Designing Ecological Habitats - Gaia Education

110 Designing ecological Habitats
A particularly
delectable palette
of fine alimentary
creations – the
ingredients produced
entirely within the
ecovillage.
let us say that there were not enough minerals in the soil. If Sorghum is
grown in the field accumulating minerals and used as mentioned above as
green manure, the life of the tilled Sorghum is not lost, rather it is broken
down by micro-organisms. At the same time, it supplies minerals and acts as
a source to nurture new lives.
The agriculture of Konohana Family is called ‘Natural Farming’. This
does not mean ‘not doing anything’ and totally depending on Nature, but
rather engaging the human element as part of Nature. That is the way of
our agriculture. We think that we can make sustainable food production
possible by putting thought into the process: increasing the circulation,
concentration, and availability of materials in Nature, and by introducing
organic matter at appropriate times for the local climate and land.
Conclusion
The food self-sufficiency ratio of Japan is 41% by calories; which means
that, indeed, 59% depends on imports from foreign countries. The selfsufficiency
of food in an ecovillage is not just an ecovillage issue. If the
ecovillage can be self-sufficient, and reuse kitchen waste as a composting
resource, that can be a model for the local society, and also encouraging for
the local residents. As food self-sufficiency becomes possible throughout the
region, it will contribute to improving national food self sufficiency, and as
a result, we will not need to import crops from overseas anymore. Further,