「rice」タグアーカイブ

farming, rice, 持続可能性, 生物多様性, 田んぼのイロハ, 稲刈り, 米

無農薬田んぼでの稲刈りをしました

Harvesting Workshop in Organic Rice Paddy

　エコプラスは、2021年9月25、26の両日、新潟県南魚沼市栃窪集落で、休日農業講座「田んぼのイロハ」の稲刈り編を行いました。25日は晴天、26日は雨の中、それぞれ20人前後で無農薬田んぼに見事に育った稲を刈り取り、天日乾燥のためにハザにかけました。

On September 25 and 26 of 2021, ECOPLUS conducted harvesting workshop in an organic rice paddy in Tochikubo Village in Minamiuonuma, the heartland of the famous “Koshihikari-Rice,” in Niigata.

  •  快晴だった土曜日の稲刈り
  • 雨模様の日曜日
  • 丸く束ねるのが難しい
  • 飛び出てきたシュレーゲルアオガエル
  • 木陰でお昼ご飯

　新型コロナウイルスの対応のため、田んぼへの直行直帰の日帰り実施としました。参加したのは首都圏や新潟県内の高校生から退職者までの23人。全員が2回のワクチン接種済みでした。

Considering the situation of COVID-19, we organized the program as a day program asking participants come to and leave from the paddy directly. All 23 participants were fully vaccinated.

　25日は、透き通るような青空が広がりました。輝くような黄色に染まった田んぼは、刈るのが惜しいくらいの鮮やかさです。参加者は、手足を稲から守るために長袖・長ズボン姿。朝なのに汗が吹き出る暑さです。まずは、地元の笛木晶さんから、鎌の使い方や刈り取った稲をわらで束ねる方法を教わりました。地元で「まるける」と言う作業。これがなかなか難しい。

On Saturday, we had gorgeous view of golden rice paddy under the blue sky. In order to protect skin, we needed to wear long sleeves. The sunshine was so strong. All of us sweated from the beginning. Mr.FUEKI Akira, a local farmer, taught us the important and difficult skill, to bundle the sheaf, called “Meruke,” in this area.

「まるける」講習会。The difficult skill, “Maruke.”

　稲刈りが初めての人が半分以上とあって、刈り取ったつもりが刈り残した茎が残ったり、「まるけ」がうまく行かなかったり。さらに、田んぼの一部がぬかるんで、一度ハマったら前進も後退もできずと、悪戦苦闘。

More than half of participants were totally novice at using a sickle. At the beginning they were struggling to cut the stems clearly and to make “Maruke” in muddy rice paddy.

　しばらくするとみなさん作業に慣れ、自分の世界に没入して作業する人、初対面同士で世間話をしながらマイペースで作業する人と様々に稲と向かい合っていました。稲株の間からは緑鮮やかなカエルたち、すぐ目の前には真っ赤なアキアカネが登場します。さらには絶滅危惧種のシナイモツゴも田んぼに水を引き込む升の中から見つかりました。

However in one hour or so, people acquired the ways. Some were just keep cutting and bundling works and some were doing the work taking neighboring persons joyfully. Fresh green colored frogs were jumping out from the ground. Red dragonflies were coming close to us. From a tiny structure to introduce water to the paddy, small fishes were caught and a local biologist explained those as one of endangered species in Japan, called “Shiny-Motsugo.”

絶滅危惧ⅠAのシナイモツゴ。Red databook listed “Shinai-Motsugo”

　26日は雨になる予報だったので、予定を1時間早めて8時30分より作業開始。最初は、曇り空で吹く風も涼しく、手慣れたこともあり作業はどんどん進みます。昼近くに、雨が降り始めました。残りは3割程度。田んぼはどんどんぬかるみ、寒さを感じるようになってきました。最後は参加者全員で一気に刈り取りを進め、何と午後1時過ぎには、全てを刈り取り、はざにかけるまでの作業を終えました。

On Sunday, weather condition totally changed. We started the work one hour earlier. It was cool and comfortable at the beginning. The work went smoother than the day before. Close to the noon, the rain started. The temperature went down, too. At the end, all of us worked hard to finish. Surprisingly we finished all works from cutting, budding and hanging by shortly after 1 pm.

　参加者の間からは「お米1粒1粒がタネであることを考えると、なんだか本当にありがたい。秋の田んぼが黄金に見えるのは幻ではない。お米たちが命をつなぐクライマックスを迎え、キラキラ輝いていたからだと思う」などという、コメントをいただきました。

“I somehow felt appreciation when I thought each of those grains was a ‘seed’ when I faced to those rice. The shining golden rice field might not be illusion. Rice was shining because they were celebrating the final phase to pass the life to the next generation;” a young participant commented.

　このお米は、10日から2週間、天日乾燥させたあとで、お米となっていきます。この無農薬天日乾燥米のおすそ分け、限られた量ですが受け付けています。

The organic rice will be dried for 10 days to 2 weeks. Then husks will be removed and will be ready to eat. Only limited amount are available for interested persons.

野外教育

無数の命を見つめながら無農薬田んぼで田植え

Planting rice in the non-chemical pure organic terraced rice paddy.

  • Finished in 3 and half hours. 3時間半で1枚完了。
  • Marked those guide grid with a wooden frame. 枠を使って目印の線を付けました。
  • Seedlings.植えられた苗。
  • lunch table on a back of small truck. 軽トラ食堂。
  • A secret talk on the edge. あぜ道で内緒話。
  • A frog under hypnosis. 手の中で上下を逆さまにすると催眠状態になる。

　休日農業講座「田んぼのイロハ」の今季第1回の田植え編は、2019年5月25-26日の週末に、新潟県南魚沼市の栃窪集落で開かれました。首都圏からの参加者たちは、見事な青空のもとで、1反4畝（約1400平方メートル）の田んぼを植え切りました。カエルやオタマジャクシ、トンボ、ヤゴ、ケラなど、完全無農薬の田んぼならではの無数の命に包まれた作業となりました。

ECOPLUS conducted the first workshop on rice farming, called “ABC in a rice paddy” on May 25-26, 2019 at Tochikubo village, Niigata Japan. Under the beautiful summer sky, participants from metropolitan area enjoyed works in a rice paddy with songs of birds, cool breeze and lunch next to the paddy.

View from Mt. Teruyama, 736m. 樽山山頂からの絶景。

　25日は、まさに雲一つない晴天。せっかくの機会なので、集落のさらに上の稜線部にある観音様まで車で上がり、さらに徒歩で30分ほどの樽山（736m）まで登ってみました。八海山（1,778m）から巻機山（1,967m）、苗場山（2,145m）までの雪が残る山々と、魚沼盆地に水が入った田んぼが広がる様子を観察しました。

On 25th, the sky was totally blue with any pieces of clouds. So we went up above the village by car and walked an half hour to the top of Mt. Teruyama, which has elevation of 736 meters. We could oversee the ridge of mountains reaching to 2,000 m elevation and the Uonuma basin which is the heartland of the most sought after rice, “Uonuma Koshi-Hikari.”

Snow was still remained under the branches of cider tree. 杉の枝の下は雪がびっしり。

　登山の途中には、ゼンマイやわらびなど山菜類があちこちに顔を出しているのにもびっくり。頂上付近では、無数のチョウが互いを追いかけ合って乱舞する様子にも息を飲みました。
　後半は雪が残る戦国時代からの古道をたどり、林の中に森のアスパラと呼ばれる山菜のシオデが出ているのも観察できました。

During the walk to the top of Teruyama, we identified several edible plants just next to the path. We also surprised by so many butterflies circling around us. On the way back, we took the over four century old road used by worriers in the battle age in Japan. On that road, snow was still remained and another edible plants can be identified near the road.

For human hands, it is big! 手で植えてみると田んぼはとっても広い。

　26日は朝から農作業。無農薬で栽培を始めて13年になる「イロハ田んぼ」は、すでに代かきを終え、水を抜いて田植えをするばかりに用意してもらいました。六角形の木枠を転がして田んぼに筋を付け、線が交わる場所に苗を植えていきます。始めはどのくらいの深さに植えるのかが分からなかった参加者も、水に流されず、無理に深植えせず、という地元のベテランの指導で、次第にコツを覚え、一気に作業が進みました。

On 26th, we concentrated our time for rice planting. The paddy which has been growing rice for 13 years without any chemicals was smoothed prepared by the locals. Rolling a wooden frame of hexagon shape, we set marks on the surface then we planted seedlings in line. At the beginning it was difficult to set the seedlings but with the support from locals, saying set the seedlings not to be floated away and not to push in too deep, participants learned the way shortly.

Many dishes were set on the deck of a small track. 軽トラ食堂。

　田植えを終えた後のお昼ご飯は、田んぼの隣の木陰に軽トラを止めて、その荷台におにぎりや料理が並べた「軽トラ食堂」。ウドやわらびがたっぷり入ったみそ汁、おにぎり、トマトやきゅうり、ウドの天ぷらなど地元の素材を活かした豪華な内容。「おいしい」が連発されました。自然と農と食について深く考える週末となりました。

The planting work was finished in 3 and hard hours and the lunch started. So many dishes like, miso-soup with wild edible plants, rice balls, tempura of another edible plant, called “Yamaudo,” we deeply understood the richness and happiness to live close to the nature. Participants discussed a lot about the relation between nature, food and agriculture during the weekend.

English, farming, food, rice, TAPPO

20 people enjoyed the culture and life in Tochikubo at the “ABC in a rice paddy” program.

A total of 20 people, including company workers, students, and families from various countries,visited Tochikubo, Niigata Prefecture from Tokyo metropolitan area. They enjoyed walking around the area and rice planting over the weekend.
The holiday agricultural project, ABC in a rice paddy, was held on 21 and 22 of May. It is a series of programs throughout the year, and this time, the first occasion of the year, was about rice planting.
On the first day, participants went for a walk in Tochikubo area with a villager, FUEKI Akira. From the centre of village to the top of Mt Taru, 736m, they enjoyed encounters with varieties of mountain vegetables and some rare wildlife. Although it was summer-like hot, they managed to reach the peak and one participant said \”When I stood at the top and saw how far we have come, I felt that I had achieved something\”.
After coming back from the mountain, they had a lecture and learned about the different types of rice seedlings, process of rice farming without any chemicals and pesticides, history and current challenges of rice farming in Tochikubo.

 

A snap from bird watching session in the early morning. Local children also joined it and enjoyed together.
A snap from bird watching session in the early morning. Local children also joined it and enjoyed together.

On the second day, early in the morning, most participants and some locals joined a bird watching session by FUKASAWA Kazuki. Despite of poor visibility due to mist and rain, his knowledge helped participants have a great time. At the very moment he talked about the sound of rare bird species, Akashobin (ruddy kingfisher), participants actually heard it. Whenever someone or Fukasawa found wildlife such as frogs, salamanders, and insects in the water, he provided an instant lecture about the features and ecosystem of them.
Rice planting began, having waited for the rain to calm down. It was well-supported by locals as participants learned a traditional way to band rice plants with straws, and planted them. They went into a rice paddy together with baskets filled with bunches of rice seedlings.

 

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After rice planting. People from various countries participated in the program.

At lunch time, a group formed by local women called \”Kaachanz\” (Team-mothers) served miso soup with lots of local vegetables and dried fish. Everyone appreciated the soup as it warmed up their cold body from inside. Many people went into the kitchen to have the second of the miso soup.
Participants continued planting rice in the afternoon, and managed to finish the whole paddy around 2:30. They got a compliment from a local person on how straight they could plant.
Thanks to the knowledge and skills of local people, ABC in a rice paddy in 2011 has been kicked off!