Holistic remedies for mother earth

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