The “Daichi wo Mamoru Kai”, a Japanese social enterprise focused on organic agriculture, was born in the 1970s, a time when tertiary and quaternary industries were overheated and overinvested, and agriculture largely overlooked. Big consortiums and companies hijacked Japan’s economic growth. The ensuing bust of Japan’s economic bubble and 2008 global financial crisis brought new opportunities back to the primary industry. The agriculture industry Daichi is dedicated to, and other life-enhancing industries are becoming the callings of the new era, as more people try to fulfill their obligations as citizens of earth by combing business undertakings with tackling social issues.

To show its commitment, Daichi wo Mamoru Kai added the following “preface” to its Articles of Association in the 2009 Annual General Meeting:

Daichi wo Mamoru Kai is a social enterprise, whose vision is to “build a human society in harmony with nature and respects all living creatures.” As a limited liability social enterprise, we carry out our business to achieve following goals:
(1) Protect and cultivate Japan’s primary industry;
(2) Safeguard people’s lives and health;
(3) Build a sustainable society.

Despite making clear its social nature in the company’s fundamental rules and policies, in its daily operations, Daichi also values the “visible ties” that connect producers, consumers, employees and all other stakeholders together. Through transparent, open product introduction and communication activities, consumers get to know each and every farmer and worker working behind the produce on their dining table. In farming, Daichi adhere to four principles:
(1) Use as few pesticides and chemical fertilizers as possible;
(2) In principle, no use of herbicides;
(3) Never disinfect the soil;
(4) Never use vulgar language to others.

In the past four decades, Daichi has been dedicated to restore the amity between people as well as trust between farmers and consumers, in the hope to solve food, environment and social issues. Kazuyoshi Fujita, the founder of Daichi wo Mamoru Kai, wrote a book called Changing the World with Organic Agriculture—A Revolution Started from One Daikon Radish to tell the story of growing together with the company.

Mr. Fujita is a farmer’s son, and one of the organic farming pioneers in Japan. His book, Revolution Started from One Daikon Radish, starts from him driving a van to sell organic vegetables in communities—“consumers should be able to buy a pesticide-free Daikon radish in the market”, to advocating the concept of organic agriculture—“organic products are also spiritual food, not simply commercial goods, but a collection of cultures”, followed by building the Daichi wo Mamoru Kai and world’s food, environment, energy and education issues, as well as how they collaborate with farmers all over the world to make a difference.

In 2013, Beijing Fuping Development Institute introduced the Chinese version of A Revolution Started from One Daikon Radish, which marks the start of its collaboration with Daichi wo Mamoru Kai to advocate the concept of organic farming in China. The two parties share a common wish: to promote organic farming in China and Asia, as an effort to address food, agriculture and environmental issues.

“I hope that by working together with Beijing Fuping Development Institute, we can build a model for Chinese farmers to be economically self-sustained. I long to build a ‘family-run farm model’ that involves the whole household, and let this model take root in rural China. Farmers cannot achieve this dream alone. They must team up with consumers and form common interest. By building the trust and rapport between producers and farmers and a new logistics system, we can encourage farmers to carefully grow true organic food that trusted by consumers, and rejuvenate rural China and China’s agriculture.”

-- Kazuyoshi Fujita, A Revolution Started from One Daikon Radish