霜里農場 Frostpia-Farm. A visit to the home of Teikei. Much to my surprise, at the IFOAM conference in Victoria, I found myself surrounded by a group from the Japanese Organic Agriculture Association.
They wanted me to come to Japan to talk about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) for training in alternative marketing they were organizing for farmers from other parts of Asia. They made me an offer I could not refuse: a 10-day expenses-paid trip to Japan to give presentations on CSA, visit farms and meet with Teikei (the Japanese version of CSA) farmers and members. I felt deeply honored by their invitation. First a little background. Once mainly self-sufficient in food, in 2001 Japan imported 72 percent of its grains and 60 percent of its food calories. In 1971, a group of women who wanted chemical-free food joined with agricultural researchers and farmers to form the Japanese Organic Agriculture Association (JOAA).
The Hayashi Farm After my arrival, the first farm I toured was that of Shiganori Hayashi. Ten principles of Teike. A place where everything circulates - Ogawa-machi, Frostpia Farm -｜Earth Report｜Think the Earth. Back to Table of Contents Organic farming of the future Back to Table of Contents Intuition In 1971, when the Japan Organic Agriculture Association was established in 1971, there were 30 members involved in the launch and one of them was the 22-year old Mr.
Kaneko. It was a time when the term "organic farming" hardly existed. Looking back on the reason why he started organic farming, he said "It was intuition! " In 1970, the rice acreage reduction policy began, and it seemed that the government thought that rice, which was the primary food for its nation's people, was no longer so important. "I just wanted to make food that was safe to eat and to save and nurture the environment. That is when he started partnership agriculture, which back then was quite forward-thinking. Back to Table of Contents 30 years Looking back on when he started organic farming at Ogawa-machi, Mr. "It took 30 years to be recognized by society! " Even now, Frostpia Farm takes in 7~8 interns a year.
Mr. But Mr. Mr. Teikei. Teikei (提携?)
Is a system of community-supported agriculture in Japan, where consumers purchase food directly from farmers. Teikei is closely associated with small-scale, local, organic farming, and volunteer-based, non-profit partnerships between producers and consumers. Millions of Japanese consumers participate in teikei. It is widely cited as the origin of community-supported agriculture around the world. While there is some disagreement as to the "first" teikei group, the concept can be traced back to the mid-1960s, when a group of Japanese women banded together to purchase fresh milk. Teikei in Japanese means "cooperation", "joint business", or "link-up". Teikei abroad[edit] While there is no evidence that teikei was the inspiration for Community Supported Agriculture in the United States, there have been a few examples of Community Supported Agriculture programs that have followed the Japanese model closely.
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