When interviewing a farm of Chongming in Shanghai three years ago, my first encounter with nature farming. This outfit from Japan philosophers and agronomist gangtianmaoji, Fukuoka Masanobu thought of farming, emphasizing respect for nature, comply with the nature, no fertilizer, no pesticides. At the time, organic farming is on the rise in Shanghai, a farmer told me that nature farming and organic agriculture very different, which emphasized the adaptation of man on nature, depending on the trust between the people and to maintain; the latter is an industrial mode of production, established on the basis of rules and regulations.
Understanding nature farming again, was a few days ago after contact with Ryotaro. In 2011, from Japan on the Chiba Ryotaro to Shanghai by ship, five days later came to Dali, played by dijirui (Australian Aboriginal musical instrument), DJ saved the cost of living, the stranger's friend's House there is an area, he would practice natural farming. Soon after, he went to Thailand to study Thai massage, and where his girlfriend Ayako springs (Ayako) everyone calls her friendship. When Ryotaro and Aya has returned to Dali, became a separated from home. In a meeting moved in, they married and had children, lived in the village of Silver City outside a yard.
Turn seven after eight bends in the village that day, I came to their home in the hillside. "Found? "Ryotaro is greeted. Eldest son and is playing in the yard naked, Aya holding youngest son knot hemp, called him in Japanese. Flowers and lush yard, semi circular stone wood two-story house, in front of a wooden table, three bamboo chandelier, Japan folk songs flowing briskly, but carved in front of red door and the plateau above the Sun, really forget yourself in Dali.
Want to farm, Japan country so well, why come to Dali? This is my first question. In the ensuing conversation, I suddenly found out that the answer is not important. It is important, how will they? They grow rice, thirty or forty species of vegetables, seeds, press cannabis oil, rice wine, baking a cake, bake cookies, make natural skincare, playing musical instruments, repairs the House ... ... Chicken bar in front of the House, fat hen pecked around, put in the shed a warm eggs. A vegetable plot behind the House and small, carrot, potato, okra is uneven growth, has kind of mode. Ryotaro to use each and every Chinese with an accent pointing, born in 1987, he was like an old farmer, way of life and the details clearly in mind.
For a few minutes, we sat on the stone steps at the door, in the Sun, the breeze, not saying a Word. Just looking at the family very happy. And air and knot the two brothers, clutching a fire made of hemp seeds and soy cakes, babbling cannot understand, Ryotaro and friendship saying something softly, hands on, from time to time turned and smiled. This new farmer families in Dali more than one household, several large farms and the price is not interested? People truly natural password, as if silently and steadily grow underground like potatoes. Luggage: tell us about your farm?
Liao taro: I home is not Shang farm, is has almost two acres of to species rice, and wheat, above has seven or eight points to vegetables, we General is self-sufficiency, eat of are is himself species of, also has soy sauce, and MSG, and vinegar, and wine are is himself do of, eat not finished on in outside sold, sometimes to leading more Bazaar sold dish, also some guest to I home buy.
Baggage: now what vegetables?
Ryotaro: a lot of different varieties, is the kind of lucrative farm, is a dish large species, I was every kind of very small piece, should now have twenty or thirty varieties, when thirty or forty will have. A month later, for example is tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, green peppers that now have carrots, leeks, onions, cucumbers, cabbage, celery, beets, taro, basically can grow all kinds of vegetables in this season. Because I was all of the food you want to eat at home, so has a lot of different varieties, if there are only one or two words, we eat the same food every day.
Luggage: where do your seeds come from?
Ryotaro: vegetable seeds are wheat, rice, Japan or the European friends here, after you plant some vegetable seeds on their own, then species. Now there is a problem, farmers buy new seed each year, does not belong to old varieties, I don't like it, I leave seeds is all dish per year, species next year. First new year is not much, but with the seeds later, second year, third year and fourth year more and more. Seed this thing is the difference compared to other farms, should rarely in China, Dali, not at all, this is what I want to do here.
Luggage: so the taste of rice and vegetables are not the same as local?
Ryotaro: are not the same, I use natural farming, and local farming methods are not the same, is the difference between natural farming is not to dig, because if I dig it, insects and small animals can be hurt, but they can live in the soil. Worms will eat vegetables, but natural farming, many weeds, weeds grow in food, worms eat weeds, food to eat, but not all of them eat.
Luggage: weed is resilient and is after the cut pile in soil?
Ryotaro: piles on the soil after the cut, cut the grass growing, half a year later fermented into fertilizer. Natural farming without fertilizer, and can also grow up, good looks, just not the difference between good and bad bugs. Organic farming methods and modern farming methods are generally pulled weeds, fertilizers, irrigation and more, without irrigation and fertilizers can also be grown up, we're not filling, as a child growing up we can't give too much, or he grows up strong, but must be some thing, enough, farming and life is the same.
Luggage: Dali, soils and the environment for those outside do seeds grow?
Ryotaro: in the first year was difficult, but the second year, third year and fourth year easier, more and more used, because seed is good when I grew up, so the longer the better.
Such as rice from Japan the rice seeds in nine different experiments. Final harvest only three. Another rice deep down when my family's head, filling enough. Another harvest, I basically fell out.
Bo, grasses and other plants on the ground or premises branching near the ground. Not all Bo last harvest, directly related to the productive tiller and panicle number per unit area. Our spacing and spacing is much larger than the other, and plant seedlings. NIE reaches twenty or thirty branches of seedlings, most of the more than more than 40 branches. Though no harvest, but we think that the cultivation method, and there is no significant problem, adaptation is the root cause.
Luggage: why should I have to plant seedlings?
Ryotaro: each rice living space to a larger size, or the wind blows, they rub, uncomfortable unhappy, unhappy long rice is bad.
Baggage: before you can plant rice and vegetables? How can and wants to go to the land?
Liao taro: I of home in rural and city middle, small of when also regardless of what eat of things, 18 age yihou began travel, in some place do this farm of work money, found in outside work is comfortable, I began meditation, and do yoga, think this is heart of things, and heart and body should is with of, eat of things is important, if you eat good of things, you of body also health, you of heart also health, so I wants to himself species eat of, on to learning how species.
Luggage: When did you start learning field?
Ryotaro: specialized studies should be 20 years old in India, returned to Japan after the introduction of organic farming, natural farming farm, they gave me a place to sleep, no money, but I can learn from them. I am a farmer, but not the only thing, as well as chicken, seasonings, cover the stove, these things added together are the farmers. When I was 20 years old I wanted to try everything yourself a kind of schooling years, Dali was the first place I stay for more than a year. Luggage: which year are you to Dali?
Ryotaro: in 2011. When I come to do music, but on the way the music when the police came, were stopped, and then a friend of my family, he spent more than 10 years in Dali, I stayed in his house for two months later to Thailand to learn massage, three months had been studying in the school, where massages every day. In high school, that's when I met my wife, she has to learn Thailand massage. We are together for three or four days later, she set out for India. I wants to to Tibet riding bike, so from Thailand starting riding bike to Dali, but I asked has many people, are said Tibet foreigners cannot in, so on left in Dali do Thailand massage, also in friends of yard in farm, then also no himself of home, city people also no how more, House cheap, also is quiet, on in there play, then learning Chinese.
Luggage: that time really started to learn Chinese?
Ryotaro: Yes, completely unable to say when it arrived, at a friend's House, slowly, almost three months. My wife in India for six months, I said let me Dali, at that time, I have found a House, have their own home. Not this family, this is the third home, the first home was a simple House, just in the ancient city of shimen village, there is a large yard, you can kind of thing, a very simple life.
And then I asked her to come over, we went to Mongolia, then my wife is pregnant, we want to do, is back to Japan or in Dali. Later we decided to Dali, but hospitals in China, a c-section is still a lot I want to deliver my own, so I started to learn how to deliver, my wife is learning. At that time also began to build a house next to the first House, I'll get another House, is a second home, moved to the other side with the young son and empty.
Luggage: how long have a second home? Kinds of things?
Ryotaro: for more than a year, in the onion garden village, is the ancient city of Simon out. Dali, when more and more people, my land outside of the city, close to the sea, it is far, however I want to plant the rice, there is no way, in the above generally do not have rice. Rice fields have about an acre of three points, the vegetable is not very large, about seven minutes. I go here every day, riding for twenty or thirty minutes, trouble. Just want to be in the village, the old House would be even better, and then moved to the side.
At the time of the second House, I began to make hemp seed products, their oil, is cannabis oil, this oil is particularly good, you can eat, you can also do cosmetic, facial cleanser, skin care cream, pressed hemp seed can feed the chickens.
Luggage: oil, cosmetics, which is you have to learn?
Ryotaro: Yes. Used to be friends, I'll ask around, look online, books read, learn. In fact, the best way to learn is to do, land, planted with many people asking me how to plant, in fact, this is not very important, it is important to do, and then see what is not enough, what's the problem, then you know how to plant. Certainly different in each local law, if I move to another place, kind of law will change, so to do, this is the best way to learn. I feel that I don't have to know too much, which caused the bug that seed knows, uninteresting. The first step is the hardest, started it, know why, why, then change the methods you things will get better and better.
Luggage: the third House moved in how long? What the House looks like at that time?
Ryotaro: 2.5 years. There was no electricity, all through their own electric, water a lot, tap water can be drunk directly in this village, very good. Flowers are also slowly, heating stove in the House, do it yourself. Walls made of stone, a layer of cement outside a little broken, I knocked all cement, and then into the case, but some places have holes, mice come in.
Luggage: how long did the renovation of this House?
Ryotaro: took nearly half a year. Moved here when his wife was pregnant, I was worried that when new, with new houses, working too much, I feel so tired, but very worried, because it was born in the House, so must all be prepared before.
Baggage: now do something every day at home?
Ryotaro: at home I can arrange a time, transplant, receiving rice, bring in the wheat of this thing must I do, three months 10 days is seven to eight o'clock in the morning, grow vegetables, you can do it another time. Work done and play music, and watch movies.
Luggage: this way, a couple of guitars on the walls, said music is done before you play the guitar?
Ryotaro: no guitar, I let ethnic musical instruments, Australia dijirui, sometimes trying to do DJ Dali, kind of electronic dance music, this travel was 18 years old when he started to do. Sometimes at night to play with friends, sometimes performing work to do. Real farmers, not just vegetables, is based on traditional practices, making daily life most of the substances are used, all hands-on, this is the biggest different Ryotaro and the other farmers.
Baggage: your family is leading a bazaar of old news, why would join the fair?
Ryotaro: began more than two years ago, leading a bazaar when I sell my things at a friend's shop, is on Renmin road, selling around five o'clock in the afternoon every day. Dali stores rent more expensive at that time, my friend can not open this shop, I need to find a new place, leading a number of Jia ming is my friend's friend, he asked me to do not much more than selling, they gave me ads have never received my money, then more and more people know about.
Luggage: go to the Bazaar that day, you will long to pick these dishes well in advance?
Ryotaro: my dish was picked in the morning, and then ride on Trike past. 5:30 A.M. pick the best food, the freshest, hemp seed oil is pressed within two or three weeks to the guest, not the old oil, we have to sell something. In China, the good stuff is expensive, I don't feel like it.
Baggage: your price is not expensive?
Ryotaro: sure dish cost more than the average stock buy, but not very expensive. I like a lot of people eat my vegetables because they are fresh, natural, there are varieties that nobody else ate, I like to let the average person can eat, not only the rich people can eat.
Luggage: land, oil mill these things, you tell wife what is the Division of labor?
Ryotaro: such as flax seed mill is my wife's, and cake, pressing need energy so I do farming, all is me, but sometimes when weeding, planting, delivery of wheat, do it with my wife and children together.
Baggage: kids do?
Ryotaro: beside eat watermelon (laughs).
Luggage: you socialize with people in or around the farm village much?
Ryotaro: not too much, in fact, most of the farms are, rarely grow their own. I communicate with them, if someone asked me what kind of, I can say that, but totally different ideas, farming methods are not the same. If the farm profitable, you need big machines and big, but we have no interest in doing that, because natural, doesn't suit my lifestyle. If you want to make money, the seeds they want me to stay, I can sell, if their kind of people, I'm free. Some ideas are good farmers, sometimes talking, but not a close friend, and my friend is not farming.
Luggage: just say you raise chickens and ducks, they are where?
Ryotaro: right behind the wall, go to
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