Miyoshi town in Saitama Prefecture has been registered as a Japanese Agricultural Heritage Site for its farming system of cultivating sweet potatoes and vegetables using fallen leaves manure collected from the neighboring sawtooth oak tree (Quercus acutissima) and Jolcham oak (Quercus serrata). Despite being 50km from central Tokyo and within commuting distance of the metropolitan area, this sustainable farming system is maintained, and it is now aiming to be certified as a World Agricultural Heritage site. I participated in an event of experiencing sweeping fallen leaves. Fallen leaves collected in winter are slowly fermented in the farmer’s backyard over a … Continue reading Voluntary collection of fallen leaves for sustainable agriculture system.