About The ARI Training Programme

Our nine months training program starts in April of each year which is the beginning of the agricultural cycle in Japan, and ends in December. Each year the curriculum is adjusted according to our experience and to the evaluation of previous participants in order to meet as much as possible the needs of all participants within our resources.

The focus of our training program is laid on the various aspects of rural leadership, especially on teaching practical leadership skills. Participants learn how to observe situations, analyse problems, find solutions and evaluate the process. We believe that the most effective way of learning is "learning by doing" which we practice in almost all areas of the training program. Both, on campus (2/3) and off campus (1/3) participants gain knowledge and experience in many areas, such as:

  • Organic farming of crops and vegetables
  • Animal husbandry
  • Nutrition
  • Appropriate technology
  • Fish culture
  • Food processing
  • Cooperatives and credit unions
  • Integrated farming
  • Rural leadership
  • Adult Education
  • Community organizing
  • Spiritual reflection

All this we teach by emphasizing the importance of the food life circle, which is at the heart of the training program as it is important to sustain a community. Participants can learn and practice their skills in a small sample community (=ARI) and can then easily transfer what they have learned to their own home communities.

During their training, participants join two of three project groups - crops and vegetable, large animal livestock (cattle, swine) and small animal livestock (poultry and aquaculture) - each for half of their stay here, according to their interest and the needs of their community. This has two effects, one is the learning of agricultural skills (also by experimenting) and the other is the production of 80% of the food that the community consumes each day.

During summer participants have the chance to work with different other Japanese farmers in order to learn about different techniques and to get more experience. All participants will visit local institutions, co-op farmers and farmers organizations and report and evaluate back to their colleagues.

Throughout the year participants have the chance to visit farmers, organizations, schools, etc. In fall one major study tour through western Japan takes place.

On campus participants learn leadership skills by leading the daily morning gathering, where they share with he whole community about what is important to them (their community, their family, their spiritual experiences, etc.), by leading community events and by presenting the results of what they have done/learned.

 
Each person who wants to apply must have a "sending body, an organisation or church body the applicant works with for rural development. Only a sending body can recommend a person for the ARI training program and request an application form. Application forms will not be send to individuals. ARI will accept only applications on original application forms, photocopies will not be considered in the application process. The person recommended by the sending body must have a definite sense of the purpose, concrete experience and a clear awareness of the needs of his/her people.
Japanese