Rediscovering Japan’s circular Astragalus rice farming

Technology and mass production help provide food for people in Japan and all over the world. However, it also comes with drawbacks for the environment. Current methods of food production contribute to global warming in various ways. Raising cattle and other animals for meat produces large amounts of greenhouse gases. While reducing meat intake is one way to reduce your carbon footprint, other forms of food production are not without their problems.

Chemical fertilizers and pesticides run off into soils and local waterways. The way crops are produced also causes soil degradation and erosion.

The climate crisis has brought with it increased concerns about stopping global warming and other environmental issues. These concerns have led to new and innovative agricultural methods. Some examples include hydroponics, growing crops with mineralized water instead of soil, as well as urban agriculture, the growing of food in or closer to urban areas.

However, we can also look to the past to find ideas that may help us in the modern era. In the case of Japan, one older sustainable farming method is renge farming. Renge is the Japanese word for astragalus or milkvetch, a common herb. This farming method is commonly used with rice.

What is renge farming?

Renge farming takes astragalus flowers, removes the honey from them, and uses them as a natural fertilizer. Because of the astragalus flower’s ability to absorb and store nitrogen from the air, using them as fertilizer helps naturally replenish the nitrogen needed for rice cultivation.

Using astragalus flowers in this way was common in Japan until around the 1950s. However, the post-war period saw increased needs for mass food production, and with it, the use of chemical fertilizers to meet those needs. With greater awareness of the impending damage from climate change and other environmental problems, some farmers in Japan have turned to using astragalus as fertilizer again.

Benefits of renge farming

Astragalus farming has several benefits. It reduces the volume of chemical fertilizers and pesticides needed for rice production. Studies have also shown it increases productivity and decreases the labor time needed for cultivation, and it is healthier for the land.

In terms of taste, rice produced with astragalus fertilizer is fluffy and sticky with a lustrous look. Those curious about renge farming products can find it through various sustainable food services online such as Tabechoku and Pocket Marche.

Dealing with climate change while at the same time feeding the earth’s growing population is an enormously difficult task. Balancing mass production with the need for sustainability requires real thought and ingenuity. Much of these efforts will be focused on innovative techniques that produce crops in a more environmentally friendly way. Older methods such as astragalus rice farming can also give us ways to consider as we try to sustain both ourselves and the earth.