Sunshine Farm is approx. 2 hectares located on Kyushu Island in the southern part of Japan, where the climate is calm with four clear seasons.

We found the land (rather, I should say, `bush') after it had been left for years, having been used for greenhouses for growing strawberries for about 20 years. We started to make a dome for a workshop, sleeping rooms and meeting corners by recycling the iron framed greenhouses.

While producing vegetables (we didn't get much success though), we found the land was sterile and the soil was damaged due to long years of using chemicals to grow strawberries in the greenhouses. But we also found it was suitable land/soil for Japanese rice as it contains much clay to keep the water.

We put in big quantities of grasses mixed with soil, natural fertilisers, which was not much help though, and the land soon returned to a huge field full of weeds.

Mustumi, in the Sunshine Farm garden

During our struggles, we found a very interesting thing was happening at the farm. At weekends, young people and couples with children were coming out from the cities, chattering, doing some work with farming equipment, going for a walk to the beach (which is within 10 minutes walk from Sunshine Farm), making some crafts using twigs, stones, clay, etc., which made them rather excited.

In Japan it's often said there is not enough open space for people and children and people tend to just stay at home watching TV and playing computer games, etc. And we realised that Sunshine Farm has another important role. It is not only just for vegetable gardens, but for the people to relax and to study how to live and enjoy nature. And after a year, we found a small cottage at the corner of the farm built by those people. Almost all materials used were such as fallen tree/bamboo (after the typhoon), broken doors/windows from ruined houses, sofas, kitchen units, etc., which were almost all thrown away materials. We were trying very hard to recycle and not to waste the materials as much as we could.

Mustumi and Tom, at the Sunshine Farm cabin.

It led us to learn more about 'sustainable living skills', followed by permaculture. Sustainable living skills are now also recognized in Japan as some of the most indispensable factors for the education for youth. We built another cottage made with recycled materials. However we have no professional carpenters. Sometimes we have guests from overseas and exchange ideas about nature, way of life, cultures, etc.

Japan has a long history of traditional cultures living in harmony with nature. However, we have been losing this way of life very fast and even changing to the throwaway culture. Fortunately in the Sunshine Farm area, there are a quite a few aged who have had long years of experience as farmers, and they teach us lots of things about nurseries, water drains, soils, multiple use of wastes, seasonal treatments for fields, etc., which remind us of keys for permaculture concept.

By studying more about permaculture and Japanese people's skills of olden days, we've started to make a design on Sunshine Farm with co-operative ways with people and nature and keeping it as an educational field for people to start thinking about their lives. We also hope someone could help us with permaculture designs.

Mutsumi Matsumoto,
c/o ABC Study Abroad Centre, 1F Shimizuya Bld.,
7-18 SHINMACHI, OITA 870-0028, Japan.
E-mail: mutsumi@oitaweb.ne.jp