Designing Ecological Habitats - Gaia Education

108 Designing ecological Habitats
The Konohana-kin
of the Konohana
Family live out their
lives at the foot of
Mt. Fuji, and are
no doubt nourished
by the subterranean
geothermal activity.
means circulating the local organic matter
and converting organic waste into a useful
resource.
It is said that the soil is not simply a
container for fertilizer but that it is actually
a living society and a soil-ecosystem, and
the microorganisms living there gain more
than 95% of their energy and nutrients from
organic matter in the soil. Plants also naturally
have a system to absorb the necessary
nutrients for growth from the substances
circulating in the soil which are generated by
soil-microorganisms. The natural ecosystem
has a mechanism for plants to spontaneously
generate the necessary nutrients, and many
creatures’ lives are supported by the plants to
balance out the system.
Applying this principle to the field, it is possible to promote the action
of soil-microorganisms and activate the soil-ecosystem by collecting and
processing various local organic matter and turning it into organic fertilizer
in the field. As a result, it becomes possible to produce stable and high
quality food products. The organic matter is not simply a replacement for
chemical fertilizer; it is utilized to adjust the soil-ecosystem which is the
basis of crop production by combining various ecological technologies and
putting them into practice.
The utilization of Konohana-kin for Bee Keeping
Currently, it is difficult to obtain safe food throughout the world. We
use Konohana-kin not only in basic farming but for raising livestock and
beekeeping as well. Recently, a phenomenon in which bees are disappearing
is occurring worldwide, including in Japan. This is called Colony Collapse
Disorder (CCD), and this is a phenomenon in which a large numbers of
bees disappear overnight with no discernible cause.
One of the possible reasons is a virus. It has been observed that the
immune system of bees is weakened by investigating the bees which are
left in the hives. Resistance to the virus can be improved by enhancing
their immunity. We expect to enhance the immune systems of animals and
plants when we use Konohana-kin, and clear results have been obtained. We
consider that the more we use Konohana-kin, more resistance is developed
to various diseases. The breeding environment of bees has worsened in
Japan as well, and by applying chemicals to the disease bacterium and
parasites as in normal bee keeping, those organisms grow stronger. Thus, it
goes into a vicious circle, which means more chemicals need to be applied.
Konohana Family does not use antibiotics, so parasitic infestation is very
low. Therefore, the use of chemicals against general parasites is purposely