Here is the end-of-the-year report from the Kokoro Media field. Last time, Masamichi, the organic farmer, showed us how to select the most vigorous plants just by looking at the buds. This time, he shows us how the plants have grown, and tells us about the importance of making good soil for organic farming.
More Insights on Building Good Soil
Here is an extract of an interview done in November 2020, in which Masamichi explains in more detail what making good soil is about.
On your website, you also talk about “getting help from microorganisms.” What does that mean?
An infinite number of microorganisms live in the air and the soil. Now, in Japan, the primary way of doing agriculture is to disinfect the ground by using pesticides, which also kill microorganisms. The number of microorganisms in the soil decreases, and I think it prevents the vegetables from growing stronger.
On our farm, we use agricultural techniques that increase the number of microorganisms because they serve as a source of nutrition for the plants. They also regulate the water quantities in the soil. Thanks to them, we can get good soil to grow our products.
In modern agriculture, pesticides kill microorganisms, so to compensate, farmers use fertilizers to grow bigger products. The production is entirely industrial. I would instead use a more natural way of producing.
What do you do to increase the number of microorganisms?
The key is to feed them. By giving them what they like, they breed naturally. Microorganisms eat things smaller than them, for example, earthworm excrements. Creatures attract more creatures, and it turns into nutrient layers and create good soil.
We hope you found this information useful!
Stay tuned for the next report from our field next year. Meanwhile, you can read Higa Farm’s full interview here.
