Designing Ecological Habitats - Gaia Education

organic growing for community self-sufficiency 107
adding high C/N materials such as used mushroom beds, wooden chips,
and half-raw grasses. As a result, we can get twice more harvest than the
conventional method. We have observed good results in our experimental
fields, and we intend to steadily shift to this method.
Konohana-kin (microorganisms)
We develop microorganism-based materials using these raw organic
fertilizer sources to utilize in our fields. Among those, I would particularly
like to introduce Konohana-kin (kin means ‘microorganisms’ in Japanese).
Konohana-kin is a fermented microorganism solution where effective locally
adapted microorganisms are selected from natural ingredients and then
compound cultured. We consider it to be a basic necessary material for use
in any organic product. Ingredients used are tofu refuse, brown rice amino
acid, pine needles, loquat leaves, bamboo leaves, herb, citrus peels, stevia
(produced by ourselves), molasses, and finally microorganism materials
(EM2, EM3, EM4) which we purchase.
We believe that the primary source of fermentation is the microbial
communities already existing in the other natural ingredients since the
additive proportion of EM materials is only 1/100 each. The process promotes
accelerated lactic fermentation in the existing microbial communities such as
natural lactic acids and yeasts with the fermentation being induced by EM.
We arrived at the present production method of Konohana-kin after a long
time of trial and error, which also took hints from sake brewing technology.
It is not merely a cultured solution of microorganisms but rather can be
brewed at a consistent level of quality as in sake and soy sauce production.
The production method is explained on our website (in Japanese) and we
welcome observation and provide training.
Konohana-kin is an indispensable material for production of composts
and bokashi, and we feed fermented foliage mixed with Konohana-kin to our
chicken and goats, and also add it to the food for our bees. Organic matter
resulting from daily living such as leftover water from cooked soybeans and
water of washed white rice are subjected to lactic acid fermentation using
Konohana-kin and used to make an activate solution of microorganisms
which we sprinkle on soil, and/or mix for making compost. With these
effective microorganisms in the intestines of our animals and in the organic
matter applied to our fields at work, we expect the development of a
compatible relationship in the ecosystem between the crops and animals.
As for livestock, we are able to raise them without using any antibiotics
or chemicals, and realize a significant improvement in fodder and in their
breeding environment by using the microorganisms.
Our Basic Attitude about the use of Organic Matter
We believe that the organic matter acts as a lever to activate the natural
ecosystem in the soil. Looking at the bigger picture, having organic farmland