Return of the Forest When Veny and Kengo’s time at ARI came to an end in 2012, they had no plans to make a food forest in the tropics of North Sumatra, Indonesia—Veny’s hometown. Both of them are ARI graduates
Two Bags of Food
A big bag brimming with fresh vegetables. Another bag filled with flour, grains, salt, sugar, and spices. It’s a hefty amount, good for a week or two. Every month 35 families gather at the SEEDS India compound, not just to receive this food donation, but to greet each other and talk over tea and snacks. With all those kids laughing and playing, the atmosphere is super bustling.
SEEDS India is a local NGO started by ARI Graduate, Thomas Mathew. They have numerous programs to help folks who find themselves in difficult situations. The best thing about SEEDS, though, is not just their assistance, but the way they uplift people. Thomas Mathew treats everyone with the utmost respect, saying to them without words you may be poor, or sick, or deaf, but you are important and you are needed.
The second Saturday of each month is a national holiday, so a good time to get together. But who are these families? Where to they come from? They are the families of the children being sponsored for their education. There are 35 of them in total. Always 35. When a child reaches 18, they graduate and another is invited into the group. This program has been running for 25 years.
SEEDS doesn’t just pay the kids’ school fees and be done with it. They form a long-term relationship with the whole family, providing books, uniforms, even desks for the girls and boys to study on at home. If there is a need, they will assist with housing and toilets. And when problems arise, like illness or an accident, SEEDS helps them through. Even after graduation, SEEDS continues to check in and make sure they are doing okay. It’s not detached help, but fully involved, long-term loving care.
Thomas Mathew knows every family, and every person in that family. He can tell you names and how each member is doing. One man, for example, has a disabled son, whom he brings to this meeting whenever he can. Another is a woman who grew up in the SEEDS orphanage. She is married with three kids, but is struggling now because her husband left. Thomas Mathew is much respected for all he does for them, but he does not want any praise. The best way to show their thanks, he tells them, is to go and do the same for others. “Be better than me!”
Most of these families rise up to a “good standing” as Thomas Mathew puts it. They become self-supporting and independent. They are all from the lowest levels of society, Dalits, or untouchables, who face tremendous discrimination, but in this setting, there is no way you would know this. All are treated with dignity and acceptance.
At the conclusion of today’s gathering, each family collected their bags, one by one. Often the hands of two people were required to carry them. Though the sacks were heavy, the weight of worry about what to eat the next several days had been lifted. Everyone continued to chat and laugh all the way out to the street, where some of them went home on foot, and some shared a minicab. Later, Thomas Mathew personally delivered one of the food bundles to a blind lady who was not able to come.
Looking at this scene, as it unfolded in the twilight, it is not hard to find the peace that comes through food.
Steven Cutting
Graduate Outreach
Asian Rural Institute
Click here to read the series of articles
“Peace from Food” from the tables of ARI’s graduates Vol. 1
“Peace from Food” from the tables of ARI’s graduates Vol. 2 ← Now, you’re here.
This week, ARI welcomed Mr. Yoji Kamata as a guest lecturer to lead a session on localization and the value of community. In the class, ARI participants reflected on the positive aspects of traditional cultures and the challenges that often accompany modern development, including environmental damage, weakened local economies, and the erosion of family and cultural ties.
The session also highlighted the downsides of economic globalization, such as increasing insecurity, climate impact, and the waste of natural resources. Using the metaphor of a “leaking bucket,” Mr. Kamata explained how local economies lose strength when communities rely heavily on external goods and services. Items like fuel, machinery, and even imported education create “leaks” that drain economic resources from local communities.
The class encouraged participants to think about how to “close the leaks” by supporting local solutions, traditions, and self-reliance. By doing so, communities can build greater resilience and a more sustainable future.
Peace from food. This is the theme of our summer fundraising campaign for ARI, and I was asked to share with you some things we can learn about it from ARI’s graduates.
By the way, I am Steven Cutting, the coordinator for Graduate Outreach, which means I frequently communicate with our graduates. I talk to them almost every day, as a matter of fact. So, I am probably the best person to assign this task.
But…Peace from food. Peace from food. What does this truly mean? No peace from no food is easier to imagine. Have you ever heard the saying, a hungry man is an angry man? In English there is even a new word to describe when someone becomes irritable because they are hungry. It’s hangry. hungry + angry = hangry
One of our graduates from Malawi once told me that when he was a kid, there were times when they didn’t have food in the house, so his mother would give him a glass of water and send him to bed. Hopefully, there would be something in the morning. I wonder how well he could sleep.
Another graduate, this one from Uganda, said he and his classmates used to go to school together and then sneak out in the middle of the lessons to look for food. They would not have had any breakfast. I don’t know where they went to find food, but certainly the urge to fill their empty bellies was of far greater concern to them than learning math and history.
Another graduate from Sri Lanka told this story from his childhood. He was one of ten children and his father was a day laborer. If his father had work that day, he could eat. If not, he, along with the rest of the family, went to bed hungry.
Without food, what peace can there be? So oppositely, does that mean food brings peace? It must be so. Perhaps this is why Takami sensei so frequently spoke of food in his teachings. “We know by experience that unless we become self-supporting, in staple foodstuffs at least, it is practically impossible for us to gain selfhood or independence,” he wrote. And “let us participate in creating the world in which life and food, which sustains life, have central value,” is basis of ARI’s Foodlife. This emphasis on food may stem from his own experience with hunger. After the war he used to climb two mountains to reach the sea so he could dive for clams. He nearly drowned teaching himself how to swim, but the clams could be sold for rice or salt – food for himself and his family. Never would he have done this, if not for the urgency of hunger.
Peace of nations. Peace of the family. Peace of mind. The simple comfort of a full tummy! Foodlife is not only about farming, but about growing and cooking food as a community. Every meal is a celebration of our labor, our harvest, taken together. What an image of peace this brings.
So, getting back to the first question. What can we learn from ARI’s graduates about Peace from Food? Well, it is only a matter of asking them. And since I have their email addresses and WhatsApp numbers, I will do just that, and share with you over the next weeks all that I find out.
Steven Cutting
Graduate Outreach
Asian Rural Institute
Click here to read the series of articles
“Peace from Food” from the tables of ARI’s graduates Vol. 1 ← Now, you’re here.
A community event to experience Japanese culture was held at ARI!
Participants dressed in yukata and enjoyed various stations featuring traditional Japanese activities such as origami, tea ceremony, ayatori, and sushi rolling. There was also a live shamisen performance, and the event ended on a warm note with everyone dancing the bon odori together.
It was truly impressive to see participants from diverse backgrounds earnestly learning about Japanese culture while deepening their connections. Through opportunities like this, understanding and respect for different cultures are fostered, making it a valuable experience for all participants.
We captured the start of the Morning Foodlife Work. Everyone gathers the tools they need from the farm shop and head out to take care of the fields and livestock.
Moving your body while soaking up plenty of morning sunlight feels really refreshing. Please be sure to take care and watch out for heatstroke.
It’s that time of year again! ARI’s biggest annual event, Harvest Thanksgiving Celebration (HTC), is coming soon.
We recently held our first planning meeting, and participants shared many exciting and creative ideas. This year’s HTC is shaping up to be another joyful and lively two-day celebration.
Save the date: October 18 (Saturday) & 19 (Sunday).
Everyone is welcome come join the fun and celebrate the harvest with us!
At ARI, a PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) class was held, where participants were divided into groups based on their home regions to discuss challenges faced in their communities. PRA is a method often used in development work, where local people identify problems and think about solutions using their own knowledge and experiences.
In the class, participants also worked on organizing the “causes” and “effects” of the issues they discussed. One common topic raised by many groups was waste management. Participants shared how inadequate waste disposal has led to river and soil pollution and even caused health problems in their communities.
By exchanging their experiences, participants discovered both similarities and differences between their regions. The class became a valuable opportunity for them to learn from one another and think together about what actions could be taken for positive change.
On June 22, two participants, two training assistants, and one staff member visited UCCJ Nakameguro Church in Tokyo for “ARI Sunday”.
At the service, Beri, a participant and pastor from Indonesia, shared her sermon based on her experiences in her country.
After the service, we enjoyed a gorgeous lunch prepared by church members. There, each participant was asked to share about their country and their work.
The families who served as the two participants’ host families during the recent Tokyo Homestay Program also joined us for a happy reunion.
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Nakameguro Church for being our longtime supporter and for their warm welcome!
In July, we will have ARI Sundays at various churches in Tochigi and Gunma! For details, please see the following page:
ARI Sundays in July
Photo by Nakameguro Church
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