On the weekend of May 25 and 26, 2024, an Ecoplus Weekend Farming Workshop, “ABC in a Rice Paddy,” was held in Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture. Nineteen people from the Tokyo metropolitan area, Yamagata and Nagano prefectures participated, ranging from families with elementary school children to university students, young professionals, and senior citizens. Local farmers also supported the event. Under a blue sky, the participants enjoyed farming in chemical-free rice paddies while admiring the dazzling fresh green of Uonuma’s nature.
On the first day, we climbed to the 700-meter-high mountain pass commonly called “Kannon-sama” overlooking the Uonuma Basin to get an overall view of the Uonuma Basin. The mountains on the border of Gunma and Fukushima prefectures were clearly visible in the distance. A number of rare species of butterflies called “Gifucyo” danced around us. On the way back from the pass, we walked along the “old road” that UESUGI Kenshin took when he marched in the Kanto region. We actually walked through the terrain where the land had been hollowed out by the soldiers and horses, and we were reminded of the scene nearly 500 years ago.
The second day, we worked in the rice paddies. In one corner of the rice field were four seedbeds the size of one tatami mat. There, seedlings about 10 centimeters tall were growing in tight rows. Nowadays, seedlings are usually grown in greenhouses with warm conditions, and open-air “water seedbeds” have almost disappeared.
We took on the challenge of removing seedlings from this water nursery, a task that was commonplace until about 50 years ago. Bending over at the waist with both hands outstretched, we scooped out the seedlings as if we were scooping up the soil. The wild millet seedlings were growing in the seedbeds, so we had to identify and remove the millet seedlings. Both were so similar. The participants were challenged to identify the differences.
In the rice field where the rice was to be planted, a hexagonal wooden frame is rolled out to make a mark, and the seedlings are planted on the marks. The work of taking the seedlings, carrying them, and planting them unfolded fluidly as we all found ourselves sharing the work.
In about three hours, we finished the planting of about 150 square meters of rice. The participants then enjoyed a lunch of onigiri (rice balls) at the edge of the rice paddy. Participants left comments such as, “The feeling of putting my hands and feet in the mud made me wonder why I felt so happy,” and “I now understand how rice is grown.
