Guest guest Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 > 14 Jul 2004 13:57:19 -0000 > One Bird - Ten Thousand Treasures > press-release > > > The Institute of Science in Society Science Society > Sustainability http://www.i-sis.org.uk > > General Enquiries sam Website/Mailing > List > press-release ISIS Director > m.w.ho > ======================================================== > > > Rice wars Rice, the staple food crop for more than > half the > world's population, among them the poorest, is the > current > target of genetic modification, an activity that has > greatly > intensified after the rice genome was announced two > years > ago (see " Rice is life " series, SiS 15, Summer 2002 > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/isisnews/sis15.php ). Since > then, > all major biotech giants are investing in rice > research. > > At the same time, a low-input cultivation system > that really > benefits small farmers worldwide has been spreading, > but is > dismissed by the scientific establishment as > " unscientific " . > This is one among several recent innovations that > increase > yields and ward off disease without costly and > harmful > inputs, all enthusiastically and widely adopted by > farmers. > > A war is building up between the corporate > establishment and > the peoples of the world for the possession of rice. > The > food security of billions is at stake, as is their > right to > grow the varieties of rice they have created and > continue to > create, and in the manner they choose. > > This extended series will not be appearing all at > once, so > look out for it. > > Fantastic Rice Yields Fact or Fallacy? > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/RiceWars.php > Top Indian Rice Geneticist Rebuts SRI critics > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/TIRGRSRI.php > Does SRI work? > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/DSRIW.php > Corporate Patents vs People in GM Rice > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/CPVPIGMR.php > Promises and Perils of GM Rice > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/PPGMR.php > Two Rice Better Than One > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/TRBTO.php > One Bird - Ten Thousand Treasures > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/OBTTT.php > > ISIS Press Release 14/07/04 > One Bird - Ten Thousand Treasures > ********************************* > > Dr. Mae-Wan Ho reports on how ducklings in the paddy > fields > turned weeds to resources and increases yield and > leisure > for farmers > > During the last leg of a six-day lecture tour in > Japan 1999, > I was fortunate enough to have visited an organic > farmer not > far from Fukuoka, who was reputed to have done > wonders > introducing ducks into the rice paddy field. > > The train ride from Tokyo lasted five and a half > hours, > speeding through a most unusual landscape, which > repeats > itself in endless variations for the entire > duration. It > consists of large and small clusters of houses and > the > occasional single abode, all floating, it seems, on > a sea of > paddy-fields. Paddy fields fill every available inch > of land > that is not built upon, and most of the plots are > tiny. That > was a real surprise for me, who, like most people, > imagine > Japan to be a fully industrialized developed nation. > > > Our hosts from the Green Co-op in Fukuoka met us at > the > station, and after the usual polite exchange of > bows, we > were taken to another platform for the local train > to > Keisen, where the famous organic farmer Mr. Takao > Furuno had > kindly invited all three of us: Tony Boys, my > interpreter > for the occasion and Mr. Watanabe, a fellow speaker, > to stay > the night with his family. > > It was getting dark by the time we arrived in > Keisen. > telephoned from a booth outside the station, and > some > minutes later, Mr. Furuno himself came to pick us up > in his > mini-van. We drove a short distance and stopped in > front of > a largish but modestly built and modestly furnished > bungalow. Mrs. Furuno opened the door and gave us a > warm > traditional Japanese welcome. We were invited to sit > down > around the dinner table where all the children came > to greet > us. Five healthy, suntanned and smiling children, > two boys > and three girls between the ages of 16 and 8, > introduced > themselves, then retreated next-door to the kitchen > where > they were served supper. Grandma and Grandpa were > busy with > food preparation, and appeared only later to say > hello. > > The Furunos were a handsome couple in their forties. > He, > wiry and dark, with a winsome squint and sparkle to > his > eyes, had the appearance of being both amused and > content > with life, as he had every reason to be. He spoke in > an > even, unhurried manner, with a gentle tone. She was > of > medium build, lively, good-looking and more openly > ebullient > about their success. Of course, they did not mean > financial > success, they meant success of the farming method, > which, > since its introduction ten years ago, has been > spreading all > over Southeast Asia. In Japan, about 10 000 farmers > had > taken it up by 1999; and has also been adopted by > farmers in > South Korea, Vietnam, The Philippines, Laos, > Cambodia, > Thailand and Malaysia. Farmers have increased their > yield 20 > to 50 percent or more in the first year. One farmer > in Laos > increased his income three-fold. It is obviously a > boon to > Third World farmers. > > " We want to help " , the Furunos declared, " financial > success > is unimportant. We did not patent the method, we > just want > it to be widely adopted. " The method has been > researched and > perfected over the years in their own fields. At > this point, > Mr. Furuno introduced a young visitor who was > working with > the family in order to learn the method. " There's > always > someone here who wants to learn, and everyday, I get > several > phone calls from people needing advice. " He said as > a matter > of fact, without either false modesty or pride. > > The young man's eyes widened when he learned that I > was the > niece of Kyu Ei Kan's wife. Kyu Ei Kan is a writer > most > renowned for his books on how to make money. And to > demonstrate that what he writes is sound, he > proceeded to > make a lot of money himself. The excited young man > pushed > the book he was reading in front of me. It had my > uncle's > photograph on the cover, and the title, How I Became > Rich- > An Autobiography. Mr. Furuno must really be a great > success > if a young man who dreams of becoming rich should be > so > eager to learn from him. I made a mental note to > tell my > aunt, and maybe persuade my rich uncle to go into > organic > farming business. > > " Well, it has been called a 'one-bird revolution' " , > my host > began, " the duck is the key to success. " The secret > is to > release ducklings into the paddy fields soon after > the > seedlings are planted. But won't the ducklings eat > the rice > seedlings? No. " It is in their nature not to eat the > rice > seedlings. " Mr. Furuno assured me, then added, > " agronomists > in the university say it's because rice seedlings > have too > much silica. " > > They have made a very good video, complete with > English > narration, which shows how the ducklings readily > take to the > paddy field when they are led there to be released. > About 20 > ducklings are released per tenth of a hectare. They > genuinely seem to enjoy getting into the water, > where they > paddled contentedly between the rows of rice > seedlings, now > ducking under the surface of the water, now raising > their > heads to swallow something, but never harming the > rice > seedlings. In fact, the ducks are good for the rice > plants > in many ways, including the mechanical stimulation > they > provide, which make the plant stems thicker and > stronger, as > demonstrated by careful experimentation. > > Mr. Furuno did attend agricultural college, but he > did not > learn the Aigamo method there. Aigamo is the name > for the > ducks, which is a crossbreed between domestic and > wild > ducks. He simply worked out the method by a > combination of > " contemplation, inspiration and experimentation " . > Actually, > ducks have been raised in paddy fields in China and > probably > other parts of South East Asia since a long time > ago. But > the farmers never left the ducks in the fields, and > were > unaware of all the benefits that the ducks can > bring. > > The benefits the ducks give to the rice plants are > numerous; > again, that was worked out by Mr. Furuno's > scientific > experiments carefully set up in the field. The ducks > eat up > insect pests and the golden snail, which attack rice > plants, > they also eat the seeds and seedlings of weeds, > using their > feet to dig up the weed seedlings, thereby > oxygenating the > water and encouraging the roots of the rice plants > to grow. > You can actually see the difference between the > plants in > the Aigamo plots and the control plots without > Aigamo. > > In fact, the ducks are so good at weeding that > farmers who > have adopted the method now have time to sit and > chat > instead of spending up to 240 person-hours per > hectare in > manual weeding every year. Besides, 'pests and > weeds' have > been miraculously transformed into resources for > rearing > ducks. The ducks are left in the fields 24 hours a > day, and > do not need to be herded back to the shed. They are > protected from dogs by an electric fence or some > other > barrier around the field. There is a patch of dry > land for > the ducks to rest and also for them to be fed waste > grain > from the rice-polishing factory, so they maintain a > relationship with the farmer. But otherwise, the > ducks are > completely free-range until the rice plants form > ears of > grain in the field. At that point, the ducks have to > be > rounded up (otherwise they will eat the rice > grains). They > are then confined in a shed and fed exclusively on > waste > grain. There, they mature, lay eggs, and get ready > for the > market. > > It was too early in the year to plant the rice > seedlings in > Furuno's own paddies. Japanese farmers time their > planting > according to the length of the growing season quite > precisely. So, as we came south on the train, we > noticed > more and more dry vacant fields. Furuno's in-laws, > who live > some distance away, have already planted the > seedlings and > flooded the fields, and we were to be taken there to > see the > ducklings being released the next morning. The > father-in-law > was once a rich businessman, but had decided to give > up > business for organic farming. The in-laws, who look > ten > years younger than their age, live in a large house > with a > beautiful garden and a permaculture orchard where > chickens > roam freely to keep the ground free of weeds - > another > labour-saving invention - and also provide chicken > manure to > fertilize the trees. > > The ducks are not the only inhabitants of the paddy > field. > The aquatic fern, Azolla, or duckweed, which > harbours a > blue-green bacterium as symbiont, is also grown on > the > surface of the water. The azolla is very efficient > in fixing > nitrogen, attracting insects for the ducks and is > also food > for the ducks. The plant is very prolific, doubling > itself > every three days, so it can be harvested for > cattle-feed as > well. In addition, the plants spread out to cover > the > surface of the water, providing hiding places for > another > inhabitant, the roach, and protecting them from the > ducks. > In fact, the roach grows so well in the paddy that > Mr. > Furuno has not bothered to count them. What do the > fish feed > on? They feed on duck feces, on daphnia and other > worms, > which in turn feed on the plankton. The fish and > ducks > provide manure to fertilize the rice plants all > through the > growing season. The rice plants, in return, provide > shelter > for the ducks. > > The paddy field with ducks and all is really a > complex, > well-balanced, self-maintaining, self-propagating > ecosystem. > The only external input is the small amount of waste > grain > for the ducks, and the output? A delicious, > nutritious > harvest of organic rice, duck and roach. It is quite > > productive. The Furunos' farm is 2 hectares; 1.4 of > which > are paddy fields, while the rest is devoted to > growing > organic vegetables. The organic vegetables fields > were full > of butterflies of all kinds when we visited them the > next > morning. This small farm yields annually 7 tonnes of > rice, > 300 ducks, 4000 ducklings, and enough vegetables to > supply > 100 people. At that rate, no more than 2 percent of > the > population needs to become farmers in order to feed > a > nation. Tony Boys indeed believes that with proper > management, Japan can become self-sufficient once > more. So > who needs GM crops? The choice is clear, not only > for Japan, > but also for all of South East Asia, and the world > at large. > > This Aigamo method also explodes the myth that > organic > farming is necessarily labour intensive. " Organic > farming > need not be labour intensive, it is fun! " said Mr. > Furuno > emphatically. The Furunos are not purists, and they > use both > mechanical harvesters and tractors. Their method is > so > simple and enjoyable, that five years ago, the two > eldest > boys managed their own small plot and got a bumper > harvest > from it. That was also documented on video. Mr. > Furuno, > however, will complain that they are very, very > busy, and no > wonder. They run their own vegetable business, > process their > own ducks and sell those as well. In addition, he > writes > books, papers, runs courses, and lectures all over > S.E. > Asia. > > Later that evening, we were treated to a delicious > meal of > home grown organic rice, duck, chicken and > vegetables, > complete with unlimited bottles of Furuno's own > brand of > organic sake and fragrant pine wine, both bearing > the label, > One Bird, Ten Thousand Treasures. Mr. Furuno's one > ambition > in life is to share these boundless treasures, this > unlimited harvest, with the world. > > We bathed in the warm glow of this wonderful > thought, and > ate and drank deep into the night, becoming more > convinced > by the hour that the harvest is indeed limitless and > free to > all who work creatively in partnership with her. > > This is an edited version of an article first > circulated by > ISIS in 1999. > > > > > ======================================================== > > This article can be found on the I-SIS website at > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/OBTTT.php > > If you like this original article from the Institute > of > Science in Society, and would like to continue > receiving > articles of this calibre, please consider making a > donation > or purchase on our website > > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/donations. > > ISIS is an independent, not-for-profit organisation > dedicated to providing critical public information > on > cutting edge science, and to promoting social > accountability > and ecological sustainability in science. > > If you would prefer to receive future mailings as > HTML > please let us know. If you would like to be removed > from our > mailing list at > > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/mailinglist/.php > ======================================================== > > CONTACT DETAILS > > The Institute of Science in Society, PO Box 32097, > London > NW1 OXR > > telephone: [44 20 8643 0681] [44 20 7383 3376] > [44 20 > 7272 5636] > > General Enquiries sam Website/Mailing > List > press-release ISIS Director > m.w.ho > > MATERIAL IN THIS EMAIL MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM > WITHOUT > PERMISSION, ON CONDITION THAT IT IS ACCREDITED > ACCORDINGLY > AND CONTAINS A LINK TO http://www.i-sis.org.uk/ > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.