ARI community came together to participate in the rice transplanting activity. At ARI, we believe that community means working together, sharing responsibilities, learning from one another, and supporting each other with respect and care.During the rice transplanting process, people from
April 9th was the day we’d all been waiting for—Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) day!
After finishing our morning class and work, we hopped on a bus to a nearby park. We enjoyed a delicious lunch made with love, followed by relaxing walks under the cherry trees and energetic games like soccer and volleyball.
To wrap up the afternoon was all about bonding! We had a blast with group activities: a puzzle race to piece together the ARI Mission Statement, a high-speed name-guessing game, and “value-sharing” sessions where we explored each other’s perspectives.
It was a wonderful day to deepen our friendships and get to know one another even better!
On the pleasant day of Saturday, April 11th, our 54th opening ceremony was successfully held for 22 incoming participants and 2 training assistants (TA). After the participants and TAs delivered their self-introductions in their newly acquired Japanese, we were privileged to hear inspiring congratulatory addresses from the city mayor of Nasushiobara, Mr. Michitaro Watanabe, Ms. Nobuko Mochizuki from Zenkoku Tomo-no-Kai, and ARI Chairman of the Board, Toshimasa Yamamoto.
We extend our deepest thanks to all scholarship foundations, supporters, and members of the ARI family around the world for your prayers and well-wishes.
We look forward to your continued partnership and support in the coming year!
What kind of images come to mind when you hear this theme? While everyone’s personal experience with climate change may vary, this spring, we hope to reflect together on global issues and consider what we can do in our daily lives.
Throughout this month, we will be featuring stories of our graduates and ARI’s own initiatives to tackle environmental challenges.
Our second story features Catherine Mtambo (2012 ARI Graduate).
Catherine from Malawi, aims to “move people from dependence to independence.” she works with 102 rural area groups of about 25 members each and regularly visits families in their homes to teach them about sanitation, business, and integrated household farming. One of their creative initiatives is planting trees.
Wandering around the village, we soon found the tree nursery, where they are growing Acacia, Mtete, Ndia, Atanga, and Guava – all local trees. This activity started in 2020, and everyone is happy about how much trees have improved their lives. “Here, every house has a tree” and every household plants five trees a year. They provide shade and serve as windbreaks. Some have fruits or medicinal properties. Branches can be trimmed for firewood, fencing, or roof thatch. Seeds can be sold and leaves become compost! There is nothing bad about planting trees and the only thing that limits their numbers is they don’t have enough tree tubes for the seedlings! “The relationship between people and trees is very important. That’s why we plant.”
Everyone has a backyard garden complete with banana trees, and people readily share the suckers (needed to plant more bananas). Why do they do this? “Because nature was meant to be shared,” they shouted.
(Excerpt from “Rural Leaders: Malawi, Day 15 by Steven Cutting)
☆ Easter & Spring Fundraising Campaign
Join us to support leaders who work to heal wounded land!
https://ari.ac.jp/en/donate/a-time-to-heal-spring-2026
【Series of the articles】
Living Kindly on Wounded Land: Our Initiatives ① Roy David (India)
To help you feel closer to and more deeply connected with what’s happening at ARI, we have begun a complete renewal of our website. Today, we are thrilled to launch the renewed Japanese version! We will be adding various new pages to the site as we go, so please stay tuned. The English version will also be updated gradually to the new design.
The smell of the soil, the warmth of sharing a meal around the table, and the passionate energy of leaders gathered from all over the world.
Our fresh new design aims to vividly deliver these rich, sensory experiences right to your screen.
What’s New:
Much more mobile-friendly for smartphone users
Easier to read the inspiring stories of ARI and our graduates
Smoother access to volunteering and donation pages
We hope that the spirit of “Foodlife”—which we hold so dear—reaches you even through the screen.
Please check out the new Asian Rural Institute website from the link, and keep an eye out for the upcoming English site!
Renewed Japanese site: https://ari.ac.jp?ari=news
English site: https://ari.ac.jp/en?ari=news
We celebrated our Easter sunrise service under the beautiful cherry blossoms in full bloom at ARI.
「But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.」
(Isaiah 53:5)
What kind of images come to mind when you hear this theme? While everyone’s personal experience with climate change may vary, this spring, we hope to reflect together on global issues and consider what we can do in our daily lives.
Throughout this month, we will be featuring stories of our graduates and ARI’s own initiatives to tackle environmental challenges.
Our first story features Roy David (2003 ARI Graduate).
For many years, he has been working in Karnataka, South India, supporting the land rights of the indigenous “Adivasi” people.
They live harmoniously with their native forests and have done so for a thousand years, taking only what they need and always leaving something behind. When they harvest honey, they do not touch several hives, so the bees still have homes. When they dig roots, they ensure several remain in the soil so they may continue to grow. This is in contrast to the unkind relationship of modern thinking that would cut a whole forest at once for a quick profit. Indeed, the Adivasi have something important to teach about how to live kindly with the land.
Roy says with deep respect, “The Adivasis are the most exploited and pushed to the corner. They are the last people. Actually, they are the world’s first people, but here they are pushed to become the last people. I want to do something for the last people, though it is very challenging.”
(Excerpt from “Rural Leaders: Southern India, Day 12” and Ajia no Tsuchi No. 202 by Steven Cutting)
☆ Easter & Spring Fundraising Campaign
Join us to support leaders who work to heal wounded land!
https://ari.ac.jp/en/donate/a-time-to-heal-spring-2026
The new academic year has begun, and we’ve welcomed new participants. It’s my second year as director―a role I never expected to take on. Having worked on a farm for many years, I aspire to live like a farmer myself. Touching the soil brings me a sense of calm. In my favorite poem, “Rain” by Jukichi Yagi, there is a line that reads, “I hear the sound of rain―it must have been raining.” Here at ARI, too, there are various “sounds of life”. I wonder what “sounds of life” we will hear this year.
(This new column, “Sounds of Life” will be published irregularly.)
（この新しいミニコラム「いのちの音 by 百姓校長」は不定期でお届けします）
Having opened in January 2012, the Becquerel Center ceased operations as of March 31, 2026. Although we originally aimed for a ten-year run, we successfully operated for 14 years and processed around 8,000 samples. Our sincerest thanks go out to our supporters and volunteer staff. We are honored to have served the community for this long.
Watch all our online events again!
Join the ARI life with family and friends!
We're looking for on-campus volunteers
This is where the community gathers to share meals and fellowship together. More than just a dining hall, it also serves as a venue for events, meetings, and learning activities. Koinonia is a Greek word meaning “fellowship” or “sharing.”
At peak times, meals are prepared for as many as 100 people at once. Students, staff, and volunteers all take part in cooking and meal preparation. The kitchen is not only a place for preparing food but also a space for learning, serving others, and building relationships within the community.
Participants attend classes in these classrooms throughout the training program. The library contains a wide range of English and Japanese books, audiovisual materials, and magazines covering agriculture, social issues, community development, and many other fields of study.
Participants and volunteers live in separate dormitories for men and women. The dormitory includes shared lounges, kitchens, showers, and laundry facilities. Wi-Fi is not available.
The poultry facilities include free-range chicken coops and a brooding house. More than 400 chickens are raised, producing over 80,000 eggs and approximately one ton of chicken meat each year.
Participants learn a variety of pig farming techniques through hands-on practice. Both deep-litter and concrete-floor systems are used, and manure is recycled into biogas and fertilizer.
Goat milk (over 200 liters annually) and meat are used for food, while manure is used as fertilizer. During the day, the goats roam freely in the pasture.
The forests surrounding the campus are managed through selective thinning for firewood and charcoal production. Leaves and other organic materials are collected for use in agriculture.
On 2.5 hectares of farmland, approximately 100 varieties of vegetables and crops are grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. The entire community helps manage the fields as part of its commitment to learning and self-sufficiency.
Rice is cultivated in paddies both on and off campus. Various organic rice-growing methods are studied and practiced, including weed control and fertilization using ducks.
The workshop is a space for repair and recycling activities. It contains machinery, welding equipment, woodworking tools, and a variety of materials.
Livestock feed is produced here using both manual and mechanical methods. Continuous efforts are made to improve feed quality and sustainability.
The first floor houses the reception area and administrative offices, while the second floor contains staff offices and the Director’s office. The Farm Shop (Agricultural Training Room) is located adjacent to the building.
The shop offers ARI-grown produce, processed foods, books, and handicrafts from the home countries of ARI graduates.
The facility serves as the hub of agricultural activities at ARI. It includes classrooms, storage for tools and farming materials, and facilities for drying and storing crops.
Originally a 100-year-old traditional farmhouse, the chapel has been renovated into a place of worship. Daily morning gatherings are held here, along with meditation, dialogue sessions, gospel choir practice, and other community activities. Oikos is a Greek word meaning “home.”
This facility is used for producing and storing processed foods such as cookies and jam. The ground floor also contains a poultry processing facility.
Fish are raised for both food and agricultural purposes.
