A P A N W S. Asia Pacific Natural Agriculture Network V O L U M 19 (1) R Y / P R I L. APNAN is sponsored by

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1 Asia Pacific Natural Agriculture Network ISSN Contact : APNAN Kularb Apartment, 29 Soi Suparat, Phahonyothin Road Samsennai, Phayathai, Bangkok Thailnad Tel Fax apnanmail@yahoo.co.jp Website: A P V O L U M E N (1) AN 19 (1) N E J A N u A R Y / A P R I L Conventional and established methods of farming do not consider the value of soil the most essential element of soil is not cared for and these methods tend to over emphasize chemical fertilizers, which are only supplements. Plants need soil to survive and hence the soil needs to be nurtured. W S APNAN is sponsored by (Mokichi Okada ) (Adapted from The Light from the East) SKK INFRC EMRO

2 ASIA PACIFIC NATURAL AGRICULTURE NETWORK. Our little network, huddled within the Kularb Apartments in Saphan Khwai, Bangkok, Thailand, was first established in 1989 with 13 member nations, and funded by the International Nature Farming Research Center, Atami, Japan, through the generous support of the Sekai Kyusei Kyo, Japan and Thailand. The mandate given at its inception was to elucidate the scientific basis and validity of Nature Farming and the technology of Effective Microorganisms, which was integrated into the concepts of Nature Farming. From small beginnings, APNAN moved on with its duties to facilitate research, information, producing EM, advising all interested on Nature Farming and training people from all walks of life. The network helped organize major conferences on Kyusei Nature Farming in four continents and was instrumental in presenting the identity of Nature Farming at international fora such as the IFOAM conferences. The network was also responsible for planting seeds of interest on the technology of Effective Microorganisms in all continents of the world and today EM is being blended into even chemical systems to reduce pollution to help preserve the environment for future generations, as advocated by Mokichi Okada, the founder of Nature Farming principles. The network also provides training on Nature Farming and EM technology to interested groups, using the excellent facilities offered at Sara Buri Nature Farming Center, managed by the Sekai Kyusei Kyo of Thailand. Information is disseminated, and the Newsletter produced thrice a year among a readership spanning all continents. The network is run by a few staff and volunteers and is considered efficient. Today it is sponsored by the EM Research Organization of Okinawa, the INFRC of Atami, Japan and is supported by the Sekai Kyusei Kyo of Japan and Thailand. All interested in the work of the network please contact its office at APNAN, Kularb Apartment, 29 Soi Suparat, Phahonyothin Road, Samsennai, Phayathai, Bangkok Thailand. Phone: Fax : Website: 2

3 THE EDITOR S NOTE... ANOTHER YEAR BEGINS. As this our little network, the Asia Pacific Natural Agricultural Network wanders along its chosen pathway, nearly the completion of its 19 th year of existence, the editor, alone in the office on a public holiday in the Royal Kingdom that is our home, thinks of the history with happiness and to some extent with skepticism. However when all the good and the bad that we have experienced are placed on a balance the good outweighs the bad in a significant manner, which in turn, makes all associated with us happy and contented. The mandate of APNAN today is to present Nature Farming and EM technology the region and to anyone who is interested. The presentation of EM technology to all who wish to learn is easy as there is much evidence in terms of both research and practical experience. The practice came first, followed by research from many parts of the world. The first research came from Asia and more specifically from APNAN itself and later very distinguished universities from regions of Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Americas proved the success of EM. In contrast, the information on the application of Nature Farming is lacking to the same extent The philosophy of Nature Farming as stated by Mokichi Okada is accepted without question However when we discuss the application often we are posed with the question How can one adopt it? This is often the case when APNAN holds its workshops too where participants request information on the practicalities of Nature Farming. We do realize that there are books in Japanese and thus we need to get this valuable information translated into Universal languages such as English and German especially because nations using these languages have adopted EM technology in a significant manner and Nature Farming and EM technology coexist in a very harmonious manner like the microbes in EM!! At this time, we at APNAN request through this editorial to our sponsors, the INFRC to provide us with this information, to blend it into our training workshops. The demand for knowledge is growing and today with the electronic media, the websites can also be upgraded with this information on the application of Nature Farming to agriculture and its role in environmental management. This should be our goal within the next 24 months to produce some literature in English on Nature Farming, to hold workshops on Nature farming and promote this system of farming as we do EM technology. We assure our sponsors that we will do this job well as an arm of the INFRC, and thus requests its support. One other factor that has surfaced and needs addressing by APNAN is the rivalry that is being developed amongst the users of EM as well. Nature Farming and EM technology, which we promote, coexist harmoniously working to develop a better place for us humankind and all forms of life, while providing sufficient quantities of healthy food. However, we often hear of partners who coexisted parting ways purely because of greed and jealousy which are two causes for destruction of humankind from the time that the humans were born on this planet earth. We are told of breaking up or our partners who at one time worked together - rivalries between organizations - fighting for EM and its rights just like little children fighting for a sweet!! We implore to these people that Nature Farming relies on respect for nature and its components and the success of EM lies in its ability to get the selected species of microbes to coexist in an not too pleasant acidic environment!! Let us take these as examples, learn from them and work together, sharing the benefits and most importantly, like the staff at this little network be happy that we are making this world a better place for humankind and all life forms on earth. As we step into this year, we as usual wish to express our sincere gratitude to all those who guide and help us International Nature Farming Research Center in Atami, Japan and the EM Research Organization in Okinawa, who sponsor and support us and especially the Sekai Kyusei Kyo of Thailand, and it s President, Revd. Daiho Kasahara for their permission to use the Paradise on Earth Sara Buri. Mr. Kanit Muangnil and our dear Masanobu Sakurai, who help us in the workshops, trainings and with visitors we say - Thank you. We also pay our respects and offer gratitude to Rev. Tetsuo Watanabe, President of Sekai Kyusei Kyo and Rev. M. Kobayashi, Head of the EM Laboratory and Board member of Sekai Kyusei Kyo, for their diligent support and guidance and expect them to contribute through advice to us at all times. This is invaluable to us. Gratitude is expressed to the President and Board of Directors of EM Research Organization in Okinawa for their ever-willing support and advice. We say a big thank you to Rev. K. Amano, Chairman, Board of Directors of INFRC, Mr. T. Harakawa, Senior Managing Director of INFRC, Mr. Junichi Yuzuriha, Managing Director, Mr. A. Ito, Manager Extension of INFRC, Mr. H. Okubo, Head of the International Section of INFRC and of course our dear President and Mrs. Higa and our ex senior and general technical officers who help us and think of us at all times. APNAN is small but efficient - Over 19 years we have done well but we never rest on our laurels and are moving ahead even with difficulties encountered on the way. We are progressive and hard working and have tried our best to offer the best service that we can to our contacts, and friends. When asked how are we so successful we always say - that the key to the success has been our low profile but the diligence that we have this is strength and we at APNAN office have worked always in harmony and coexistence for co prosperity. We do have our personal differences this is human but when working together we emulate the principles of Nature Farming and EM - to work together, combining the strengths of all to achieve our targets and goals. Thus with the tongue in a cheek, the editor and all at APNAN also implore our bosses to study our working principles, and then support us to serve humankind This is our mandate and we will do it well. Thus in closing, all at APNAN wishes OUR FRIENDS, CONTACTS AND READERS A VERY HAPPY, SUCCESSFUL AND PRODUCTIVE YEAR, WHERE ALL ACHIEVE ASPIRATIONS AND TARGETS. APNAN, Bangkok, Thailand May The Cover page presents activities over the last four months The pictures from the from top left corner in a clockwise manner depict Prof. Dr. Higa with the Cambodian Minister, The participants of the International Workshop, The vehicle for promoting Nature Farming and EM in Cambodia and a Lecture in progress at the INFRC, Japan, respectively. 3

4 THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SEASON! CAMBODIA HOSTS APNAN PRESIDENT AND INFRC VIP Prof Higa and Mr Ito meet Cambodian Minister The Royal Government of Cambodia, and our counterparts, the NKA welcomed APNAN President, Professor Dr. Teruo Higa, Mr. Akio Ito, Head of the Extension Department of INFRC and a delegation in January to visit EM sites and hold bilateral meetings to develop Nature Farming and EM technology further in our neighboring land. This visit, undertaken over two days in early January, paved the way for our president to meet with their Excellencies the Ministers for the Environment, Finance and Economy of the Royal Government of Cambodia. As this country was a recent addition to our network, the presence of Mr. Ito was strength to us, as the INFRC helps us in our activities, especially in Cambodia, which is developing Nature Farming among the poor and rural farmers of the nation, which is a mandate of the INFRC. The meeting held with the officials of the Royal Cambodian Government was very fruitful to develop the technology that we promote to help the agricultural and environmental sector of Cambodia. The meetings with the NKA also helped develop organizational structures to enable us work together in a more cordial manner. The visit also enabled Professor Dr. Higa and the delegation hold a workshop in the garrisons of the Royal Cambodian army and inform them of the potential of EM technology for the development of their programs. APNAN is pleased that the program of activities undertaken in the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia is developing at a significant pace thanks to the help of both our sponsors, the INFRC of Atami, and EMRO of Okinawa. We at APNAN initiated activities in Cambodia many years ago, but again due to the lack of proper coordination and follow up, it was not very successful and later over the last few years, the program has grown again, much to our satisfaction. We do thank our counterparts the NKA and its dynamic head Ms. Sovanly, who despite many other obligations has taken EM and Nature Farming as a personal responsibility, and also our sponsors, the INFRC and EMRO for facilitating these developments We will offer our support to the best of our ability as we always believe that like in Nature Farming and EM, coexistence and co-prosperity are the key tools for success in expanding these technologies to humankind. We also look forward to reporting future developments of the completion of a new building and initiative programs of the NKA in the future issues of this newsletter. We thank Prof. Dr. Higa and Mr. Ito for taking time to visit our contact nations your presence is a strength and hope that you will visit all our contacts at least once in 24 months! This will make our work easier!! INFRC HOLDS THE KYOTO FESTIVAL ON NATURE FARMING The International Nature Farming Research Center, which is one of our principal sponsors, hosts an annual convention in the ancient heritage city of Kyoto on an annual basis to promote Nature Farming and EM technology to the Japanese public. This year too, this convention was organized by the INFRC from the th February at the Convention Center of Kyoto. This year, it was the 13 th conference, as this was initiated in 1995, which is 6 years after the inception of this little network!! The convention drew in a mammoth crowd of 1100 participants for the main forum and over 700 for the agriculture program, which is a highlight of this convention. We are told that as always, the convention was a success and this year, it was very special in that the theme developed was Seeking a life that learns from nature, with a sub theme of Leave a clean planet for our children and grandchildren!! The convention of the INFRC has drawn much attention at the present time, as the Government of Japan is now The Kyoto conference concentrating on organic farming as a tool for sustainable agriculture. Thus, EM has been identified as an essential component of this program and hence its importance is promoted on a national scale due to the success of Nature Farming with this technology. We are told that the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestory and Fisheries of Japan has promoted the development of organic model towns, and the Chief of the Sustainable Aggriculture Office of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan spoke at the panel discussion of the convention and stated 4

5 that organic farming will pave the way for the development of an innovative evolution of Japanese agriculture. Due to the emphasis paid on organic farming, the presentations at the convention in Kyoto clearly highlighted that the use of Nature Farming with EM technology is developing systems of sustainable arable farming to provide safe food at a low cost in a sustainable manner! This system also helps us to pro-actively promote human health, develop a cleaner environment, preserve nature and develop a system of food production that helps retain our natural resources. This was the concept that the great philosopher Mokichi Okada presented and today is becoming widely accepted. We do anticipate the day when organic farming or more importantly Nature Farming with EM technology, which is promoted by the INFRC will become a household word in Japan and in the whole of the Asian region and then globally. We at APNAN are very happy to be a part of this program as we promote this technology in the region and in other nations too. We have made significant progress and we will do our utmost to maintain our activities with the support of our sponsors, the INFRC and EMRO, along with the close cooperation of our respective partners in the different nations. We do congratulate the INFRC and also its management for organizing this event and hope that in the near future they will think of organizing a similar event on a regional basis to expand its mandate of being a real International Nature Farming Research Center to help our mandate region in Asia and thereafter in other continents as well. MALAYSIANS HOST APNAN PRESIDENT The month of February was indeed a busy time for Professor Dr. Higa our President. Soon after the INFRC Convention in Kyoto, he took wings to Malaysia at the invitation of our counterparts JAMOF, led by the evergreen Mr. Sawada. This time, Prof. Dr. Higa, accompanied by our boss Jun Matsumoto, who loves to travel to Malaysia to meet his friends Mr. Sawada and Mr. Abdullah of JAMOF, visited the State of Sabah. On arrival at the city of Kota Kinabalu, Prof. Higa and the team met with the State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Datuk Masidi Manjun and discussed the potential of using EM for overcoming the pollution of the Mamut copper mine located in the state. The Minister had stated that many The meeting in Malaysia technologies had been used over the years to treat the pollution caused by the mining industry with no success in sight, and thus the state would consider using EM and even sponsor it to help the environment. Prof. Dr. Higa has emphasized the value of EM and stated that the technology could help reduce the pollution in 6 12 months. He advocated the use of EM to help the process and thus a Minister has suggested the development of a pilot project. If proven successful, the Minister has stated his willingness to advertise the success and also use EM in Sabah state to maintain its natural beauty. The newspapers also highlighted this visit significantly and although the state government has organized a helicopter tour of the site, inclement weather had prevented the delegation from undertaking this ride!! We are told that our counterparts JAMOF will initiate this pilot study and we offer our fullest support we are sure that with diligent use of EM we can help overcome the problems of the Mamut copper mines of Sabah. LINCOLN UNIVERSITY HOLDS EM SEMINAR The New Zealand Nature Farming Society is active in promoting EM in the land of the Long White Cloud! Thus, as they are based in Christchurch, a close connection is established between the Biological Husbandry Unit (BHU) of the Lincoln University, which is also using EM and Nature Farming in some experiments. Thus NZNFS was requested to participate in a seminar held at the BHU and present its activities to the audience which were a diverse group ranging from scientists to practical farmers. APNAN was also invited to attend and an old hand of Kiwi land visited Lincoln for this event and others organized by the NZNFS. The presentation held on a nice sunny afternoon at the BHU was attended by over 40 people. The first presentation of the day was by an American Scientist, who was presenting organic potting media developed by them for nurseries This was something that EM could do without much trouble!! Mike Daly of NZNFS who introduced the APNAN speaker initiated the EM session. This presentation was on the international programs on EM and Nature Farming. The current use of EM all over the world was presented along with successful case studies. This aroused much interest and questions. The next presentation was by Mike Daly who talked of the current EM program in the nation. The final highlight was the presentation by Neville Burt, the owner of NZ Bokashi Co Ltd. His presentation in waste management through EM technology is becoming a household name, especially in the south island, and hence the presentation and demonstration by him using samples of his bokashi drew much attention. We are told that over 10,000 kitchen buckets are in use in New Zealand today and most of this credit must go to Neville Burt and his small team doing dynamic work all over the nation. The day ended with a visit to the ever famous Harts Creek farm, judged to be the best organic farm \in New Zealand on many occasions and which now has expanded in the last few months to acquire new fields for organic/ Nature Farming/EM projects. As usual, the dynamic Tim 5

6 Chamberlain of Harts Creek was at hand to explain their programs and the use of EM. We wish all these programs success and offer our continued support to the NZNFS to expand their activities in Kiwi land and even in the neighboring island nations. HEAD OF INFRC EXTENSION VISITS FARMS IN CAMBODIA Ito Bucho on a Cambodian Farm The delightful Mr. Akio Ito, Head of Extension of the International Nature Farming Research Center, which sponsors activities of this little network was in Cambodia with our President, Prof. Dr. Higa in January this year to observe the activities that we do in the Royal Kingdom. Thus, after the official meetings with ministers and governmental officials, he took time to visit the farms, managed by the NKA, our counterparts, and all of them use EM. The mango farm visited by Ito Bucho was very impressive - where they spray EM, EM5 and EM FPE every week and hence could harvest high quality mangoes four times a year, when compared to two harvests earlier!! Ito Bucho was very pleased to see this farm and congratulated the farm officials and also our staff for the activities to promote Nature Farming and EM in the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia. We at APNAN are happy that very senior officers of INFRC visited us and we do hope that such visits are made more often to encourage us and also note the activities that we undertake under many difficulties, but with much success, to promote Nature Farming in our region. Thank you Ito Bucho for coming to Thailand and Cambodia and hope that you will visit us more often we love to have you to learn from your experiences and listen to the nice stories you tell us!! NORTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND IS INTERESTED IN NATURE FARMING AND EM TECHNOLOGY The North Island of New Zealand, which principally has large dairy, sheep and fruit farms, has been rather slow to adopt Nature Farming and EM principally because of the location of NZNFS in the South Island. The NZNFS has been consolidating itself in the South Island and now has begun programs in the north, especially with the help of Neville Burt of NZ Bokashi. Thus, the NZNFS had arranged several seminars and meetings when APNAN visited Kiwi land. The program was centered around the business capital of New Zealand, Auckland and in particular, the North Shore City Council, which manages an exclusive suburb of the city. A meeting was held with the waste management unit of the city council, which was very keen to use EM for their garden wastes and garbage as is done in Christchurch. The discussion was very well accepted by the engineer who will test EM in the very near future. The seminar that evening was in an exclusive club, attended by many all representing environmentally supportive organizations. They were all interested in learning about EM. The City council had put on a special evening with drinks and lots of yummy finger food too!! The seminars followed the same theme of APNAN presenting the international situation, highlighting the worldwide use of EM and Nature Farming,- this was deliberately done to show that the technologies promoted by us are widely adaptable and that Kiwi land is not alone in this field. The presentation by NZNFS was on the success of EM in New Zealand, where they showed its versatile use. Again, the highlight was the presentation by Neville who showed that EM bokashi can really be the answer to household organic wastes and showed many interesting case studies using the bokashi buckets. The next day it was on the exclusive resort of Waihiki Island, which is working hard to maintain its green identity. This resort island has many exclusive restaurants and vineyards and they are in the process of developing a self-sustaining environment, where they even use store rainwater without bringing any water from the mainland. The program was organized at the Mudbrick Restaurant, which is an exclusive venue on Waihiki Island, by Glenda Andrews-Neal of Waihiki Waste Resources Trust. This restaurant recycles all its wastes in large bins on the gardens and the compost made with EM is used very successfully in growing their own green vegetables and herbs, which form a part of the beautiful landscape. One could even see the chef coming to cut the herbs for the daily menus!! Moreover, there is no smell at all.. making it an ideal example of organic waste management with EM. The New Zealand participants 6

7 The two seminars held that morning and afternoon were attended by over 50 people per session.. all interested in Nature Farming and EM for their use either in their own homes, industries or in the small vineyards on the island, which all have waste management problems. There were many questions on the efficacy of EM to its success internationally and in New Zealand. The three presenters did an excellent job and thus there was much enthusiasm. We do realize the potential and hence we hope that these participants will act as agents to spread Nature Farming and EM in the North Island at a much faster rate than it was done in the South Island!! However, APNAN has been requested to send its representative again next year.. which we accept as a sign of our capability to promote EM and Nature Farming in New Zealand a land that is very keen on preserving its pristine environment. Dear friends of NZNFS. We will help always as usual and wish you the very best for the expansion of Nature Farming and EM in Kiwi land!! HAPPENINGS AND TRAVEL IN THE 4 MONTHS PROFESSOR DR. HIGA TRANSITS IN THAILAND Our dear President, Prof. Dr. Higa is a busy man.. and does not rest on his laurels, even though he is retired from active service at the University of the Ryukyus! Thus on his way to the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia, he transited in our host nation the Royal Kingdom of Thailand for two very busy days visiting EM sites!! On arrival on the 6 th January, he attended the opening ceremony of the EM training center at Chon Buri This unit, developed by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) which uses a substantial quantity of EM in their daily activities and for farming, is basically used to train the rural poor farmers. The training center contains rice fields, croplands, animal units, fish farms and charcoal production units, all using EM. At the opening ceremony, our president made the key note address where he spoke of the developments that have taken place with Nature Farming and EM in the Royal Kingdom of Thailand, from the early 1980 s, and the progress APNAN has made with the guidance of both INFRC and EMRO over the past 19 years. He also emphasized that using EM in daily life will be the solution to problems of pollution and food scarcity faced by humankind and gave some glaring examples of the success of EM all over the world.. This impressed the audience and there were many queries on the success of EM and Nature Farming and our dear President provided convincing replies with examples from Thailand!!! The ceremony ended with a sumptuous lunch made with products of the farm all from Nature Farming with EM technology. We are informed by our boss Jun Matsumoto that the participants enjoyed the meal and stated how fresh and tasty the food was.. and that the tastes were not masked by the hot spices found in the Thai cuisine!! Moreover, our President had been very pleased to see a large portrait of himself hanging in the center of the decorations of the opening ceremony.. with his ambient smile on his face!! The transit stop to Thailand paved the way for Prof. Dr. Higa to visit a large poultry farm which raises broilers for the Bangkok market. The farm had significant problems of odor due to the wastewater, chicken manure and the wastes from the carcasses all of which caused the lodging of many complaints by the neighbors. Thus, they began using EM both EMAS and bokashi on the guidance of EM Kyusei, which manages EM in the Royal Kingdom. The use of EM has brought about significant changes - where the principal problem of odor has been reduced to a great extent. This success has made the management of the farm use EM continuously and the effects of EM are developing - where the environmental quality is being enhanced. Although there was some odor during the visit of the APNAN President and the delegation, the advice offered by Prof. Dr. Higa impressed the farm management and they promised to use more EM effectively to overcome their problems. APNAN is very pleased that our President takes time to help our contacts during these visits. His dynamism, which has not declined over the years, is an asset and encouragement to us and more importantly to the practitioners of Nature Farming and EM technology. This boosts us too and our contacts and thus enables us to work harder to promote Nature Farming and EM in our mandate region and in other regions as well. Thank you Prof. Dr. Higa please do help us in the future as well by undertaking such visits- although you have supposedly retired!! HIGA ALUMNI OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE RYUKYUS HOLD MEETING!!! The retirement of Professor Dr. Teruo Higa from the University of Ryukyus in March 2007 has not deterred students from pursuing research on Nature Farming and EM Technology!! Thus, there are many students wanting to conduct research and this is an obstacle, which the University of the Ryukyus cannot fill.. even to promote this Okinawan technology! However, the last of the Masters students of our President completed their degrees in March this year.. they had registered in 2006 and completed their research. This was a grand occasion and most of the Higa alumni attended this memorable occasion to hear the presentations of Seicho Oshiro and Ryoichi Fukui. Oshiro san presented his research on the use of EM for managing waste from alcohol distilleries. The process of fermentation of the waste with EM made it into excellent organic fertilizer, thus promoting soil aggregation, erosion control and plant growth. This was very interesting research as there is waste material in distilleries, which are dumped, thus polluting the environments. The research also will offer much support to the work going on in managing vineyard wastes in Europe and all interested in this research please contact the research section of EMRO. The presentation of Fukui san was based on zero tillage with EM and the use of EM7 ( a new product of EM lab.) 7

8 for pest management. The thesis illustrated that the use of EM 7 prevented pest damage to vegetables and also increased their sugar content and dry weights. This research thus compliments the work in Australia with sugar cane, where the use of EM increased sugar contents of cane and also yields. This was indeed interesting and very appropriate research for Nature Farming and EM Technology that we promote. Thus, we hope that at least EMRO will continue this program and that the University of Meio where Professor Dr. Higa is the Director of the EM technology Center will offer masters programs to support the students. We also hope that the University of the Ryukyus, which offered so many masters programs in EM technology and which brought it fame will continue to offer this program to future students as well. However, the most important thing at this alumni meeting and presentations had been the meal.. A sumptuous meal as always - we too wish we were there to learn and enjoy! PROFESSOR HIGA JETS AROUND DELIVERING LECTURES ON EM IN JAPAN As stated, our president is a very busy man!! Even when in Japan he has no rest at all.. and is jetting around the nation delivering lectures on EM and promoting Nature Farming and EM. Soon after Malaysia s tour, Prof. Higa was in Morioka city of the Iwate prefecture for a lecture. We are told that a large gathering was present to hear his speak. The next day it was a presentation in Akita prefecture, which was a successful event. In March it was in Nagasaki.. all promoting Nature Farming and EM Technology. We hear that these seminars are real crowd pullers all to learn EM technology and we hope that our President will keep up the good work in the future, for many many more years to come!! EMRO USA HOLDS ANNUAL MEETING AND SEMINAR The annual meeting of EMRO USA, one of our principal collaborators was held at its headquarters in Tucson Arizona in March this year. It was also an occasion for EM America to discuss the developments that have taken place in the USA and North Americas in general. Our Ex boss. Takashi Kyan, who is president of EMRO USA was at hand after about 22 hrs flying from Bangkok to the USA only transiting in Japan, not even stopping to see his family especially his 4-month-old son!! Prof. Dr. Higa and President of EMRO, Mr. Katsuyuki Asato were also present to discuss the EM program in the USA and to answer any questions that have developed over the last 12 months. We are told that the dealers of EM in USA attended a seminar forum held by the EM America and also discussed future strategies EM and Nature Farming activities with the management of EMRO. Dr. Shuichi Okumoto and Ms. Yuri Terry, the resident staff of EMRO USA were also at hand to clarify any points of contention. The main subject discussed the challenge posed by fake EM makers calling their products with similar sounding names and challenging the real products. Steps have been taken to sort these problems out, we at APNAN wish to inform our friends in the USA that the fakes do not work out, and they fail in the end.. However we can not be resting on our laurels all the time and prevent these fakes from proliferating the markets. We need to be strong and dynamic and APNAN has enough experience dealing with such people. Thus EMRO USA if help is wanted please inform us we will always offer support.. as we would like a holiday in Tucson admiring the Cacti!! AN AMAZING ORGANIC HOME GARDEN IN AUCKLAND!! APNAN, during its visit to Auckland took time to visit the home of Ken and his wife Mabel (Mr. and Mrs. Kam Chiu Ng of 148 Burnswood Drive, Auckland), who had migrated to New Zealand from China. The visit was arranged by the evergreen Estella Lee, a leader of the Chinese community of Auckland, who is promoting EM and the bokashi buckets. The home garden of this family is allorganic and uses bokashi and EM successfully. The garden was in excellent shape and The proud gardener Ken what was amazing was the growth of the cucurbits!! There was one gherkin type, which was over 2 meters long!! The proud home gardeners were taking measurements and were keeping this fruit as a show piece of their success! They also offered the use of this garden as a model for EM and Nature Farming home gardens next year.. when workshops will be held for this community, which is very keen in growing their own vegetables. The two evergreen home gardeners told us that they could grow all their tropical vegetables with EM and Bokashi, thereby proving its success and adaptability. We do congratulate these two dynamic people Ken and his dear wife Mabel for the keenness shown and wish them all the very best for promoting EM and Nature Farming in their community. As promised APNAN has their pictures in this Newsletter and please do contact us for any future help. We will support your activities. THE UNIVERSITY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND APPLIED SCIENCES OF VIENNA GRANTS A DOCTORATE FOR EM RESEARCH The University of Natural Resource and Applied Sciences of Vienna, more famously known as BOKU has been 8

9 working on Nature Farming and EM technology for many years, primarily due to the dynamic efforts of our contact in Austria Multikraft. Thus, with support from Multikraft, a student R Ndona of the Department of Applied Plant Sciences and Plant Biotechnology undertook a research project to improve the quality of tomato under protected cultivation, using EM technology. This project, which took over three years, showed that tomato germination and growth was enhanced by EM and produced greater marketable yields. The occurrence of blossom end rot disease was much less in EM and EM mineral treated plots. This was due to higher chlorophyll content in EM treated plants. Detailed analyses of plants showed greater signs of stress in the non EM treated plants and the better growth yield and quality of EM treated plants was attributed to a better environment developed the technology. We congratulate the student for a good study and the receipt of the Doctoral degree we are also grateful for the initiative taken by BOKU to undertake this research and to Multikraft for supporting this activity. Details of the study could be obtained from the Department where the study was conducted the thesis is in German but there is an English abstract!!! SUCCESSFUL GOAT MANAGEMENT HIGHLIGHTED IN THE MALAYSIAN PRESS A small farm located in Parit Jabong Darat, Batu Pahat in Malaysia has about 450 goats and uses EM technology for making silage and for waste management. At first, the neighbors had objected to the establishment of this goat farm, which raised animals for milk, mainly due to the possible odors. However, after much research EM was the best solution to the problems of flies, diseases and pests and for odor control. The farm today raises goats imported from New Zealand due to the very high demand for milk. The use of EM has maintained hygiene, the health of goats and raised yields and quality. The use of EM in silage making also has proved to be successful and the technology, which is being promoted by the State Agriculture, Agro based industry, Regional development, Arts, Culture and Heritage committee is proving to be a winner as it is a basis of biotechnology. All this was highlighted in the New Strait Times of Malaysia, the leading Newspaper of the region and which is widely read in Johor state, where all this is happening. This has been possible due to the active promotion of EM by our counterpart Mr. Sawada of JAMOF and his team and we are grateful to them for promoting EM in Malaysia. BOKASHI NEW ZEALAND DEVELOPS EDUCATION POSTERS ON EM TECHNOLOGY New Zealand has a very enterprising Kiwi. Typical kiwi ingenuity of our dear Neville Burt has set the ball rolling for making bokashi very popular in New Zealand. The bokashi made by Bokashi.co in the South Island is now sold in a package with the NZ made bokashi buckets in most stores advocating ecological life styles. For example, the Ecostore in Auckland also sells these and promotes bokashi for households. Neville tells us that bokashi is also used at times for wastewater treatment and even animal feed. He uses the best possible ingredients all from Kiwi land for his bokashi and to date in conjunction with NZ Nature Farming Societies has sold over 10,000 bokashi units in different sizes. The use of bokashi is so popular among the ecologically minded Kiwis that EM is also being promoted alongside which are real co existence and co prosperity. Due to the demand for training by users, Neville has developed many posters to educate the public on the use of bokashi for composting and using this material for cropping. All interested.. Please go to the website You will be surprised to see the useful information that you could find... It is indeed educative!!!! Thanks Neville for this work and we wish to greater success and offer you support to strengthen your activities in the future. VRM OF AUSTRALIA HOSTS NAGAMINE SAN The EM program in Australia is moving ahead at a very rapid pace, thanks to the dynamism of Ken Bellamy, the boss of the company. Although there were many changes in VRM over the last year, The host Ken Bellamy the work has gone on, with many interesting developments and innovations. These have even been recognized by the Government of Australia and especially the State of Queensland, where VRM is situated. The projects of carbon crediting with the use of EM and the adoption of Nature Farming are drawing significant interest. All these mean that VRM wants more and more EM and advice on Nature Farming, as their workload and programs are expanding! Koki Nagamine thus traveled to Queensland in February to help out and make EM He told us that this was his first experience in this island continent and he was looking forward to a nice cool climate in the temperate regions of Australia!! On arrival in Townsville via Brisbane, he was shocked to feel the heat of the Australian summer! However, on the first day, he procured all materials required for making EM with the help of VRM staff.. and then proceeded to the place of stay in VRM!! Due to the high temperatures in the cool climates of Townsville..he used the air conditioner the whole night.. only to end up with fever the next morning!! This meant a well-earned rest for a day!! Our Koki is a strong man and thus had attended to his work the following day making the EM for VRM with the VRM boss Ken Bellamy at hand to give the required support!! 9

10 Koki san also took time to visit some EM sites where wastewater of sugar mills is being treated with EM. The success was clearly visible Earlier the wastewater could not be reused.. but no after EM, it is being recycled and thus a very scarce resource in this part of the world is being put into good use showing the world what EM can do to minimize the wastage of water!! We are very glad that VRM is taking this initiative and promoting EM and Nature Farming. This is our mandate and when our partners do this job well with minimal support from us and at no cost this makes us at APNAN happy as well. We do offer our congratulations to VRM and Ken for the great work and look forward to hearing of their successes in June this year. KOKI VISITS CAMBODIA TO PROMOTE NATURE FARMING The visit of APNAN President and the Head of Extension of INFRC, Mr. Akio Ito to Cambodia has spurred our counterparts the NKA and its lively head, Mrs. Sovanly to promote Nature Farming on a more sustained and vigorous manner. Thus the requirement for EM is growing rapidly in Cambodia and due to the large quantities made, the quality has to be checked periodically and advice on its use given. Koki Nagamine visited the Royal Kingdom in late April this year to check the quality of EM and also travel to some Nature Farms. He also visited the mango farm that hosted Mr. Ito in January. This farm, which uses EM, has a harvest of some 33 tons per year! Earlier with chemical farming, he never obtained more that 20 Mt per annum!! This is over a 50% increase and more importantly, there is a lower incidence of pests and diseases. The success lies in that he uses sprays of EM, EMFPE and EM5 on a regular basis and applies bokashi to his trees. The bokashi is made using chicken and cattle manures, rice husk and bran and other waste materials. The bokashi, which is made in days, is added around the mango trees regularly. This program was started in 2006 when he heard of EM over the television and radio and transformed his farm to an organic system using EM. Today he is convinced that Nature Farming and EM is the key to the success of farming in Cambodia and wishes to promote it further. We are happy of this development that Nature Farming and EM is fast developing in our neighboring nation of Cambodia. As stated earlier, this program would not have succeeded of not for the work of the NKA, headed by the lively Ms. Sovanly who while Koki san was there took time off to deliver their second baby as well. We wonder if Koki Nagamine will be the godfather of this child!! We at APNAN are very keen that the program in the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia succeeds and hence will offer our maximum support to this program. APNAN HOLDS ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP The international workshops of APNAN are in popular demand and we are compelled to hold it twice a year at the excellent Nature Farming Training Center at Sara Buri. Thus a workshop was held in February this year where 38 participants from nine nations attended. The range of countries varied from Japan in the east through The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, Bhutan, to South Africa and Britain. It also included an EMRO staff member Mr. Nishibuchi, who was serving as a JOCV volunteer in Vietnam. All participants gathered as usual in Bangkok and traveled to Sara Buri, where they were welcomed by the Head of the Center, Mr. Kanit Muangnil and his able assistant, Mr. Sakurai. The usual program of excellent training was offered by our staff Jun Matsumoto, Koki Nagamine and Yujiro Sano and the highlights were the practical exposure that the trainees obtained at the farm. As usual, the workshop ended with the part hosted by the Sara Buri center with its lively entertainment offered by Mr. Muangnil and his staff, and also the field trip. The rating given by the participants was as usual Excellent This time it was special coming from an experienced hand in EM technology - Nishibuchi san.!!! While we pat our backs on the success.. we also hope to improve the standards and hope that we will succeed in this venture. All interested in future programs please contact us the next workshop is in July this year!!! INFRC PROMOTES NATURE FARMING IN JAPAN THROUGH NOVEL PROGRAMS A successful NatureFarm in Japan The INFRC of Atami, Japan, which has the mandate to research and promote Nature Farming in Japan and the world, has developed a novel program to extend its activities domestically. Its extension department, headed by Mr. Akio Ito, who has a vision for the INFRC, has thus started a program to educate the Japanese public and train them in Nature Farming via the development of organic or Nature Farming kitchen gardens, using household wastes and EM. This program is fully supported by the Japanese Government, which is also promoting organic farming among its citizens. The INFRC also offers three licentiates to educators of Nature Farming and certifies organic products. These range from Garden Advisors, Model Farmers and Agricultural Instructors all of whom are trained in Nature Farming to be able to become lecturers in the subject. The objective 10

11 of this exercise is to develop a group of people capable of promoting Nature Farming among the people of Japan and also overseas. We are happy that the INFRC is undertaking this mission in Japan, and hope that the training material that is used be given to us to develop a program in English. The world is asking for information on Nature Farming the philosophy of this practice is known as books of the teachings of Mokichi Okada are available in many languages but the actual operations of Nature Farming are yet to be presented to the world in international languages. Thus as our mandate is also to promote Nature Farming and EM technology, we too need information on how it can best be done. Thus Ito Bucho and all at the Extension Section, please help us too by providing information on the practical aspects of Nature Farming and by undertaking research at the experimental station in Nagano to tell the world of the practice of Nature Farming. This will enable us do our job, and as expected, to develop this valid technology to produce good and a clean environment for humankind. APNAN PLANS A WORKSHOP IN JUNE Our little network is one, which is accessible to all and we like to keep in touch with all our contacts especially those managing the Nature Farming projects and EM programs in the respective countries of the mandate region. Thus in 2006, our ex boss, Mr. Imamura initiated a plan to hold a workshop for all our contacts in the mandate region. The objective was to regulate EM quality and promote the technology along with Nature Farming. It was also a forum for people of the different nations to interact and exchange information. The outcome of this meeting was very successful in that, we achieved the major objective of regulating EM quality in the region. There was also some exchange of ideas and information. Thus, we at APNAN, under the guidance of our boss Jun Matsumoto are arranging a meeting in June to get all partners in the respective countries to Bangkok to hold a two-day workshop. This meeting/ workshop is much more valuable than the first attempt, as we will have the management of our sponsors both INFRC and EMRO with us to give us guidelines on what we should be doing- especially as on some occasions the expectations have clashed! The workshop is also strengthened by the fact that officers managing Europe and Africa will also be here to inform our contacts and partners how they do their operations. This is especially important, as the technology has progressed beyond expectations in Europe. We at APNAN look forward to a very productive meeting and please dear readers we will inform you of the outcome in the next newsletter. ISOFAR AND IFOAM TO BE PRESENTED WITH NATURE FARMING AND EM TECHNOLOGY The international organic scientific community and practitioners gather once in three years to discuss and present research and development activities at a large scientific and business forum. This is the IFOAM conference which now also hosts the scientific conference of the International Society for Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR) based in Bonn, Germany. The first ISOFAR scientific congress was held in Australia three years ago, along with the IFOAM conference and general assembly. In Australia, APNAN could only present papers and posters at the IFOAM meeting as there was skepticism about EM and Nature Farming. However, three years have passed and the next IFOAM congress and ISOFAR Conference will be held in Modena, Italy in June this year, soon after the APNAN meeting in Bangkok. This year, APNAN has progressed and there will be one poster presented by APNAN staff on the benefits of EM in composting and an oral presentation by Dr. H L Xu of the INFRC on mulching and minimum tillage on the growth of vegetables in line with Nature Farming. We also hear of a paper that would be presented by an European author titled The Effectiveness of Effective Microorganisms!! We wonder what this would be and are prepared for this. This is an important breakthrough that we are able to get papers on Nature Farming and EM into the ISOFAR forum, which is accepted worldwide as a key link into organic farming. More importantly, for the first time, a paper on the scientific validation of Nature Farming as presented by Mokichi Okada will be discussed at the Organic World Congress of IFOAM in Modena. This oral presentation highlights that the principles and guidelines of Nature Farming presented by Mokichi Okada in the 1930 and 1940 era can be validated scientifically using research done all over the world. The importance of mimicking nature in agriculture, especially cropping is something that all sustainable programs want to achieve. The possible toxic effects of animal manures were discussed by Mokichi Okada, and are validated by research today. All these are presented in this oral paper, which was submitted by our member in co authorship with Mr. Akio Ito, head of the Extension section of INFRC. We are told that a three-member delegation from INFRC will attend these meetings to present the papers and posters and we hope that they will uphold the flag of Nature Farming and EM at this very important meeting!! We wish them the best of luck and APNAN is happy that it is associated with these developments and promotions of Nature Farming and EM technology!! BOKU STUDENTS EXPOSED TO NATURE FARMING AND EM TECHNOLOGY The students of the University of Natural Resources and Applied Sciences (BOKU) of Vienna Austria have the option of following a course on tropical organic farming, offered by the Institute of Organic Farming, headed by Professor Dr. Ir Bernhard Freyer, who is a well-known professor for organic farming in Europe. In this program, a block course is offered by one of our staff members titled tropical organic spice, fruit and vegetable production for hours. During this course, many examples of Nature Farming and EM Technology are taken and the Nature farm at Sara Buri, which produces tropical spices, 11

12 vegetables and fruits organically. This motivates the students to read about Nature Farming and EM. This year too the course was conducted in Vienna in late April and to the amazement of our colleague who conducts this course, there was much interest by the students on Nature Farming and EM!! Most of them who followed the course on organic farming knew what EM and Nature Farming was and wanted more details. This was done and the highlight of the course as usual was the visit to the Hamer s farm, managed by the very experienced Johannes Hamer. This farm of over 200 ha grows potatoes, wheat, maize and barley, and they also make their own organic EM beer!! The annual visit is arranged by Ms. Ulrike Hader, the CEO of Multikraft, who handles the EM program in Austria and the neighboring nations. This dynamic lady arranges this visit every year and the students are shown the marvels of EM Technology and Nature Farming where horse manure from Vienna, wastes from markets and farm wastes are made into excellent compost with EM in a very short time and used very successfully for the farmlands, which are certified organic. The students were so happy that many requested that they be allowed to return to the farm to discuss the Students on the EM Farm. functioning. As usual, the very helpful and friendly Johannes Hamer agreed to this and even hosted the students to a real organic meal at the family run restaurant!! The final outcome was that 95% of the 18 students who attended this course graded the program excellent and wished that this block course be offered on an annual basis. We hope this will continue and thank Multikraft and its CEO Mrs. Hader for facilitating the field visit and Mr. Johannes Hamer for his cooperation and gracious hospitality. DEMAND FOR EM GROWS IN MALAYSIA The demand for EM is ever increasing in Malaysia thanks to the dynamic activity of JAMOF and its boss Mr. Sawada and his able colleague Mr. Abdullah of Johor. The latter is forever touring Malaysia promoting EM technology very efficiently! Due to their ever-increasing activity, including wastewater treatment Jun Matsumoto traveled to Johor in January to make EM. As usual, it was a very hectic schedule and Jun did not even meet Mr. Abdullah and was sad as the beautiful secretary of JAMOF Ms. Katty had resigned!! After making EM for JAMOF, Jun san traveled to Kuala Lumpur to make EM1 for users and visit several farms. An interesting farm was visited by Jun san where Nature Farming and EM are integrated and is managed by Mr. Rahman, who had been trained by us at Sara Buri. The developments of integration using cows, goats, vegetables and orchard crops has turned out to be something very interesting and the most important aspect was that Mr. Rahman is training his neighbors too! This was indeed a pleasant surprise that an alumnus of Sara Buri using the technology taught by us..! Thanks Mr. Rahman for your active interest and we look forward to spreading Nature Farming and EM using you as a model in Malaysia in the future. APNAN DOES THE USUAL TRIP TO MAPLE, INDIA EM unit of Maple The little network in Thailand is eager to develop the program in India and thus travels once in 3 4 months to make EM, check quality and help out with the programs of Maple Orgtech, based in Calcutta. It was Jun who made this trip in April and he loves traveling to India because of the sumptuous meals!!! In India, he met two new staff members of Maple as they are expanding and streamlining their operations. One of them is a qualified microbiologist, who is responsible for maintaining EM quality. Jun san told us that these two staff members were very keen to learn more about Nature Farming and EM that the questions were flowing non stop which reminded him of our good friend Sanjay Aggarwal!! Unfortunately, Sanjay was not at hand this time but his absence was not felt too much because of the presence of these two eager staff members covering up!! Jun also tasted the great hospitality of the boss - Mr. Madam Mohanka and his family when he stayed at their mansion in New Alipore!! We hear that the slim Jun had put on 4 Kg in weight in the 4 days he was there!! We are happy that Maple is doing a very good job despite some setbacks that is normal in any growing organization. The guidance of Mr. Mohanka is invaluable and hence we are thankful for this contact, which despite obstacles is spreading Nature Farming and EM across this great nation. We offer our fullest cooperation to these ventures at all times. EMRO JAPAN LAUNCHES A NEW WEBSITE The EM Research Organization, established by our President, Prof. Dr. Teruo Higa in 1994 is now known internationally! This is due to the versatility of the technology and its usefulness in Nature Farming and 12

13 environmental sanitation. This has been proven beyond doubt through research and practical experience in all continents. Thus, there is a constant demand for information and replies to queries and there was a great void in terms of the lack of a website readable by the international community. Thus, setback was overcome earlier this year when EMRO Japan launched its website in English!! The website was developed by the staff of EMRO USA especially the beautiful Yuri Ono who is stationed in Tucson as its total manager and housekeeper! The website provides information to all, and a highlight is the message by Professor Higa, who updates the latest information on the technology. Thus readers and friends please visit the website and if you have any queries use the Q & A forum to get your problems solved! This is the latest development of EMRO and we are sure that this will soon become one of the most visited websites on the whole internet system!! Readers please visit the site You will gather the latest information on EM Technology! THE FAMILY GOSSIP OLD FRIENDS MEET IN BANGKOK March this year was a nostalgic occasion for APNAN.. where two of its founder members met in Bangkok! One, the only lady of our first steering committee, Prof. Dr. Cho Cho Myint of Myanmar was in Bangkok after attending an academic Old friends meet meeting and the other, who was on the way to Europe to a University in Vienna, and still working with this little network, was also in town in transit to the land of Mozart. This duos meeting was further strengthened by the presence of our ex boss Takashi Kyan, who has a deep admiration for the fair professor from Myanmar!! Over a hosted lunch at our usual watering hole in Sena Place Hotel, many things were discussed and as usual, our colleagues at APNAN, Matsumoto san, Koki san and Sano chan, who handles the EM program in Myanmar were also at hand. The discussions also touched on the EM program in Myanmar, which is having some problems due to the inability of our technical officers to travel and check quality of EM. This was considered the most important problem - to ensure that quality EM is available to all who want it in the Union of Myanmar. Prof. Dr. Myint agreed to help out and this we anticipate in the very near future so that we can get the project back on track!! However with all the discussions, the friendly atmosphere that existed among friends from the inception of this little network still prevailed - and hence it is all happy comradeship that we have to make our little network efficient. We do hope that this meeting brought back happy memories to the two friends. It is a long time.. we have been in existence for nearly 20 years now.. it is a long time and hence we at APNAN are happy to have the opportunity to host our old friends when in Bangkok our home in the land of Smiles!! ON THE WAY TO NIRVANA Young Japanese are real adventurers and this is true of the EMRO staff as well!! They wish to experience new adventures and today with all the stress of modern life.. they also wish to try experiences that would possibly bring some solace to their body and mind!! With this in mind, our dear friend and future colleague, Mr. Toru Koshoji, who is a full time staff member of the Rev. Koshoji overseas section of EMRO and also a JOCV volunteer in Thailand, took the opportunity to experience a stress free experience not for a long time but just for 9 days in Thailand!! He entered the monk hood for a week which is possible in Thailand as all males are customarily required to accept this as a part of their lifestyle. During this time, Koshoji san underwent the full rituals of becoming a novice monk, begging for his food in the mornings, while doing the usual rounds with the alms bowl dressed in yellow robes and with a shaven head and eyebrows! He tells us of his experience which he recommends to all the only complaint was that he had to get up at 0430 every morning - and have a cold shower!!! This was the first time that one of our young members ventured out- although an oldie of this little network has been planning to do this for many many years but never got the time due to the jetting around!! We do congratulate Koshoji san and also hope that he achieved the peace of mind that he wanted during this time with the meditation that was required at specified times of the day. What is more interesting is that this practice is becoming infectious as there is one more who followed suit not to enter the monkhood but to go into retreat for a few days in a temple to relieve the stress of working for this network!! Thank you Koshoji san...for showing a pathway to our young colleagues and also for the inspiration however we are also told that the lady devotees at the temple now are missing the young handsome Japanese novice monk and posters are out - looking for him to come back and guide their destinies! 13

14 CONGRATULATIONS NISHIBUCHI SAN!! Our colleague in EMRO, who is a JOCV volunteer in Vietnam and very experienced in EM and Nature Farming, Yasushi Nishibuchi wanted to learn EM technology in the way APNAN does it!! This is because we at APNAN blend Nature Farming into our training programs as well. Thus in February this year, Nishibuchi san attended our workshop and was an active participant A proud Nishibushi keeping mum about possible mistakes that our trainers made and supported the whole program. His presence had been a strength to the trainers as well as they had to be careful in doing an excellent job which they always do anyway!! We are told that the presence of Nishibuchi san also was a motivating factor to the other participants as they were encouraged by the fact that an experienced person such as him was attending the course, which indicated that we are really up to date in our training!! Thus on the last day, at the usual party, he had been a livewire.. and also sang a Japanese song which we hear was exceptional! All present had been enthralled by his beautiful voice and now the talk is that even the birds of Sara Buri are trying to imitate his voice!! Thank you Nishibuchi san for joining the workshop and hence the certificate that you obtained is really worth it!! FUKUGAUCHI SAN JOINS THE ROYAL FAMILIES OF THE WORLD! Yoshitaka Fukugauchi of EMRO is a very adaptable man!! From his early experience with our first boss Masaki Shintani in South Africa, he quickly learnt that adaptability to the diversified environments of this great continent has to be a feature if he ever wanted to work in this environment!! His adaptability was transformed quickly and today he covers the activities of the whole continent and even the middle east making EM, guiding people on the technology and promoting Nature Farming! His work in this region is HRH Fukugauchi well accepted by our friends in the different countries - and some even honor him!! Thus when he was in Cameroon, a tribe accepted him into their midst with open arms for the excellent work he did in promoting sustainable farming and environmental sanitation with EM, he was accepted as a ruler of the region for bringing happiness and prosperity to the peoples living there! Thus, overnight he became His Royal Highness Prince Fukugauchi!!! We re told that the people now really respect HRH Yoshitaka Fukugauchi and thus the humble subjects of His Royal Highness are not allowed to shake hands with him but salute his Royal Highness and bow in the Japanese fashion!! This is great that we have a Royal colleague and wonder if his bosses at EMRO and even Higa sensei our President pays him the same respect! Prince Fukugauchi - Dai heika Please inform us when your Royal Presence will be made at our humble network we will put out the red carpet and have a band in attendance with a decorated tuk tuk to bring you in a right royal fashion to the royal apartments at our home in Kularb Apartment!! APNAN BOSS SEEKS SOLACE Life being the senior Technical Officer of this network in Bangkok is a very demanding position!! Thus the boss is generally under stress 99% of the time trying to manage the network, attend to the numerous requests, balance budgets, make EM, coordinate staff and activities and even take care of VIPs who travel to Bangkok!! As our bosses at the network are generally young Japanese, they are placed under pressure and stress can do damage! Over the years, our bosses at APNAN had different outlets to relieve their stress - ranging from real Thai massages, fast food, visiting beer bars and even eating and sleeping or playing computer games to researching EM! However, the present boss, after seeing his colleague enter the novice hood, took the chance to undergo a retreat in a temple - not in Thailand but in Laos!! We are told that he was seen walking serenely behind monks in the morning, for the daily alms in a true Buddhist monk style and also stayed in the temple.. dressed in white like a holy saint!! However, some onlookers stated that when people were offering alms in the mornings, our boss used to admire the beauty of the devotees in a shy manner and this has endeared him to the more beautiful devotees of the fairer sex!! After this, he was back again - the whole body and mind refreshed!! Thus, we are now thinking of asking all our staff undertakes this experience as it sure does wonders, judging by the smile that is on our boss s face!! SANO CHAN S AND KOKI SANS TRAVELS IN JAPAN!! Our dear Yujiro Sano is a very active man in terms of a diversity of work and interests. Thus, while in Japan from March this year he, along with his APNAN and INFRC colleague Koki Nagamine undertook many activities. The first was to attend a training program on Nature Farming at the INFRC Research Station in Nagano. They tell us that he was really impressed by the training 14

15 imparted and also by the lecture given by Dr. Hashiba, an Emeritus Professor of the Tohoku University. The trainees participating were all impressed and moreover, the best part had been the typical party with barbeques held in the evening. Koki san and Sano chan also attended a bowling competition held by the Sekai Kyusei Kyo in Atami and had been the livewire of the INFRC team, led by Ito Bucho!! However, their performance at bowling did not meet much success which is not normal as both Koki san Sano chan has much success bowling young ladies to becoming friends! However, what was important was his participation and this was appreciated! They had also attended a dinner hosted by Nobuyuki Taniki, one of our ex bosses and dear friends, who is now in the certification section of INFRC and listened to his tales as Taniki san is famous for talking at a rate faster than water flowing out of a faucet!! Koki san is now back with us with his dear wife too - and we at APNAN are awaiting the return of Sano chan soon and we also hear that there is someone awaiting your arrival at the Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok! We hope to see you soon Sano chan! 15

16 THE IMPORTANT EVENTS OF THE FUTURE FORTHCOMING MEETINGS ETC Joint Meeting of the International Grassland Congress and the International Rangeland Congress (2008 IGC/IRC) Theme: Multi-functional Grasslands/Rangelands in a Changing World. 29th June - 5th July 2008 Location: Huhhot, China See: Responding to the challenge of linking smallholder producers to dynamic markets 9-12 July 2008 Davao City, Philippines Website: Contact name: Luis Antonio Hualda 2nd International Conference On Science And Technology (Icstie o8) December 2008 PERMATANG PAUH, PENANG, MALAYSIA Website: Contact name: Ms Rafizah Kechil /Mr. Mohd Saifulnizam Abu Bakar APNAN T SHIRTS OF VERY HIGH QUALITY ARE AVAILABLE WITH US AT A MODEST PRICE OF 200 THAI BAHT PER SHIRT!! The colors are Red, Black and Blue with our special Logo mark! Please send us your requirements We will reserve them for you!! 9th ISSS International Conference on Seed Biology Theme: Recent advances in seed science and research 6th-11th July 2008 Venue: University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland Website: index1.php?id=invitation Third Regional Symposium on Environment and Natural Resources 5 to 6 August 2008 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Website: Contact name: Dr. Habibah Hj. Jamil 9th International Congress of Plant Pathology 24th-29th August Location: Torino, Italy Website: Agronomy Society of America Joint Annual meeting Celebrating the International Year of Planet EARTH 5 9 October 2008 Houston, Texas, USA Contact 16

17 INFRC THE INTERNATIONAL NATURE FARMING RESEARCH CENTER, ATAMI, JAPAN The International Nature Farming Research Center, located at Atami, Japan, was established in 1985 with the objectives of enhancing economic stability of farmers and producing nutritious and good quality food for humankind. Thus, the INFRC undertakes research and extension programs on Nature Farming based on the principles of Nature Farming advocated by Mokichi Okada, who stated the importance of respecting nature and conforming to its laws. The importance of allowing soils to exhibit their inherent potential is also a key to the principles of Nature Farming and is thus promoted by the INFRC. Today, the INFRC supports over 1900 Nature Farming units in Japan both in crops and livestock operations. It also has a research farm at Nagano to where scientists are diligently working towards the validation of Nature Farming. The INFRC also promotes the use of EM technology to stimulate the soil biota and enhance productivity. The international activities of INFRC range of being associated with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), supporting the Asia Pacific Natural Agriculture Network (APNAN) and also research and development in many nations such as China, Laos and Myanmar. In the recent past, the INFRC has been accredited to certify organic products and farms under the JAS Organic Certification scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture of Japan, which is now promoting alternative system of farming. Thus, the INFRC is a very dynamic organization working diligently to provide a sustainable system of producing food through Nature Farming, based on principles of Mokichi Okada. The INFRC can be contacted at: International Nature Farming Research Center, 8F, Atami Daiichi Building. 9-1 Taharahoncho, Atami, Shizuoka Japan. Phone: Fax : overseas@infrc.or.jp Website : 17

18 International participant The Bokashi expert Neville Burt The mango farm in Cambodia Prof Higa explains a point Thai Officials with Prof. Higa MM in deep thought Mabel in her EM garden EM Products for environmental management 18