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Toyoda Elementary and the Rainbow Plan
Approximately one-hundred and thirty million microorganisms are in this tiny 1 gram bag of soil. 99.11.22/ Temperature: 5C/ Weather: Partly cloudy/ Wind Direction: N
Current Location: Nagai City/ Latitude: 38 07 07 N / Longitude: 140 02 02 E
Distance Traveled: 0km(Children's point)How many microorganisms do you think there are in 1 gram of soil? Today I was invited by 6th year students of Toyoda Elementary School to find out. The children of Toyoda invited Mr. Kanno, a local farmer, to teach them about the Rainbow Plan, a local attempt to put healthy food on the table and create safe soil.
Students each examined the 1 gram bags of soil that were being passed around. "How many think between 50 and 500? 500 and 5000? Over 5000?" asked Mr. Kanno. The kids' confident hands popped up for each choice, but jaws dropped to the floor in awe when Mr. Kanno explain that the average number of microorganisms in one gram of soil is close to one-hundred and thirty million. This is approximately the size of the population of Japan!
Mr. Kanno greets students of Toyoda Elementary. You may wonder what the link between microorganisms and good soil is. Mr. Kanno explained. "All life relies on microorganisms in order to absorb nutrients. Trees draw the nutrients from the soil, only after the microorganisms have decomposed the nutrients of various fallen leaves or rodents. Humans are the same. We have microorganisms in our stomachs that break down the food we eat in order to absorb nutrients. Trees and humans are all the same; we are dependent on the work of microorganisms."
What does all of this talk about microorganisms have to do with the Rainbow Plan? The rainbow plan is a cooperative effort by the citizens and administrators of Nagai City to grow healthy foods and sustain the health of the soil that provides for them. This is done by collecting organic waste (mainly leftovers and food scraps)from over 5000 households and turning it into fertilizer. The fertilizer then goes back into the farmers' soil sustaining its nutrients. Microorganisms play a huge role in making this all happen.
"Agricultural chemicals are for the most part all sterilizers and insecticides," explained Mr. Kanno. "What does this do to our microorganisms?" he asked. "It kills them," answered one student. "If there are no microorganisms in the soil, what happens to plants?" "They get week." What happens if we eat these plants?" "We get week."
Mr. Kanno tied up explanation telling the students, "Our life comes from the soil, and good soil relies on a good supply of healthy microorganisms."
"This is why we started the Rainbow Plan."
Smiling, Mr. Kanno explains to the children of Toyoda the important of healthy soil.. The children of Toyoda kept their eyes on and ears peeled to Mr. Kanno and his every word. At the end of class they commented: "I learned a lot about the rainbow plan," "I was surprised by the number of microorganisms in 1 g of soil," "I understood how important healthy vegetables are," "I hope that you continue the Rainbow Plan."
The Rainbow Plan represents one type of wisdom which is fundamental to all life, protecting and rebuilding the soil. The students here in Toyoda seem to have realized the importance of the soil and of their Rainbow Plan. They have this to be proud of.
What do you all think?
Greg
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