Tomatoes and Eggs Abroad

Today was our first full day in Japan and we learned a lot and took in great sites. Both of the operations that we visited were located outside of town. this provided a great opportunity to see the countryside including: rice, vineyards, natural areas, and even monkeys. We started the day by visiting Agrimind. This is a company that grows hydroponic tomatoes in greenhouses. The growing greenhouses cover 19,314 square meters (69,965 square feet). This facility was the first project of this type in all of Asia when it began in 2014. 

For lunch we had the opportunity to experience our first Japanese restaurant. The helpings were plentiful and we did not leave hungry. Next, we visited Kurofuji Poultry company that gathers 600,000 eggs per day. Everything is produced organically and with sustainability in mind. They are engaged with innovative practices of feeding algae, fermenting and mixing their own feed, creative composting, and more. We enjoyed some of their store products while discussing their farm and company before exploring their operation. 

We rounded out the evening at a local ramen noodles restaurant. After a spectacular meal some did a little shopping and exploring. 

Rooftop Farming in Asia

 The largest rooftop farm in Asia is highlighted in the link below. This rooftop farm can produce over 20 tons of food annually. We encourage you to explore the piece linked and be sure to click on the cluster of images that will take you to a slide show with further information. We have provided discussion questions below to spark conversation with others around the globe.

Asia's Largest Organic Rooftop

Discussion Points

• What was most surprising and/or intriguing regarding the rooftop farm and why?
• Describe the different environmental benefits of this featured rooftop farm?
• Would a rooftop farm like this be accepted in your home country, state, or city? Why or why not?
• How could you take various concepts from this rooftop farm and utilize in different settings around your local community and/or around the world? Get creative!

Organic and Conventional Agriculture

The debate between organic and conventional agriculture is looked at very differently around the globe. Linked below is a recent article discussing this very topic with some input from several researchers in Europe. We encourage you to read the linked article and utilize the discussion points provided to guide your conversations with others around the globe (virtually of course)!

How we look at organic vs. conventional Ag

Discussion Points

• Explain what the Life Cycle Assessment is and how it is utilized?
• What is the argument of these researchers regarding the Life Cycle Assessment and how it is currently used?
• More than likely we all have biases that are shaped by our environment and upbringing. Could you make an argument that these researchers have a bias due to where they live and work? Do you have a bias on organic versus conventional agriculture? Explain your thoughts.
• While in Denmark many years ago I asked an organic farmer why she produced organic products. Her response, "Because of the premium price. I do not see why there is so much controversy between organic and conventional producers. We all need to produce quality, safe food in order to feed the world. There is room for all types of producers." 
• What is your response to this quote?
• Is this how people view organic versus conventional in your local community? Explain.

Organic Farming with Gene Editing?

This week we take a look at a piece that discusses the relationship between genetic engineering/CRISPR/mutation breeding and organic agriculture. This is often a controversial topic that can get heated. We encourage you to read through the linked article and utilize the discussion points provided to have civil conversations with others around the globe.

Organic farming with gene editing: An oxymoron or a tool for sustainable agriculture?

Discussion Points

• Explain the difference between genetic engineering, CRISPR, and mutation breeding.
• How are countries and groups looking at CRISPR differently around the globe?
• How does society in your home country look at genetic engineering, CRISPR, and mutation breeding? Do other countries view these practices differently or similarly?
• What do you see as the future of these practices/technologies and their relationships to conventional and organic farming around the globe? Do you see organic producers accepting practices like this in the future? Explain your reasoning.

Agriculture Diversification in Brazil

We had an awesome day of learning on Monday! We jumped right in with a visit to Embrapa. Embrapa is a governmental research agency that is all across Brazil. This specific location specializes in rice and edible beans, but is becoming more diversified in it’s research with cotton, maize, soybean, beef cattle, and dairy cattle. We started our day with an overview of Embrapa before moving to their gene bank, which stores around 47,000 different varieties of rice and beans. We enjoyed visiting their greenhouses where they were raising rice and beans for the bank as well as a visit to a cotton research area. As we finished our morning at Embrapa we traveled with them to their nearby feedlot to learn about beef cattle production. Nellore is the breed of cattle that are popular in Brazil as they are breed to tolerate the heat.

For lunch we made our way to the UFG campus where classes will be starting Tuesday. Following lunch we toured the agriculture campus and made a stop in to the coffee lab where we learned more about roasting coffee beans and sampled some fresh product. Any visit to UFG is not complete until you find the monkeys roaming central campus and today certainly did not disappoint.

Late afternoon we traveled to Fazenda Organica Novas Senhora Aparecida. This is an organic farm that produces a variety of crops including: corn, soybeans, peanuts, bananas, papayas, coffee, etc. The farmer is very innovative in his production techniques and puts an emphasis on education opening his farm to other producers and university students. Along with his crop production he also has a wildlife rehabilitation center that works with all animals except pumas and snakes. We were able to visit some of the blue macaws he was working with.

We rounded out the day with a great steak dinner and enjoying the weather poolside before preparing to head onto Caldas Novas tomorrow. There is no doubt there is major diversification of agriculture in Brazil and we will continue our exploration with a visit to a dairy and a corn/soybean farm on Tuesday!

Taking to the Fields in Brazil

Today was a spectacular day of learning. We were able to get out into fields and pastures to experience Brazilian agriculture. We started the day out at Embrapa, which is a national agriculture research institution in Brazil. In the past this location has only focused on rice and edible beans, but just recently they are becoming more diversified as they are serving as a regional hub. They are incorporating a wider variety of crops and even livestock into their research. We began with a brief welcome and introduction to the facility before making our way to the labs, greenhouses, fields, and then pastures. We were able to see many crops including rice, beans, soybeans, sorghum, corn, and cotton. We had the great opportunity to learn about integrated crop-livestock systems and the Nellore cattle that they are working with. Here are some interesting facts from our Embrapa visit:

• Environmental research is just as important as production research.
• They have a gene bank with over 44,000 species.
• They are the first public institution to breed transgenic beans.
• The integrated crop-livestock system is improving soil and the environment.

We enjoyed lunch at the agriculture campus at the Universidade Federal de Goias (UFG) where we will visit tomorrow and visited with many students before traveling to PUDICA an organic farm. One of the owners of PUDICA is, also, a professor at UFG. We spent several hours exploring his farm. Many enjoyed checking out the numerous parrots as he works with a group to reincorporate parrots back to their natural habitats after injuries. We were able to see many different crops in production. One of his fields had banana's, papayas, peppers, and coffee all growing together. He did have crops we are more familiar with such as corn and soybeans, but he looks to produce specialized varieties for niche markets. They take the philosophy of health first followed by the environment, social aspects, and economics in that order.

After a long day in the sun and heat we enjoyed a steak dinner in an open air restaurant. We look forward to another great day on Tuesday.

Cacao: Agroforestry versus Monoculture

A recent study conducted in Bolivia explored the production and economics of cacao. While they took yield into consideration they also looked at profitability and nutrition health of the farmers and their families. We encourage you to read the linked article and utilize the discussion points below to guide conversations in your classrooms, coffee shops, and communities around the world!

Cacao Agroforestry Systems Increase Farmers' Income

Discussion Points

• Explain the two production practices of agroforestry and monoculture systems.
• Briefly discuss cacao production trends over the past couple years and where it is grown around the world.
• This study found that even though cacao yields decreased in agroforestry systems when compared to monoculture systems overall agroforestry systems achieved higher profits and better nutrition for the farmers and their families. How can this be explained?
• This study looked at conventional versus organic cacao production as well. Discuss the findings in this area.
• What is your major takeaway from this study and why?