Ayumi Farms, Cyittorattu

About

Introduction In 2019 Ayumi Kinezuka, a founding member of the 40 year old NaturaliTea cooperative, established Cyittorattu in Fujieda, Shizuoka. " Cyittorattu" is a phrase in the Shizuoka prefecture dialect from the Fujieda region which means little by little (just like, poco a poco in Spanish or petite à petite in French). For simplicity, we will refer to Cyittorattu Farms as Ayumi Farms as the word looks quite complex using the English alphabet. Cyittorattu is a small scale farm community located in a mountainous area where the fields are too small and sloped for machines to operate. In the mountains where they are located, there is a diverse range of living organisms that co-exist together. Natural river water flows directly into their rice fields and every summer, fireflies can be seen rising from the rice irrigation channels. This abundant biodiversity is what protects Cyittorattu, not pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Interview Part 1 Interview Part 2 Farming and Living the Cyittorattu Approach Ayumi-san’s philosophy is that the landscapes and traditions of their little mountain farm village grew from many small steps ( cyittorattu). She continues on with the cyittorattu approach to farming and living. Indeed, many valuable things are not meant to be mass produced and consumed. This philosophy is directly related to their farming system that emphasizes artisanal, natural farming methods that are chemical and pesticide free. Which in turn affects their tea and how their tea cultivation impacts the surrounding environment and its people, plants and animals. The community believes: Diversity of the region is enhanced by cultivating seasonally appropriate crops. The environment is protected when using on-farm or locally sourced products. By promoting this kind of cyittorattu approach, people and their relationships will also change, one step at a time. Eventually, there is potential for transformative societal change. Plants absorb nutrients from the soil, but s