Organic Farming and Environmental Protection Activities in Aya Town, Miyazaki Prefecture - April 1997

Organic Farming and Environmental Protection Activities in Aya Town, Miyazaki Prefecture - April 1997

Organic agriculture is flourishing in Aya Town, Miyazaki Prefecture, in an effort to promote environmental protection and sustainable agriculture. 1988 registration of the town as an Aya UNESCO Eco-Park led to the spread of pesticide-free and chemical fertilizer-free agriculture. Currently, about 70% of the town's farmland (about 600 hectares) is operated under organic farming. Farmers in Aya Town do not use any chemical fertilizers or pesticides, and use organic fertilizers and compost to reduce the burden on the environment.

The Aya Town Agricultural Cooperative Association (JA Aya) ships approximately 1,500 tons of organic agricultural products annually, of which organic rice production is approximately 500 tons. Aya Town's organic rice yields approximately 4 tons per hectare and maintains high quality without the use of pesticides. Approximately 1,000 tons of organic vegetables and fruits are also shipped annually, and these agricultural products are distributed mainly to the Kyushu and Kanto regions, where they are highly valued both domestically and internationally.

Furthermore, Aya Town is also making efforts to protect water resources, and is continuously monitoring the water quality of the Aya and Gokase Rivers, which are major water sources. In this way, the town strives to prevent the deterioration of water quality and the inflow of chemical substances due to agricultural effluents, and to protect the ecosystem. As a result of monitoring, the water quality around our farmlands always meets environmental standards, and no hazardous substances have been detected.

In addition, as part of Aya Town's waste recycling efforts, more than 90% of agricultural waste is reused and utilized as compost and organic fertilizer. In addition, farming techniques using renewable energy have been introduced, with more than 10 farms in the town equipped with solar power generation systems, producing a total of approximately 500 kWh of electricity annually.

These efforts not only preserve the natural environment of Aya Town, but have also been successful as "eco-tourism," attracting approximately 30,000 tourists a year and bringing about 1 billion yen annually to the town's economy.