different, and even within each field there are slight differences. It is not known how many years it will take to prepare the soil for a given field, and it is only through the process of preparing the soil that one learns what crops are best suited to it.

Of course, it takes a long time to improve the soil. Furthermore, Kawagoe's area is often hit by natural disasters and wildlife, and each member of the team says they face hardships and difficulties every day.

Kawagoe wants the members who come to study under him with a strong desire to "grow naturally grown vegetables" to also have the ability to "think about things in the long term", because he himself has a strong sense of the difficulty of natural farming as an agricultural practice, and it cannot be achieved through mere desire.

"Natural farming is difficult to start straight away. In Miyazaki, most producers make their living from farming, so if you can't do it, it's better not to do it. But if you still want to do it, you need to think about it in the long term and improve the soil at the same time." Because they are aiming for sustainable natural farming, they are quick to explain the harsh reality from the start.

"What Kawagoe wants to convey"

We had the opportunity to visit Kawagoe-san's farm, where he has been working hard on this "Yaezakura-kai soil creation" project, and, of course, there were no weeds growing and the soil was well-formed into aggregates.

It was so soft and warm that you could dig in with a shovel forever, and it was such a beautiful field that just standing on it was like your mind was purified. I picked it up and took a bite, and it was tasteless and odorless. There was nothing extraneous in it at all.

Everyone present clearly felt that this was the kind of "soil preparation for natural farming" that Kawagoe wanted to convey.

However, Kawagoe says, "I did not create this soil condition. Nature itself has created this state. Humans are just helping it." This humble attitude is precisely the way of thinking and acting that is in line with the principle of natural cultivation, which holds that humans are part of the natural world, and I was reminded of just how great Kawagoe is as a farmer.

Of course, the more years you spend cultivating the soil, the more problems you will encounter, but at those times, you need to think about things from a natural perspective, and your firm determination to "continue to practice natural farming" no matter what the situation is becomes even stronger.

With Kawagoe at the center, the Yaezakura Association is steadily making progress in cultivating the soil, seeds, and people.

Miyazaki and Kyushu are set to get even hotter from now on.