Holistic remedies for mother earth

An Earth-saving Revolution: A Means to Resolve Our World's Problems through Effective Microorganisms; By Teruo Higa; Translated into English by Anja Kanal; Sunmark Publishing Inc. 1996; 336 pages.

JAKARTA (JP): "At this moment in time, the earth is sick, very sick," writes Teruo Higa.

The planet is suffering from environmental degradation and this fact has been depicted by authors, philosophers and scientists for decades. Many agree that humanity's decadence and exploitation of the environment are the causes behind the earth's deterioration. While some offer solutions, others simply say the world is heading for purgatory.

With a more realistic and optimistic point of view, Japanese agriculturist Higa gives new hope to those who long for an end to the world's race down the path toward self-destruction in his book An Earth-saving Revolution: A Means to Resolve Our World's Problems Through Effective Microorganisms.

He offers solutions to the world's problems through the use of minuscule creatures, dubbed "effective microorganisms" (EMs), which have proven effective in terms of improving the condition of humankind's most essential needs.

EMs are being utilized in a liquid concentrate produced in vats from cultivations of over 80 varieties of microorganisms. The microorganisms are drawn from 10 genera belonging to five different families, including both aerobic and anaerobic species.

It has long been assumed -- although never proven -- that aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms cannot coexist, as the two groups live in environments which are contrary to each other. Aerobic microorganisms require oxygen to survive, while anaerobic microorganisms cannot tolerate oxygen.

Higa's research, however, proved that the two species happily coexist as a culture, exchanging food sources. The aerobic species, which feed on organic matter, produce waste matter, the ideal food source for anaerobic microorganisms.

Although the microorganism's culture is characterized by an ongoing supremacy battle, most microorganisms are opportunistic in nature, meaning they conform to actions of the dominant strains in the group. This way, a mutual exchange occurs between the two groups at all times.

Since EMs feed on practically all kinds of waste matter, Higa argues that they are the ultimate means for solving the world's problem of food supply, and environmental and health treatment.

Visionary as it may sound, EMs have maximized the results of the three aspects. Originally used for soil treatment and to enhance agricultural produce, EMs have a wide range of uses, from domestic waste treatment, water purification and a better recycling programs to the medicine EM-X, which helps strengthen the body's immune system.

Its application in the agricultural sector has multiplied agriculture production in countries such as Brazil, currently the largest consumer of EMs, Thailand and some European countries. In addition, an EM-based product, Bokashi, has been used for waste treatment and water purification in Higa's hometown, Okinawa.

Dilemma

But how can such a significant and useful discovery cause such little impact? Successful results from the use of EMs have not led to the utilization of their abilities to provide solutions to global problems.

Higa refers to this as the dilemma of the competition-based society, meaning one instance of success will cause the loss of other. The great outcome of EM applications, especially for soil treatment and medicine, would threaten the giant industries' monopoly over their related sectors.

To fully develop the concept of EMs in many countries -- especially well-developed ones such as the United States and Japan -- would mean clashing with the interests of the private sector which has been controlling the game for so long, not to mention the hectic competition it could raise between entrepreneurs desiring to gain control over the royalties generated by EMs applications.

Worse still, competitive values have spread to important aspects of the society, including medical treatment and health care, which were originally aimed at helping people, causing them to become "redundant burdens on the society", which serve solely as money-making tools.

But Higa did not place all the blame on business and its profit orientation. For the most part, he blames the government for issuing regulations regarding farming and health products and failing to consider the long-term effects they cause. In his book, he criticized the government's strict protectionism, which only certain industries benefited from, but also blamed the government for hindering the application and development of what he calls "authentic technology" such as EMs: "The current situation vis-a-vis agriculture in Japan is similar to the case of the overprotected child, spoiled by parents whose selective perception allows them to see only their child's apparent weaknesses, and blinds them to his or her potential strengths."

The definition of "authentic technology" lies solely in its purpose of benefiting people. It is one that generates only positive results, free from any defects, drawbacks or negative effects, capable of auto-correction and auto-perfection, and relatively inexpensive. The development of authentic technology is the key to reforming a system which damages the earth's most important environmental assets in the long term, he argues.

In the book's final chapter, Higa lets the readers plunge into his pattern of thinking, his motives behind the long years of searching for the solution. It exposes sides of him which prove him to be more than what he was previously known as, a researcher and an agriculturist, terms he loathes for their pretentious connotations.

The writer in fact is just a devout farmer who, through long years of work, has gained knowledge and acknowledgement. His worries include not being able to control the further commercialization of EMs.

But setting aside the success of EMs, what Higa really points out is that nature often provides solutions for the earth's problems. EMs are only one of the alternatives nature can offer to solve problems created by humans and nature itself. Imagine how much the world can benefit if the government -- like mature open-minded parents who let their children grow to their maximum potential -- encourages more smart inventions like this.

Like traditional medicines, effective microorganisms can treat the world's illnesses with their natural holistic method. It is a revolutionary means which utilizes objects which have occupied the earth since its formation, by applying the old concept used in food fermentation.

Higa's desire is to see a poverty-free world that can fulfill the needs of its residents, but it was not a world illustrated in fairy tales or the communal values created in the sixties by the hippies. It is a world where competitive values do not fit in, where the ultimate goal is to save the earth's resources.

If you are a farmer, an environmentalist, a medical practitioner, or simply a concerned individual looking for something to believe, here is a book loaded with information and profound insights.

-- Devi M. Asmarani