When we were forced to refrain from unnecessary activities due to the coronavirus pandemic, did anyone wish they could live in the countryside? -- Yoko Miyashita, representative of Mahoroba Natural Farm, says that now, along with the coronavirus, it feels like the door to a new era has been pushed open. Five years ago, she left the natural food store Mahoroba, which she had been raising for 30 years, and left Sapporo, where she had lived, to work with her husband, Shuhei Miyashita, in the fields of Niki-cho, Yoichi-gun. I came over. It is a rural area rich in nature located at the base of the Shakotan Peninsula in the southwestern part of Hokkaido. Approximately 100 types of vegetables are grown annually in the vast fields without pesticides. Crops are grown there that are not only safe and secure, but also have the strength to overcome any difficulties and have the vitality to foster a healthy mind and body.

Story by Yoko Miyashita

We have been well-received and trusted, and we now wholesale agricultural products and original foods to about 50 restaurants across the country, including the TWIGGY. cafe in Tokyo. Originally, we opened Mahoroba, a comprehensive natural food store in Sapporo City, in order to complete production, distribution, and consumption within as narrow a range as possible, and strived to create a store that emphasizes fresh food and is community-based. There is a cafe inside the store, as well as a corner for manufacturing and selling bread, side dishes, additive-free soft serve ice cream, and seafood.

Our customers come from a wide range of ages, men and women, including those raising children, and some come from two or three generations since our founding, not only for safety and security, but also for health, anti-aging, preventive medicine, and environmental issues. . Recently, the number of young people is increasing. We receive many shipping requests from all over the country, have unique products that cannot be found anywhere else, and have a reputation for being affordable and delicious, with not only vegetables but also fish, meat, general foods, miscellaneous goods, and other daily necessities available in one place. Masu.

"Vitality" is the keyword and policy for all of the vegetables we grow on our farm and the products we sell at our store. Mahoroba's concept of "vitality" is the ability to adapt to the environment, immunity, metabolism, germination, and the sustainability of life. For example, fertilized and unfertilized eggs are the same in nutritional analysis. However, fertile eggs will hatch when warmed, but infertile eggs will not hatch. Seedless grapes also cannot continue producing offspring. Our policy is not to handle or produce such items.

“Mahoroba Agriculture” is characterized by its production of many items in small quantities (approximately 100 types). Using carefully selected fertilizers and compost, using the ``principle of hybrid vigor'' and using no pesticides or chemical fertilizers, we cross-breed appropriately. Rather than using fixed seeds, we collect our own seeds to create crops that are resistant to diseases and pests. Mainly growing vegetables outdoors (approximately 95% of the time), growing them under the harsh natural environment such as strong sunlight, wind and rain, dryness, and pests, and growing them into crops with strong vitality. We put these things into practice.

Agricultural products are designed to ensure that there are no excesses or deficiencies in soil diagnosis, seed and land selection, type and balance of fertilizer for each crop, etc., all through our uniquely devised ``0-1 test'' (muscle strength test). As a result, we are able to produce delicious cherries, strawberries, and apples completely without pesticides, and this year we have also increased the production of peaches, grapes, plums, prunes, and blueberries.

In the future, we aim to cultivate grain and raise livestock, thereby achieving a more comprehensive regional self-sufficiency, and deepening Lao Tzu's philosophy of ``small country and small people'' (shokoku kamin), which is our company motto. This is Lao Tzu's philosophy that the smaller and fewer organizations there are, the more peaceful and happy life will be. Each person becomes independent, lives in the countryside, and connects with each other. My dream is to break away from the concentrated city life and spread out into rural areas, allowing rural culture to bloom throughout Japan.

The farm is also looking for volunteers to help with farming. The participants are customers and business partners of the store, and some come not only from nearby areas but also from Tokyo and other parts of Honshu. Enno's hope is for people to become healthy by experiencing field work in an actual field and living with the soil. Taking time to communicate will deepen mutual understanding. In addition to the comfort of the body, farmers can't get enough of the elation that purifies the mind. I am truly happy to hear that everyone said that it was fun and that it was relaxing.

In times of emergency, such as the coronavirus crisis starting this spring, humans end up eating. It's a blessing to work in a food-related field and be able to help people. I deeply believe that Mahoroba Natural Farm has been positioned as the lifeline of Japan and even the world.

Our ideal is a local, self-sufficient agricultural lifestyle. In a capitalist economy where you cannot survive without money, in order to avoid being included in that loop, I think it would be good if we could complete the real economy within a certain area, where supply and demand are balanced as much as possible. .

To achieve this, I would like to see a holistic view in which each family becomes financially independent, a local community is formed with a natural division of roles according to each individual's individuality and ability, and everyone is connected. . I think this is a structural reform that can be slowly and effortlessly expanded even in Japan's current capitalist society.

Currently, three elderly people, with an average age of 75, manage a 4-hectare farm (about the same size as Koshien Stadium). Even this old man's strength can cultivate. However, agriculture is subject to strict regulations for new farmers, and initial investment is expensive, making it difficult for young people to start farming. Even if they are able to start farming, the retention rate is said to be XNUMX%. We are currently creating models and foundations for young people with bright prospects to open up a new world and make a living in the countryside.

To date, we have produced a wide variety of original products, and we have never been less particular about food. Eventually, we realized that we had to make things ourselves, so we decided to take up a life of farming. In addition to the food, I feel that the daily life (lifestyle) is the most precious and important thing.

Earthing (connecting with the earth through bare feet and bare skin) involves working in the fields barefoot. Something seems different there. It might be life itself. It might be my dream. Soil has the mystery and rejuvenating power to help you regain your true self. “Returning to the soil” and returning to farming may be the answer to the question posed by the coronavirus.

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