Annual
Report2011-2012

Disaster Timeline
3.11

Earthquake - Campus shaken
severely no injuries; heavy damage tobuildings; no power; no water
Everyone gathers for ‘non-electric’community supper

2011
4.1

Koinonia dining hall & main building
declared structurally unsound

7.1

Two hectares of soy beans sown as partof “Green Oil Project” to decontaminate
the soil & produce ‘clean’ soy bean oil

4.5

The Theological Seminary for Rural
Mission accepts ARI’s proposal toconduct first half of training on theircampus7.20

Milk cow sold due to lack of local ‘clean’grass & corn

7.28

Training program moved back to ARI
campus in Tochigi

8.10

ARI sets own food safety standard at 37
Becquerels/kg

9.4

Participants visit tsunami devastatedcity - Kesennuma

9.27

Rice harvest day - record yield of 9 tons

10.9
-10

Harvest Thanksgiving Celebration heldat Nasu Seminar House

11.10

Machine to measure radiation content(Gamma Spectrometer LB2045) is
donated by the NCCJ; ARI begins
detailed analyses of soil, water, produce,
and feed; most food below ARI radiation
limit for consumption and soil isrecoverable

11.19

39th Commencement Service held
address by Rev. Dr. Thomas Kemper,
General Secretary of the General Board
for Global Ministries of the UMC

11.22

Decision reached to hold 2012 Training
Program in full on the ARI campus

12.2

New administration offices completed
in west end of Farm Shop

1.10

ARI opens ‘Becquerel Center’ for local
people to bring products to test forradiation

1.12

ARI delivers 1.2 tons of rice to Tohoku
as a donation

1.20

Main building demolished3.29

First 2012 participants arrive

3.30

New Koinonia & Classroom building
permit issued

4.2

New Koinonia & Classroom construction
started3.12

Clean up and repair of broken glass,burst water pipes, smashed dishes andthe shambles of the offices and library

4.11 7.1 Aftershock further destabilizes Main
Building & Pigpens; pigs transferred totemporary greenhouse pen

3.13

Radiation precautions - masks andraincoats required for outdoor work;
livestock feeding once a day
First financial donations received

4.20 “ARI campus” moved to the TheologicalSeminary for Rural Mission

3.14

Temporary office set up at Nasu
Seminar House; start of morning
meetings to share info on NPP
conditions, radiation levels, winddirection, and to make daily plan

3.17

Training postponed tentatively by one
month
ARI delivers food supplies to 80
evacuees in Nasushiobara City

4.21 First radiation test results show ARI soil
and spinach contain radioactive Cesium
and Iodine; it becomes clear that ARI
cannot continue its regular farming
activities; severe limits placed on
self-sufficiency
4.25 First volunteer group comes to assist - a
Christian relief organization called
CRASH Japan
4.28 First 2011 participant arrives – Mai Mai
from the Philippines

3.20

Visit to Fukushima by ARI staff tocheck on farmer friends and bringfresh produce

5.1

Farm staff begin wearing radiation
badges to collect data on cumulative
exposure

3.27

Proposal for 2011 Training Program
made at staff meeting to conduct first
3 months at the Theological Seminary
for Rural Mission in Machida City (nearTokyo)

5.5

First orientation for participants onearthquake safety & NPP conditionsFirst radiation check on ARI soil byretired professor of chemistry andformer ARI director, Dr. Koa Tasaka,with a borrowed Geiger counter

5.14 39th Opening Ceremony held in new
Farm Shop

3.29

5.12 Farm Shop construction completed

5.19 ARI joins local citizen’s movement,, formed to address
issues of radioactive contaminationin the area
5.26

March 2011

Community rice transplanting on ARI
campusApril-May 2011

June 2011-April 2012

3.11

Magnitude 9.0 earthquake strikes
off the coast of Northeastern Japan
triggering a massive tsunami – 16,447
dead / 4,787 missing

4.11

Magnitude 7.1 aftershock
aftershocks continued for months after
the quake

7.19

Cooling systems re-established at NPP

3.12

Hydrogen explosions in Reactor #1of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear
Power Plant; evacuation order issued
for residents living within 20 km;
gasoline rationing begins

4.12

Rating of NPP accident raised from level
5 to level 7 (same as Chernobyl)

9.2

New Prime Minister voted in
Mr. Yoshihiko Noda

3.14

Hydrogen explosions in reactor #3of the nuclear power plant; Tokyo
Electric Power Company commences
planned power outages

5.13 Tochigi govt. prohibits grazing or
feeding of fresh grass to livestock

10.27

3.15

Hydrogen explosion in reactor #4& explosion noise heard in reactor #2

The Committee for Food Security issues
new exposure limits; a controversial yet
widely accepted statement to theJapanese Government that a lifetime
exposure rate of up to 100 milli-Sievertsof radiation is safe

3.21

Prime Minister Kan bans sale ofagricultural products exceedingradiation limit of 500 Becquerels/kg

12.16

3.23

Radioactive Iodine found in Tokyo
water; people start stockpiling bottled
water

Prime Minister Noda declares that thenuclear reactors have reached cold
shutdown and the nuclear crisis has
been brought to a conclusion

Greetings from the Board Chair / Director

Greetings

The Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011 and the subsequent
accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant caused tremendous hardships forthe people of Japan as well as great physical destruction. The Asian Rural Institute also
suffered heavy damage to most of its buildings. For the short term, emergency repairs weremade to prepare for the 2011 training program. For the long term, the Board of Directors
approved the "ARI Disaster Reconstruction and Funding Plan" which outlines acomprehensive rebuilding program for all the damaged and weakened facilities, in order toensure the safety and durability of the ARI campus.
The radiation leakage from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, located 110 km(70 miles) to the Northeast brought about radioactive contamination to ARI’s soil, crops, andlivestock. We have put a great amount of energy into dealing with this situation, including a)measuring the amount of radiation in the soil, water, crops, meat, eggs, etc. on the ARI
campus, b) taking measures to decontaminate the campus, 3) taking part in the meetingsand decontamination activities of the citizens’ group, and d) together with thecooperation of local citizens on January 1, 2012 we opened a public radiation measuringservice for food and agricultural products called the. The center isequipped with a state of the art Gamma Spectrometer that was given as a donation by the
National Christian Council in Japan Ecumenical Disaster Response Office.
The Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster also impacted the approaching 2011 Rural Leaders
Training Program. The number of participants decreased by about ten compared to regular
years. Furthermore the first three months of the training were moved to the campus of the
Theological Seminary for Rural Mission in the metropolitan city of Machida. At the end ofJuly, all the participants returned to ARI, and we are grateful that we were able to continue
their training until graduation. However, in order to reduce any potential health risks for theparticipants, we shortened the training by three weeks and held the commencement service
on November 19.
Additionally we had to cease the making and selling of jams and other ARI specialty foods.
We have always aimed to provide fresh, healthy, safe food and we were no longer able toguarantee this. As such, the sales of our agricultural products were greatly diminished.
Also, the majority of our regular work campers and working visitors cancelled this year,
causing a significant drop in the overall number of visitors.
Amidst these kinds of difficulties many people showed their concern for us, visited thecampus, prayed for us and supported us, for which we express our deep-felt gratitude. We
received a great number of donations from individuals, groups, and churches from within
Japan and around the world to aid in our disaster reconstruction. The Theological Seminary
for Rural Mission opened their school facilities for ARI for three months making it possible tocarry out the 2011 training program. Furthermore, the Student Christian Fellowship (SCF)
offered the use of the Nasu Seminar House as a temporary head office and evacuation spacefor some of our staff immediately after the Earthquake. We were supported in so manyvarious ways and I give our thanks for that.
In closing, I would like to inform that the person who stood closely by our side throughout
these hardest of times, and devoted his full energy to the reconstruction of ARI, theChairman of the Board Dr. Akira Niwa, was called to heaven on June 25, 2012. Because ofthis I have recently been reflecting deeply on the meaning of having together with him
believed in and followed the words from Romans 5:3-4: "that suffering produces
perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

Director & Chair of the Board

Rev. Kenichi Otsu

1

Curriculum ReportServant
Leadership

Foodlife

Rural Leaders
Training ProgramFirst of all I am deeply thankful for
God's abundant blessings and guidance
during our 2011 Rural Leaders Training
program at the Asian Rural Institute. I am
also grateful that due to the support andcooperation of many friends and patrons,
we were able to complete this year's
training program and send out 19 new
graduates of 13 nationalities.

ARI at the crossroads

After the earthquake of March 11, thestaff were not sure if we could even holdthis year's training program. Could wereally start the training in 2011? Could
2011 participants come to Japan? ARI
was greatly damaged by this disaster. We
have to rebuild the Main Building andKoinonia. Soon after the quake, weremoved the ceiling of Koinonia sincesome parts had fallen down. Even now,
we cannot use the downstairs area. The
men's dorm and women's dorm need to be
repaired. And many other areas were

Community
Building

Yukiko Oyanagi, Curriculum Coordinatordamaged, such as the outside stage, thewater supply system, the pig pen, thecharcoal kiln and so on. Moreover, wefaced another disaster because of thea c c i d e n t a t t h e Fu ku s h i m a D a i i c h i
Nuclear Power Plant. Our area is located110km (70 miles) from the plant. We areexperiencing the effects of radiation here
in Nasushiobara City. At the beginning,
nobody knew how much radiation would
come or when the accident would be
resolved.
Could we start the training of 2011
under these conditions or not? This was
the first question we had after the disaster. Aftershocks occurred frequently. The
d a m a g e t o o u r c a m p u s wa s n ot y e tcleaned up. The NPP accident was notsettled at all. Some of us even thought weshould stop our training for one year. But
we could not forget our candidates who
were waiting in their countries. If we canceled, some of them may not be able tocome to our training next year. They are
grassroots leaders who work in their communities. Their situation does not allow
them to easily go abroad. And also we hadto think about their people who are goingto receive the benef it of this training
through their learning. If we cannot train
one person, many people will be affected.
The benefit of ARI training goes to ourparticipants and then continues on totheir people and communities. For them,
we must not stop our training. Moreover,many supporters’ and graduates’ voices
encouraged us and helped bring us backto our mission to train rural leaders. “Let's
have the training for 2011!” This was thedecision of the staff meeting at the end of
March.

Moving the training to Tokyo

But the situation was not so easy. At
first, we postponed the start date by one
month. We also decided to hold the firstfew months of the program in another

Lilin from Indonesia presenting her dreams
for the future of her community.

Participants visiting a school for deaf
children in Machida, Tokyo.

2Japan Study Tour (WJST) became longer
than other years to reduce exposure toradiation.

Unexpected Learning Opportunities
Community bonfire on the Seminary campus

p l ac e . F o r t u n at e ly t h e T h e o l o g i c a l
Seminary for Rural Mission (Machida city,
Tokyo) accepted our request to use theirfacilities. They offered use of their dormitory, one staff house, dining hall, classroom, office, and even vegetable fields.
All the participants, together with 10
staff/TA/volunteers, took part in the
training at the seminary. Other staff andvolunteers remained at ARI in Tochigi totake care of the campus and fields andstart rebuilding. In this way, we began our
2011 training.
Finally our part icipants arr ived at
Narita airport. There were fewer thanusual, but still they came to Japan tohave training. When I look back at thisyear, the difference between this year's
training was the reaction of Japanesepeople rather than the length of trainingor number of participants. People often
said to them, "thank you very much forcoming to Japan even after this disaster."

Leadership
Leadership
Servant Leadership
Independent Learning
Nonviolent Communication
Time Management
Presentation Skills
Facilitation Skills
Dealing with “Critical Incidents”
Sustainable Agriculture
Concepts of Sustainable
Agriculture
Crops and Vegetables
Livestock
Feed Management
Dangers of Chemical Farming
Natural Farming in Tropical Areas
Permaculture

But is that true? I mean that they are "unfortunate participants" who had to cometo Japan in such a crisis year?
This year the training was 7 months – 2
months shorter than usual. We had to cut
some of the time of research/preparation,
farm work, and summer individual projects.
But almost no classes were cut. We alsochanged the design of our curriculum
since we had training at a different location for three months. Many classroom
sessions were moved to the first semester, and livestock practical study was
moved to the second semester.
Observation trips in Tochigi went to thes e c o n d s e m e s t e r, a n d w e h ad m o r e
discussion sessions in the first. The Rural
Community Study Tour and Western

There were some special lectures andlearnings which we could only have had
because of this year's situation, such as"Dealing with Critical Incidents" from Dr.
Joe Ozawa, and learning about community building from the leader of tsunami
victims in Kesennuma. Since we
extended our stay in Minamata during
the WJST, we were able to see the city of
Minamata from the sea and we felt how
small the factory which caused that city’ s
terrible suffering really was and how big
was the sea which it poisoned. During
our stay in Tokyo, we also had more
fellowships, because many people said,"Tochigi is far, but because you are in
Machida we can visit."
At the end of the training program wehold a reflection session with the participants and one of the questions was, "This
year's training was carried out during acrisis situation in Japan. Can you find any

lecture agenda 2011
Agroforestry

Rev. Kenichi Otsu
Tomoko Arakawa, Yukiko Oyanagi
Miki* & Steven Cutting
Catherine Cadden*, Jesse Wiens* (NVCtrainers), Ken Anno*, Suzuki Shigeko*
Rev. Bernard T. Appau
Yukiko Oyanagi
Yukiko Oyanagi
Dr. Joseph Ozawa*

Ardhendu Chatterjee* (`76 Graduate,
Agricultural Advisor, India)
Osamu Arakawa
Dr. Gilbert Hoggang, Sanae Kabeya
Dr. Gilbert Hoggang, Rev. Bernard T.
Appau
Dr. Koa Tasaka* (ARI board member)
Shimpei Murakami* (natural farmer)
Toru Sakawa* (organic farmer)

Agricultural Coorperatives
Alternative Marketing System

Masaaki Yamada* (Tokyo Universityof Agriculture and Technology)
Naoyuki Tsurudome* (JA)Tomoko Arakawa

Development Issues
Environment and Development
Nutrition and Development
Micro Credit
Impact of Globalization
Localization
Gender Issues
Human Trafficking in Asia
Peace Movement in Taiwan

Dr. Koa Tasaka* (ARI board member)
Kazuhiko Takeuchi
Hoichi Endo
Rikkyo University ESD, DEAR, ISDEP*
Yoji Kamata* (NPO Ancient Futures)
Tomoko Arakawa
Machiko Kaida* (JICRC)
Rev. William K. Lo* (Presbyterian
Church in Taiwan)
Participatory Learning and Action Tomoko Arakawa, Yukiko Oyanagi
J.B. Hoover* (Exec. Director of AFARI)
Development and ARI Mission
Tatsuo Sakahara* (Director of Shozo
Pollution Issue
Tanaka University)
Japanese Language

Kyoko Ogawa*3Performing at the annual
Harvest Thanksgiving Celebration

learning from this?" Some answered, "Ilearned how to deal with this hard situation. I learned how we can encourage
each other." "We must have courage in acrisis." "We thought development wasgood but we didn't know that development could bring something bad. If weknow how to climb up a mountain, we
need to know how to climb down, too.”
Of course, some of the participants
worried about radiation. Also staff were
inexperienced about the issue of radiation and struggled to get accurate information about the situation of our campus
and our food products. But in this time ofdifficulty, one of the participants said in

his morning gathering, "When I signed theagreement letter for this training, I was
ready to accept any kind of sacrifice. To
participate in this year's training is notjust an opportunity. This is a calling."
I feel that this year was one of ourstrongest years for participants to havemotivation toward their mission for theirpeople. They always remembered andmentioned their communities to be themeaning, purpose, and the "target" of the
training.
Many participants mentioned that oneof their biggest learnings was about globalization and localization. They realized

how much local resources (like rice husk,
kitc h e n g a r b a g e , g ra s s , b a m b o o , o rleaves) are wasted. They discussed how toface the reality of the disappearing of
their own traditions and cultures. Evensome of their own languages that they
themselves speak are vanishing. This
year’s most significant questions were
"What is development? What is richness?"
Once again, I want to show my great
appreciation for all the people who support ARI and give thanks to God for his
protection.

curriculum activities
Practical Field Study
Crops & Vegetables Emphasis
Livestock Emphasis
Spiritual Nurture & Guidance
Morning Gathering
Consultation
Growth File
Reflection Day
Community Meetings
Open Dialogue
Foodlife Work
Basic Work toward Food Self
Sufficiency
Field Management Activity
Topical Discussion
Group Management of
Assigned Fields and LivestockGroup Leadership

4

Practical Learning in Fields
and Livestock
Participant Organized Classes
Cost Accounting for Farmers
Farm Certification
People’s Movement
Marketing and Consumer
Micro Organism and Mushrooms
Sloping Area Land Technology (SALT)
Institute Events
Harvest Thanksgiving Celebration
Foundation Day

Ashio Copper Mine
Local Area Organic Farmers
Nasu Canal
Agricultural Institutions
Research and Preparation
Oral Presentations
Reflection Paper
Community Work
Rice Transplanting
Rice Harvest
Orientation Sessions

Community Events

Reflection Sessions

Observation Trips
Ogawa Town
Rural Community Study Tour
Western Japan Study Tour

Fellowships
International Fellowship Programs
Homestay Programs
Church Fellowship Programs

Foodlife Report‘Foodlife’ is a term coined by founder Rev. Dr. Takami to show theinterconnectedness of food and life. Through the daily activities offarm work, caring for livestock, and preparing meals we learn
together by working together to produce food.

Crops & Vegetables

Atsushi Yamaguchi, Crops & Vegetables staff
Radiation concerns made many people wear masks during farm work

Due to the unprecedented accident at
the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power
plant, there was, initially, a great deal ofconfusion concerning the operations of the
farm in 2011. Conflicting information
about the radioactivity and its potential
effects was flying all around. In this uncertain environment there was only one thing
we knew for sure. We needed to immediately stop the production, consumption,and sales of products cultivated in our soil.
Until last year, we have always aimed forfood self-sufficiency through making gooduse of local resources. Gradually our rate
was edging closer and closer to 100%. But
this year, in the case of crops andvegetables, it fell to 10%.
At ARI we practice a cyclical model offarming, integrating cultivation withlivestock rearing. We grow our food in
connectedness with all living creatures. In
normal years we practiced and taught how
to recycle organic matter such as fallen
leaves from the forest and the weeds fromthe fields back into the soil. But now, eventhese simple resources are spoiled.

Practical Training In The Greenhouses

In order to secure the minimum area ofland needed for our practical training,
special preparations were necessary. In
some fields we removed the top layer of
topsoil and set up four greenhouses. Mostof the vegetable growing took place insidethese greenhouses. This year we increased
our emphasis on companion planting, forexample, putting basil or peanuts next to
the tomatoes, or onions next to the cucumbers. Each crop has its own characteristics.
Some plants have an aroma that detersinsects. Some plants have an aroma that
attracts beneficial insects which will eat
the harmful insects (like aphids) on theadjacent plants. By this practice, theparticipants learned some techniques of
disease and pest management without
using agricultural chemicals.

Radiation Measuring Machinery

Radiation has no smell or color, so it is
impossible to detect its presence with thehuman senses. The only way to measure
the degree of contamination of harvested
farm produce is by using a machine. We
sent our vegetables to labs in Tokyo andTochigi requesting readings of radioactive
content. However, in November an expensive and much needed machine for measuring radiation, called a gamma spectrometer, was donated to ARI. With this machine
Farming continued on the Seminary campus

5Rice harvest day

we were able to take detailed measurements of every substance on our farm.
Knowing the numeric value that thismachine could produce gave us a newpeace of mind.

Soy Beans and Rapeseed

In the days after the nuclear disaster
ARI joined a number of gatherings offarmers, none of whom had ever evendreamed of having to deal with radioactive contamination of their land. We also
met with researchers and scholars andbegan compiling knowledge about how
an organic farm can deal with radioactive
contamination. Through these dialogues
and this exchange of information, we
learned about the technique of planting
oil producing crops such as sunflowers,
rapeseed, and soy beans. These crops
tend to easily absorb radioactive Cesium,
effectively pulling it from the soil. After
harvest, their seeds can be pressed foroil without any radionuclides passing
from the stems or even the seeds into theoil. This brought hope to us who arepracticing agriculture in this environment. By growing certain crops we clean
the soil of the fields and produce a safe
food product. For this reason we planted
much of our land with soy beans andrapeseed. This project also translated
into a great learning opportunity for ourparticipants. While most of them do not
face radioactive contamination, they doface an abundance of other kinds ofthreatening contaminants to their rivers,
valleys, and farms and ARI’s soy andrapeseed planting sparked much lively
debate about how to avoid environmental disasters and the wisdom of turning6

to nature to heal the land when they dooccur.

Oil press

Most of the oil which is distributed inJapan is imported from overseas, andmany of these oils are manufactured byusing methods of extraction that requirechemical solvents. In order to produce
healthier oil, we decided to do extraction only by pressing. In the spring of2012 we were able to purchase a screw
type oil press using donations given forthat purpose. In cooperation with local
farmers we are planning on developing asmall scale oil press operation. By working together we can come through thiscrisis of radiation contamination.

Yield of Crops & Vegetables andLivestock 2011

Rice

9,100 kg / 225.6 a

Soy beans

2,300 kg / 192 a

Black soy beans

200 kg / 58.4 a

Potatoes

1,485 kg / 13 a

Wheat

997 kg / 44 a

Garlic202.4 kg / 6 aOnions2,301 kg / 14 a

Sweet potatoes

1,129 kg / 9 aTaro

360 kg / 4 a

Egoma

10 kg / 6 a

Eggs

98310 pcs.

Pigs

86

From Food Self-sufficiency toEnergy Self-sufficiency

The nuclear power plant disaster has
made us all aware that there is not only
the need for food self-suff iciency but
also for energy self-sufficiency. One stepin this direction is Straight Vegetable Oil(SVO). Used oil from the kitchen caneasily be processed into energy for use inmachinery or a power generator. From
the oil press to the kitchen to the tractor
engine, SVO squeezes one more use outof our soy beans and rapeseed. This year
has given us a lot of hardships, but it has
also opened up a new vision toward sustainability in this region.

ARI carp - unfortunately inedible
this year due to radiation

Livestock2011 was a tough year for ARI, particularly the Livestock Section. The March 11
earthquake caused heavy structural
damage to the Denmark Pigpen, whichhouses the delivery and growing pigs.
One delivery pen collapsed with a nursing
mother inside. Some center posts of thebuilding were disconnected, and somecement walls dividing the pens fell down.
There were big cracks in the cement
floors, and the underground pipes which
supply drinking water throughout thebuilding were broken. After thoroughinspection from city engineers, the whole
pigpen was declared a dangerous
building and had to be abandoned. In the cow section,
the air compressor forthe milking machine
totally ceased functioning due to damage
to the air pressure
pipes. Also, the fishponds sustainedlarge cracks in theircement walls and bottoms.

Planned evacuation
for pigs

In response to the situation, allpigs from the concrete pigpen were transferred to the fermented flooring type pigpens. However, these pens could notaccommodate all the growing piglets. We
rushed to construct two greenhouses toserve as temporary pigpens. Due to fearof radioactive contamination in our surrounding vegetation we stopped feeding
our animals with fresh grass and vegetables. Furthermore, feeding of the ani-

Dr. Gilbert Hoggang, Livestock staff
mals was reduced to once a day, in order
to limit outside exposure for the staff.
The training was moved temporarily tot h e T h e o l o gi c a l S e m i n a r y f o r Ru ra l
Mission in the Tokyo area for 3 months
and during this time two livestock staff
served on this alternate campus. Staff
commuted between ARI and Tokyo as
needed.

Selling the Cow

Ultimately, we decided to sell our milking cow because we could not provide itwith fresh grass. We also butchered ayearling calf and the cow section was temporarilyclosed. We then collected contaminatedfallen leaves aroundthe chicken houses
and cowshed toreduce possible
contamination of
our animals. We
continued to raisef ish in the pondsthat we were able torepair. As an experiment for an alternate
form of fish feed the staff
raised maggots using okara,
rice bran, and fish. The maggots werefried and then mixed with other feed
ingredients to make the fish feed. Using
this system, it was no longer required topurchase costly fishmeal.

Measuring Radiation

For safety reasons we bought a Geiger
counter to regularly check radiationlevels around the campus. Furthermore,

three ARI staff members, two from thefarm and one from the office, and one
training participant from overseas, wore
glass badges to measure cumulative
radiation exposure. We sent samples ofour food products including vegetables,
meat, rice, eggs, etc. to have their radiation levels checked to ensure that we eat
only safe food. The National ChristianCouncil in Japan donated a gamma spectrometer which was installed in November
2011 at the Seminar House. With thismachine we began testing all kinds offood and other materials at ARI for possible radiation contamination. It was very
helpful in testing our livestock and otherfarm products.

Pig Raising

There were other big effects on the
livestock section because of the changes
we made. We a set a target of 100 pigs to
be butchered for ARI sales and consumption in Koinonia, but we reached only 72.
Three pork consumer groups stopped purchasing our pork due to fear of radiation,but, at the same time several new customers signed on to buy our pork. The
quality of the pork meat was temporarily
reduced due to the once a day feedingschedule, but it improved when we moved
back to twice a day. Although the concrete
pigpen was considered a condemnedbuilding it became necessary to continue
using it. Radiation was detected in thefermented flooring of the temporary pens,
so we moved 17 pigs back to the concretepen, after making major repairs. We thenencountered a coccidian infection in thefermented floor pigpen and lost 15 piglets.

7

Poultry Raising

For the poultry section, we initiallyplanned to raise 400 layer chicks but
ultimately purchased and raised half ofthat. There was not much change in egg
product ion and we were able to getalmost the same number of eggs as in2010. We set our own food radiation
contamination standard in ARI, following
the Belarus standard, at 37 Becquerels/kg.
Unfortunately, we were not able to eat
97 kg (214lbs) of harvested fish because
testing showed the radiation level to beabout 70 Bq/kg.

Meal Service

The practical aspect of our livestock
training did not take place until thesecond half of the program, when theparticipants came back to ARI. At thattime we focused intensively on livestockand the participants were able to quickly
learn skills such as weighing andcalculation of the feed requirements fort h e p i g s . T h ey w e r e a b l e t o d o f e e dmixing, both of fermented andconcentrate feed, as well as castration of
piglets.

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The year 2011 was ver y unusualb e c a u s e of t h e e a r t h q u a k e a n d t h enuclear power plant incident. The firstwork was to secure the needed food materials. Fortunately, one ARI supportervery kindly offered to send organic vegetables from Western Japan for this one
year. We also received abundant foodmaterials from other supporters.
About meat and eggs, we managed[MXL%6-PMZIWXSGO EJXIVGEVIJYP GLIGOEFSYXVEHMSEGXMZMX] [MXLSGGEWMSREP WYTTPMIWJVSQSYXWMHI 1MPOERHHEMV]TVSHYGXW[IVI TVSFEFP] XLI SRP]XLMRK [ILEH
to entirely give up.
There are no proper words that could
possibly express our gratitude for thesedonors who literally supported our physical and spiritual lives. The farm also
worked very hard in supplying safe foods
with whatever tactics were available forthem.
The second challenge was the temporary move of the school functions to the
Seminary campus. After moving the necessary kitchen utensils, we had to
QEREKI XLI PSKMWXMGWSJXVERWTSVXMRKXLI
food materials (rice, meat, fish and somevegetables) from Tochigi two or threetimes a month. Sharing the kitchen andthe dining hall with Noden people was a
GLEPPIRKIFYXEPWSENS]JYPI\TIVMIRGIThe Seminary deserves our special appreciation in generously sharing their cooking and eating spaces despite the different serving and eating styles between thetwo schools.
%FSYXXLIIHYGEXMSREPEWTIGXE RI[grouping system for the participants fortheir meal service activities was put into

8

TVEGXMGI;I HMZMHIHXLITEVXMGMTERXW MRXS
groups of three or four people and asked
each group to work for half a week. Thissystem (as opposed to "Tuesday, Group 1,
Wednesday, Group 2... style of the past)made it much easier to create a menu
plan during the given period. At the sametime, it allowed them to join the kitchen
activities at a reasonable frequency.
Adopting opinions from several participants, we also created a framework of
L E P J  [ I I OP]  Q I R Y J S V  I \E Q T P I   [ I 
decided to cook "scrambled eggs on
1SRHE]JVMIHIKKWSR8YIWHE]TERGEOIW
on Wednesday... for breakfast).
There was a tension (as always)
between the "learning opportunities forparticipants" and "food quality."
Participants sometimes complained that
there was too much controlling on theside of the staff. Although the food quality was generally good, this year left
some questions around giving the participants more autonomy (hence, responsibility) around menu-planning.

As to the core cooking team (of staff,
TA and volunteers) we were blessed[MXLI\GIPPIRXGSSOWXLMW]IEV8LIXIEQ
k e p t c h u r n i n g o u t g o o d f o o d at a ll
meals. We believe that it contributed tothe uplifting of the community morale
during this unusual and stressful year.
It was, yes, a difficult year; at the sametime, like grace, we were given so many
wonderful encounters and experiences
through exchanging, growing, cooking
and eating foods. This year made uss e e o u r m i s s i o n f r o m a t ot a lly n ew
perspective.

Rebuilding ARI
Cleaning up after the earthquake

The Great East Japan Earthquake shook
the ARI campus violently.
Windows
shattered as the buildings contorted andall we could do was watch as we struggled
to keep our balance on solid ground. Aftera 5 minute eternity, the trembling finallystopped (though aftershocks continued formonths) and the first thing to do was
account for everyone’s whereabouts andcheck that they were safe.
In the weeks to follow two building
inspectors thoroughly examined all major
structures and gave the following
assessment. The frame and anchors of the
Koinonia Dining Hall had been twisted andthe building was no longer structurallysound. The structural integrity of the Main
Building was compromised, a condition
which worsened after a magnitude 7.1
aftershock on April 11. The concrete
pigpens were declared unsafe. Repairing
these buildings would be far costlier thanreplacing them, partially due to the factthat they would need extensive
reinforcement against future earthquakes.
Though it would be necessary to do
minimal repairs and continue to use themfor the short term, preparations werestarted for total reconstruction. The Main
Building was demolished in December
2011 and the Koinonia Dining Hall andPigpens are due for pulling down in 2012.
By summer of 2011 a comprehensive
reconstruction plan had been drawn up.
The total estimated cost came to roughly¥650 million ($8.1 million). By the end of
the fiscal year ¥530 million ($6.6 million) in
donations had been received or pledged.
Such overwhelming support has filled ourhearts with joy and our spirits with theenergy to get through this crisis. Thank you
for making it possible for ARI to rebuild andcome out of this disaster even stronger
than before.

major projects
Farm Shop May 2011
The culmination of a capital campaign
drive that had started in 2008, thefortuitous timing of its construction
meant that ARI had one new facility
available for use almost immediately
after the earthquake.
Women’s Dormitory renovation
September 2011
Repair of cracks, electrical andplumbing systems, and renovation of
the interior
Administration Offices December 2011
Two large rooms of the new farm shop
were converted into office space.
Originally proposed as a temporary
setup, ARI decided to make it permanent
because (a) the new building was more
spacious than expected (b) such arenovation would be cheaper thanconstructing something completely newand (c) renovations could begin
immediately
Reception April 2012
While the area in the farm shop
provided enough desk space for thestaff, it was not sufficient for otherimportant needs. An annex was
designed and built immediately next tothe offices to provide a reception area, a

copy room, a small meeting room, andpublic bathrooms.
Koinonia House September 2012
One story wooden structure containing
dining hall and kitchen; includes solar
water heating system for hot water andfloor heating
Classroom / Library Building
September 2012
One story wooden building adjacent toKoinonia House, holding the mainclassroom, the library, and a conferenceroom
Pigpens March 2013
The complex will include 6 composting
floor pens for 8-10 fattening pigs each,stalls for 5 sows and 1 boar, a delivery
room, and 3 cement floor rooms
connected to a biogas system.
Men’s Dormitory June 2013
The damage done to the men’s dorm by
theearthquake
combinedwithextensive pre-existing deterioration
makes renovation costly and short
lived. Construction of a new facility is
due to begin at the end of the 2012training program.
Chapel June 2013
Plans are being laid out to transport a
traditional style Japanese house to the
ARI grounds and recondition it to serveas the new chapel.
Staff Housing March 2014
Designed to last 20 years, these 4 small
houses have served the staff for morethan 40 years. For safety and because
the time has come, ARI will replace
them.

9

Radiation
Report

The first soil samples were taken in March

Impact of Radiation on ARI – 2011
Examples of radiation levels
Air: Immediately after the nuclear
accident the levels of radioactivity inthe area reaGLIHEFSYXþSv /hr, but by
the end of March had dropped to under0.5þSv/hr and eventually leveled off at
0.2 – 0.3þSv/hr. Prior to the accident
the figure was about 0.03þSv/hr.
Water: 0 Bq/kg
Soil for cultivation: 2,000-3,000 Bq/kg
Livestock feed (ARI limit for use 50 Bq/kg)
Actual: 0.0 – 6.2 Bq/kg
Food (ARI limit for consumption 37 Bq/kg)
low end

A year has passed since the quake andit has been a year spent in learning anddiscovery. The staff has moved from deep
confusion to becoming local authorities
on matters of radiation contamination.
“Low enough to recover, but not low
enough to ignore” is the simplest way todescribe the levels of radiation on campus.

Decontamination is a daunting, long-term
task, but one that ARI has approached,
and will continue to approach, with rigor
and passion, and it is this determinationthat will restore the land.

ricecarrots
eggs
potatoesegg plants
pork

3 Bq/kg
3
1-3
8
11
2-12

high end

Of all that has happened in the wake ofthe earthquake, perhaps the most
discouraging and demoralizing is thecontamination of the land by radioactive
Cesium (Cs). After over 30 years oforganic farming, the soil of ARI has
become healthy, fertile, and beautiful. It
is this soil that brings life to the abundant
vegetables, fruits, and grains grown upon
it. It is this soil that feeds the community.
Working this soil is the common denominator that brings the diverse people of
ARI together, providing a firm medium forour motto. And
so when the soil became threatened it
struck right to the heart of ARI.

shiitake mushr.
raspberries
fish (carp)
wheat

415 Bq/kg
124
79
51

Farm Activities Ceased in 2011

Ĉ Aigamo duck and rice integrated
farming
Ĉ Fish and rice integrated farmingĈ Cultivation of vegetables outsideof greenhouses
Ĉ Planting of blackberries aroundfish ponds
Ĉ Growing Shiitake mushroomsĈ Keeping of cows for milk and beef10

Ĉ Feeding of wild grass and plants tolivestockĈ Feeding of red soil to pigs (for naturalminerals)Ĉ Growing corn for silage
Ĉ Making wood chips for flooring ofanimal pens
Ĉ Production of carrot juice, soy sauce,miso (soybean paste)

Measures Taken by ARI to Counter
Effects of Radiation

Ĉ Quick-cell badges are worn by ARI staff
to keep track of cumulative radiation
exposureĈ Regular radiological monitoring of all
agricultural products
Ĉ No use of plant species for humanconsumption, animal consumption, orfor compost that have a high rate ofintake of radioactive Cs
Ĉ Deep plowing (20-30cm / 8-12in) of
contaminated soil in the fields to thinout the density of the Cs, reducing theamount that can be taken up throughthe plant rootsĈ Application of potassium (K) to acidic
soil to reduce absorption of radionuclides by plants
Ĉ Separation of contaminated (leaves,grass, branches) and uncontaminated(animal manure, kitchen garbage,okara) composting materials
Ĉ Avoiding the application of any
contaminated manure, compost, ash or

Sievert (Sv) a unit for measuring
the biological effects of radiation
on an organism
1,000 microSieverts (µSv) =1 milliSievert (mSv)
1,000 milliSieverts = 1 Sievert
Becquerel (Bq) a unit for measuring
radiation content in a substanceRemoving cesium from the concrete floor of
the newly built Farm Shop

Sharing of measurement results
among the staff membersother material to the soil
Ĉ Careful handling and disposal of ash,the substance of highest radiation content in ARIĈ Feeding livestock with uncontaminatedfeed and uncontaminated clay soil
Ĉ Deep cleaning of fish ponds andrefilling with fresh waterĈ Cultivation of soybeans on 1.92 ha(4.74 acres) as an experiment in phytoremediation and clean oil production;t h i s wa s t h e s t a r t i n g p o i n t of t h e“Green Oil Project”
Ĉ Setting up greenhouses for vegetable
growing; on the site of the greenhouses
the topsoil was first removed to a depthof 10 cm (4 in). It was then buried morethan 1 m (3 ft.) deep, essentiallyturning the soil upside down.
Ĉ Removal of the top 30cm (12 in)of flooring from the poultry houses
Ĉ Farm shop floor: The new farm shop
was under construction at the time ofthe earthquake. The foundation was
exposed and became contaminated.
It was cleaned using a high pressure
water spray and then the entire surface
was ground and the cement powder
was removed. Finally, an additional
3 cm (1.1 in) layer of concrete was
paved on top. The radiation levels wereWYGGIWWJYPP]VIHYGIHXSþ7ZLV
similar to the interior of otherbuildings.

Human Exposure Limit 1 milliSievert
per yearO n e m / Sv p e r y e a r i s t h e l ev e l ofradiation exposure that is considered safefor the general public, as set by theJapanese government BEFORE thedisaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear
Power Plant. After the disaster the level
was raised to 20 m/Sv per year. ARI is
deeply concerned for the health andsafety of all people who come to thiscampus and therefore decided that only
under conditions of 1 m/Sv per year orless of radiation exposure, would
participants or volunteers be invited. For
this reason ( ) the 2011 program was
shortened by 7 weeks and half of it took
place at an alternate locat ion, ( ) anumber of decontaminations efforts were
initiated, and ( ) an “ARI standard” forradiation content in food was set at 37
Bq/kg (20 Bq/kg for rice). The Japanese
government standard for foodconsumption in 2011 was 500 Bq/kg. It
was decided to hold the 2012 program
fully on the ARI campus and also toreceive volunteers based on the collected
data that stated that the cumulative
radiation exposure would not exceed 1
m/Sv per year at ARI.

Radiological survey of Fukushima
and Tochigi Prefectures

Toride Movement

Citizens’ movements formed by people
to actively address the issues of radiation
contamination in their localities havesprung up throughout Northern Japan.
When Dr. Yasuyuki Fujimura (a prominent
inventor, engineer, professor, and local
resident) started such a movement in
Nasu Town ARI did not hesitate to join it.
Calledwhichmeans,, its
activities include ( ) providing public
lectures to educate people about thecondition of the nuclear power plant andthe effects of radiat ion in Nor thern
Tochigi, ( ) taking accurate and detailed
readings of radiation in this area, ( )organizing and carrying out clean-up
efforts ( ) communicating with the local
government and ( ) opening of a
Becquerel Center in Nasu Town.

ARI Becquerel Center

ARI opened a Becquerel Center at theNasu Seminar House. The institute had
recently acquired a Gamma Spectrometeras a donation from the National ChristianCouncil of Japan. This is a very expensive
and sophisticated machine for measuring
radiation content in substances. In lightof the radiation contamination of theland, it has become an essential piece ofequipment for farming. Recognizing that
farmers and other residents in this area
also have great need of the data thismachine can provide, ARI decided tomake it available to the general public.
With the assistance of a small volunteer
team of retired engineers from Toshiba,
the Becquerel Center was opened on
January 10, 2012. About 350 people havev i s i t e d t h e c e n t e r a n d r o u g h ly 5 0 0
samples have been measured. On
average, the radiation content ofmaterials brought in from this region has
been low – food products 10-20 Bq/kg,
soil 2,000 Bq/kg, water 0Bq/kg.

11

IG Report
The goal of the Income Generation (IG)section of ARI is to develop initiatives toindependently bring in income to support
the Rural Leaders Training Program. The
Sales Section sells foods produced fromthe ARI farm, such as jams, cookies, eggs
and cuts of pork. It also sells products
provided by ARI graduates, such as fairtrade coffee, which is bought in bulk,
roasted at ARI and sold. In addition to
the funds generated, these activities help
ARI keep a closer connection withsupporters as well as general customers.

Loss of Income in 2011

In 2011 the IG section faced a lot of
dif f i c u lt i e s . I m m e d i at e ly a f t e r t h eearthquake, energies needed to befocused on clean up and repairs. Also,
all the volunteers had departed and theirassistance plays a big role in IG work.
Until the end of May all sales activities
were halted. When food processing andsales restarted, only products that werein storage from before the earthquake
were used. Once a system wasestablished for measur ing radiat ion
content of ARI products, sales of fresheggs and pork were started up again.
T h e s e w e r e f o u n d t o h av e v e r y l ow
r a d i a t i o n l ev e l s ( f a r u n d e r t h e A R I
standard of 37 Becquerels/kg). The exact
level of radiation content of all ARI sales
products was publicly announced. This
resulted in some customers discontinuing purchases, but at the same time
new customers started buying from ARI
because they felt more secure in knowing
the exact radiation content (something
one cannot find out at a supermarket).
The estimated loss of sales income due tothe nuclear power plant accident
amounted to ¥10,143,000 ($129, 700).
Each year ARI receives hundreds ofvisitors as work camp groups or shortterm volunteers who come to ARI to
exper ience farming and liv ing in aninternational community. This year their
number dropped dramatically because ofconcerns about radiation. Most groups
cancelled their reservations which leadby Hiromi Sato (Sales Manager) & Takashi
Yamashita (Nasu Seminar House Manager)

to an overall loss of income of approximately ¥4,100,000 ($55,000). Also manygroups that would normally come to ARI
decided to go and volunteer in thetsunami areas, where, of course, theirassistance was greatly needed. A few
overseas groups did come to ARI to help
out with reconstruction.

Restoring the Old Connections andCreating New Ones

ARI continued to organize events toconnect with the local people, such asflea markets and a used book drive. The
Nasu Seminar House served as a venue
for these activities. ARI also invited
people to come to learn about themeasures being taken to counteract theradiation on the campus. Six lectures onradiation were organized and opened to
the general public in order to help
educate ourselves and the people of thisarea about the conditions that have cometo be a part of our daily lives.

The ARI Community Members
Board
Board Chair
Dr. Akira Niwa
Vice Chair
Mr. Ryusuke Fukuda
Board of Directors
Rev. Kenichi Otsu
Mr. Hoichi Endo
Rev. Masaoki Hoshino
Dr. Satoru Kuze
Ms. Teruko Niwa
Dr. Koa Tasaka

12

Professor Emeritus, Dokkyo Medical College,
Chairman, Hitomugi Social Welfare Association
Tokyo Union Church Elder

Mr. Tadashi Yamada
Mr. Noriaki Sato

Director, Asian Rural Institute
Chairman, ARI Finance Committee
Pastor, UCCJ Matsuzaki Church
Chairman, Meiji Gakuin University
Lecturer, Toyo Eiwa Women’s College (ret.)Professor Emeritus, International Christian
University
President, Mitsui Real Estate Co. (ret.)Press Editor, The Yomiuri Shinbun

Board of Councilors
Mr. Hoichi Endo
Mr. Ryusuke Fukuda
Mr. Mitsuo Fukumoto
Rev. Masaoki Hoshino
Mr. Muneo Ishikawa

Chairman, ARI Finance Committee
Tokyo Union Church Elder
Principal, Nishinasuno Kindergarten
Pastor, UCCJ Matsuzaki Church
Shimosato Farm Manager

Rev. Taesung Um
Mr. Tadashi Yamada
Rev. Toshimasa Yamamoto
Mr. Masahiko Yamane
Ms. Tomoko Arakawa
Mr. Osamu Arakawa
Mr. Steven Cutting

Pastor Nishinasuno Church
Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Niigata, Japan
Chairman, Meiji Gakuin University
National Council of YMCAs of Japan
Former staff of The Asian Rural Institute
Professor Emeritus, Dokkyo Medical College,
Chairman, Hitomugi Social Welfare Association
Zai Nippon Interboard Senkyoshi Shadan
President, Intech Ltd.
Bishop, Diocese of Tokyo, Anglican Church of Japan(ret.)
Pastor, Songhak Methodist Church, Korea
President, Mitsui Real Estate Co. (ret.)
Lecturer, Kwansei Gakuin University
General Manager, Kagawa Nutrition University
Assistant Director, Asian Rural InstituteStaff, Asian Rural InstituteStaff, Asian Rural Institute

Auditors
Mr. Akira Funatsu
Mr. Tokichika Harada

President, Chairman, Tochigi YMCA
President, Nasu House Kogyo Co. Ltd.

Rev. Katsuyuki Kanno
Rev. Isao Kikuchi
Dr. Satoru Kuze
Mr. Yukio Miyazaki
Mr. Kiyoshi Nagashima
Dr. Akira Niwa
Ms. Sarah Oba
Mr. Sooboo Lee
Rev. Jintaro Ueda

Despite all the troubles, the Harvest
Thanksgiving Celebration went on as
usual, only this time it was held at theNasu Seminar House, since the campus
was still not in a condition to invite alarge number of guests. The scale of thecelebration was somewhat downsized,
but still included cultural performances,bazaars, international meals and so on. A
young photographer from Sendai wasinv ited to exhibit pictures f rom the06.30 Hideyuki Ban
What it means to be here now
07.20 Hisako Sakiyama
Radiation, your body, yourself

disaster areas. About
350 visitors came.
Every year, the IG
team joins bazaars
and other local eventsand visits supporting churches to share
the work and mission of ARI and also sell
our products. Everyone showed deep
concern for ARI and were encouraged by
the fact that the training program wasstill being carried out. It was a chance toreconnect w ith so many people andexpress appreciation for the help ARI
received.

public lectures onradiation organized by
ARI

08.11 Yukihisa Fujimoto
Movie: Protect the Children
09.07 Masaharu Kawada
The Learnings from Chernobyl
09.27 Shimpei Murakami
Welcoming Murakami Shimpei, natural farmer from Iidate village
12.06 Tetsuji Imanaka
To think about the risk of radioactive contamination yourself

Dr. Fujimura (left) of the “Non-Electric
Atelier” and Mr. Inaba of the Private Rice
Research Center NPO responding to citizens’
questions at a radiation lecture.

Staff
Honorary President and FounderRev. Dr. Toshihiro Takami

Full Time
Rev. Kenichi Otsu
Tomoko Arakawa
Osamu Arakawa
Rev. Hyung Wook Ban
Steven CuttingThomas Itsuo Fujishima
Dr. Gilbert Hoggang
Sanae Kabeya
Jonathan McCurley
Akari Nakamura
Yukiko Oyanagi
Kaori Sakuma
Hiromi Sato
Kazuhiko Takeuchi
Atsushi Yamaguchi
Takashi Yamashita

Director
Assistant Director & General Manager
Farm Manager
Chaplain & Livestock
Ecumenical Relations Coordinator
PR
Livestock
Livestock
Community Life Coordinator
Admissions and Graduate Outreach
Curriculum Coordinator
ARISA
General Affairs & Sales Manager
Meal Service Coordinator
Crops and Vegetables
Nasu Seminar House Manager

Part Time
Masayo Fukushima
Mitsue Kimijima
Junko Tanaka

Food Processing
General Affairs - Accounting
Library

Contract
Rev. Bernard Timothy Appau
Hoichi Endo

Chaplain / Livestock
Finance Officer

Volunteers
Rachel M. Buller, US
Frauke Gier, Germany
Nicole K. Groome, US
Franz M. Himmighofen, Germany
Sachiko Kamata, Japan
Yoshiharu Peter McNicoll, Japan
Khalilur Rahman, Bangladesh
Chikara Sakuma, Japan
Misako Sugita, Japan

Farm
Recruitment
Farm
Recruitment
Meal Service
Computer Systems
Meal Service
Farm
Farm

13

Donors List
Overseas Individual Supporters
This list is inclusive of contributions given as general donations toward
ARI’s Rural Leaders Training Program, Disaster Reconstruction, and the40th Anniversary Capital Campaign.
Susan M. Adams
Christina Ahmadjian
Josephine Albrecht
Adrian Almquist
Don & Cynthia Anderson
Douglas & Maribelle Appleby
Brenda Arbuckle
Carl & Marie BadeDwight & Lois Baker
Hyang-Gi Ban
Verlyn L. Barker (in memory of Don Tarr)
Richard & Virginia Bauer
Greg & Denise Biberstein
Gordon J. & Janet Blake
Adelene Blankenship
Eve Bock
Jane Bock
Dan & Barbara Bohi
Nelson & Charlotte Bond
Timothy & Yuko Boyle
Richard & Gertrude Braun
Steve Brokaw
Colleen Brooks
The Brunöhler Family
Christina Bulaon
Patrick Burns
Ronald & Bonnie Caligari
Josephine Carothers
John & Agnes Chambers
Diana Chapel
Charles Chapman
Tom & Anne Chase
Frederick & Lucie Chenery
Ruth Clancy
Fred & Thelma Clark
Roy & Susan Clark
Michael Cooley
Ben Cope
Joy Crelin
Jean Crider
Margaret Crowl
Essie Cruikshank
David & Elizabeth Cutting
Richard & Alice Dailey
Betty Darst
Carol Decker
Thomas & Twyla Diamond
Skip & Derry Dickinson
Margie Dickinson
Ao Ding
Matthew & Susie Dixon
Herbert A. Donovan III
Fred & Carol Edmonds
Hoichi Endo
Mary Ferguson
Loyd & Marie Fischer
Charles & Janice Forman
Melissa Foster
Carolyn Francis
Carlton & Elsie Freudenberger
Isao Fujimoto
Robert & Shigeko Fujimura
Ben & Carol Fujita
Jody Fuller
Carolyn & Eric Fure-Slocum
Martha Gale & Bob Carpenter
Bruce & Karen Garver
Kenneth or Joan Gelhaus
Robert Gibson
Larry & Darcy Gill
Brittany Gill

14

Dick & Anne Gillett
Jack & Rosalyn Gillisse
Faye J. GlassThomas Goddu & Virginia Yoon
James & Noriko Goto
Daniel & Hiroko Goto
Paul & Catherine Gregory
Edwin & Naarah Griswold
Penny Grove
Melba Gulick
Ted & Norine Haas
Charity HallJean B. Hamlin
Margaret & Harry Hampton
Marcia Hampton
Jerry & Elizabeth Hankins
J. Reuben Haq
Pamela & Ryusuke Hasegawa
Nagi Hashiba
Jacqueline Haslett
Margaret Haun
Mary Hawkes
Peter & Pat Hecht
Lorna & Will Henkel
Carl & Mary Henry
Fran & Robert Herman
Jim Hickstein
Clip Higgins
John E. Hill
Samuel & Gail Hill
David & Sandra Hirano
Barbara & Richard Hobbie-Mancke
John & Sandy Hoover
Brooke & Michele Hoover
The Hoover Family
John Hoyt
Dan & Lisa Iglesias
Jack & Doris Iman
Frederick & Pauline Ingold
Nancy & Thomas Inui
Joan Ishibashi
Jane Miaki Ishibashi
Roy & Dorothy Ishihara
Donald & Janet Jackson
Leslie Jackson
Vincent James
Annette Jim
Hiroshi & Elaine Jo
Bob & Beverly Jones
Nancy JonesJames Joyce & Leigh Jewell
Virginia JuddKyoko Kageyama
Julius Kaudse
Edward & Kari Keller (in honor of Lee
and Lynne Henricksen)
Elisabeth Keller & Steven Bonsey
Haeja Grace Kim
Nan-Young Kim
John & Phyllis Kingsbury
Douglas & Marjorie Kinsey
Roger & Beth Knight
Ann Kohl
Benjamin & Choon Sook Kremenak
Mary Jo Kremer
Kathleen & Wayne Krevetski
Jeffrey Kriz & Reni Witt-KrizArmin & Evelyn Kroehler
William G. & Laverne Kroehler
Lois Kroehler
Samantha Kunkel

Monica Quill Kusakabe
Ronald & Elizabeth Kutscher
Joyce Kwok
Richard & Martha Lammers
James & Haru Landes
Janell J. Landis
Martin & Barbara Lang
Moo-Heum Lee
Barbara Lemonopoulos
Richard & Laraine Linde
Jerry & Janice Livingston
Arthur & Susan Lloyd
Margaret Logan
Bruce MacKenzie
Pierre & Ellie Maeder
Ellen Maloney
Evelyn Manierre
Darwin & Mary Jane MannJohn Manners
Betsy Manners
Joyce Manson
Ellen & Jim Marsey
Lawrence & Phyllis Martin
Ken & Diane Matsuura
Alden E. Matthews & Sallie Parks
David McAliley
Michael & Cindy McConnell
Walter B. Mead
Barbara Mensendiek
Mike & Donna Miller
Kitty Mizuno
Bill Moore
Eleanor Moore
Thomas & Michiko Morgan
Roger Morimoto
Lauren Morlino
Rosalind Morris
Donald & Alberta Morrison
John & Hatsumi Moss (in honor of
Carolyn Moss)
Elizabeth K. Mount
Cecily Moyer
Barbara L. Mueller
Mary Musolino
Timothy & Lois Myoda
Helen Nash
Gary & Kaori Natsume
Emily Nelson
Richard & Angela Nielsen
Stu & Anne Novak
Edith O'Donnell
Carol O'Hara Potter
Karolina Oleksiw
Betsy Olson
Kevin O'Toole
Michael & Edward Pallesen
Bill Pallett
Hwa-Choon Park
Brittany Partin
Penny Allen Partridge
Ruth Peeples
Hugh & Lois Penney
William & Susan Peters
Robert Peterson
James M. Phillips
Rose Pinkerton
Bob & Jeannie Price
Stephen Price
Hannah Price
Sallie Ramirez
Bob & Joyce Ray
J.B. Redding
James E. Rheingrover
Alyson Rieke
Martha Taylor RoachCarolyn Rodenberg

Randall & Patricia Roeser
Muriel Roeth
Colleen Morrow Romanek
Janet Russell
Wendy & Thomas Ryan
F. Elliot Ryder
Mariellen Sawada-Yoshino
Lisa Schaechter
Kenneth Schmidt
Tatiana Schreiber
Wayne & Harriet SchupbachJack & Mary Schwarz
Joy & Gerald Sekimura
Roger & Kay Shanks
Joseph Shillmoeller & Pauline
Feltner
Janet & Ross Shoger
Hallam & Yasuko Shorrock
Lourdes Sison
Jerry L. Slagle
Brooks Smith
Bardwell & Charlotte Smith
Rachel Smith
Rosemary B. Smith
Shaylene Smith
Sue Speed (in honor of J.B.
Hoover)Charles & Beatrice Stagg
Phil & Valerie Stichter
Virginia Stowe
Laure Sullivan
Somyot Suparpornhamin
Mary Lou & Dick Sutton
Keitha & Jim Swaim
Donald & Evelyn Sweetser
Sachi Taketa
Sopa Tamachotipong
Marjorie Tarr
Stephen Tarr & Janet Vorvick
Carol Tashie
Sara Tedeschi
Robert & Hazel Terhune
Richard H. Thorngren
Ruby Ann Tom
Grant & Leslie Toschi
Jim & Kathryn Treece
William H. Turnquist
Deane & Donna Uhl
Glenn & Ruth Van Haitsma
Marie Varley
Harold & Lillian Velasquez
Bryan & Michelle Verity
Lillian B. Ward
Stephen & Jane Waters
Richard & Marilyn Weldon
Julia Wenker
Elizabeth West
Walden & Carolyn Whitehill
Pallop & Karen WilairatCharles & Carolyn Williams
Claire Willis
Sharon Wilson & Van Bobbitt
Eimert & Eve VanHerwijnen
H. Boyd & Jeanette Woodruff
Clyde & Betsy Work
Roy Yamaki
Shari & Tru Yamamoto
Mary Lois Yegerlehner
Lawrence Young
George & Helen YoungEli Zigas
Arlene Zivitz
Karen Zurlo

Overseas Institutional Supporters
This list is inclusive of contributions given as general donations
toward ARI’s Rural Leaders Training Program, Disaster Reconstruction,and the 40th Anniversary Capital Campaign.
American Friends of ARI
Aldersgate UMC, Palo Alto, CA
Antioch Methodist Church, Korea
ARI Graduates of India
ARI Graduates of Indonesia
ARI Graduates of Thailand
ARI Graduate Association of Manipur
ARUGA – ARI Graduate Association of
the Philippines
Berkeley Methodist United Church, CA
Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist,
Victoria, BC
Church of the Brethren
Church Communities Inc.
Church of the Resurrection UMC, Leawood, KS
Community Presbyterian Church, Kendall Park, NJ
Covenant Baptist Church, Houston, TX
Dae Myoung Church, Korea
Dandelion Community, Korea
Dream Methodist Church, Korea
Edinburgh Korean Presbyterian Church, Scotland
Energy Market Innovations, Seattle, WA
Episcopal Church Women of Hawaii
Eun Kang Methodist Church, Korea
First Central Congregational Church, UCC,
Omaha, NE
First Church in Oberlin, OH
First Congr. Church of Dunbarton, UCC, NH

First Congregational Church Branford, UCC, CT
First Congregational Church in Amherst, UCC, MA
First Congregational Church of Fair Haven, VT
First Congregational Church of Westbrook, CT
First Congregational UCC, Crete, NE
First UCC, Northfield, MN
First UCC, Women's Fellowship, Crete, NE
First UMC, Manhattan, KS
First UMC, McAllen, TX
First UMC, Midland, TX
Global Ministries of the United Church of Christ
and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Grace Congregational, UCC, Rutland, VT
Harris UMC, Honolulu, HI
The Hartstra Foundation
Hurricane Flats Farm, South Royalton, VT
Iao Congregational Church, Wailulu, HI
Japan Mission Connection, Holland, MI
Je Ja Methodist Church, Korea
Justice and Witness Ministries of the UCC
Kailua Christian Church, UCC, HI
Laicos Methodist Church, Andover, MA
Liebfrauenschule, Germany
Mayfield Salisbury Parish, Edinburgh, Scotland
McConnellstown UMC, PA
Metzger UMC, Tigard, OR
Morgan Park UMC, Chicago, IL
Nam Bu Korean Methodist Church Council, Korea

Nazarene Compassionate Ministries
Nebraska Conference of the UCC
No San Methodist Church, Korea
Ocoee Oaks UMC, FL
Oh Mok Cheun Methodist Church, Korea
Overseas Japanese Family Dental P.L.L.C.
Palm Harbor UMC, FL
Parish of St. Clement, Honolulu, HI
Radical Roots Farm, Rutland, VT
San Luis Obispo UMC, CA
Santa Maria Japanese Community Center Jets
Relief Fund
Sa Rang Bang Presbyterian Church, Korea
Se Shin Methodist Church, Korea
St. Alban’s Anglican-Episcopal Church, Japan
St. James Thrift Shop, Keene, NH
The Episcopal Church of St. Martin
The Episcopal Church of St. Martin, Davis, CA
The Last Resort, Bristol, VT
The United Church of Christ, Scribner, NE
Trinity UMC, Pearl City, HI
Unilever United States Foundation, Inc.
United Church of Canada
United Church of Christ in Simi Valley, CA
United Church of Dorset & East Rupert, VT
United Church of Ludlow, VT
United Methodist Church – General Board for
Global Ministries
United Methodist Committee on Relief
Wesley UMC, San Jose, CA
West Jersey Presbytery
West Tokyo Union Church, Japan

Domestic Supporters

Scholarship Supporters

The many Japanese individual and institutional donors arelisted in the Japanese version of the Annual Report and theJapanese language newsletter

Contributors of academic scholarships or travel grants
American School in Japan Swim
Team
Asian Rural Welfare Association(ARWA)
Episcopal Relief and Development
Evangelical Lutheran Church ofAmerica
Global Ministries of the United
Church of Christ and theChristian Church (Disciples
of Christ)
Guelph Rotary ClubThe Hartstra Foundation
Japan Evangelical Lutheran
Association
JASSO

Methodist Church of Britain
Osaka Community Foundation
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Rotary Yoneyama Memorial
Foundation, Inc.
Sacred Heart
Tochigi Business Association
United Church of Christ in Japan(UCCJ) – EcumenicalCommittee
United Evangelical Mission
United Methodist Church –General Board for Global
Ministries
United Methodist Women
Wakachiai Project

Disaster Reconstruction
Contributors of over ten thousand dollars

ARI director Rev. Otsu (left) with Rev. Takayanagi, director of the
Theological Seminary for Rural Mission in Machida

American Friends of ARIBrethren Service Center
Canossa Sisters (Japan)
Caritas Japan
Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe
Episcopal Relief and Development
Evangelical Lutheran Church ofAmerica
Evangelische Missionswerk in
Südwestdeutschland
Guelph Rotary ClubInternational Christian University
Glee Club Graduated Members
Japan Lutheran Emergency Relief
Kojimachi Catholic Church
Korean Christian Church in Japan
Partners International JapanTokyo Union Church
United Church of Canada
United Church of Christ (USA)
United Methodist Committee on
Relief15

Financial ReportStatement of Financial Activities
April 1, 2011 - March 31, 2012

Notice to Financial Statements* Exchange rate: ARI accounting is off icially(US$)*

Operating Revenue

2011 Budget

2011 Actual2012 Budget

Scholarships and Fees (1)TuitionEntrance fee
Contributions for board
Contributions for lodging
Contributions for transportation
Domestic individual donation
Domestic institutional donation
Overseas individual donation
Overseas institutional donation
Fees for graduation certificate
Donations
GeneralARI Supporters Association (ARISA)
40th Anniversary Capital Campaign
Special donations(Designated for disaster recovery)
Grants for special projects
Miscellaneous revenue

289,761
25,256
2,078
5,820
5,820
5,745
0
112,1400132,903250
5,291,971
390,624
187,734
66,5704,647,042(4,130,148)
39,80023,442

291,172
26,057
2,078
6,020
6,020
5,955
0
112,1400132,902375
4,491,517
483,551
195,343
66,7013,710,572(3,180,786)
39,80024,277403,096
48,1603,054
12,916
12,916
10,294
0
157,7970
157,959275
3,140,164
311,638
187,734
12,5162,628,276(2,503,120)
31,03923,154

Total operating revenue

5,645,224

4,847,140

3,597,728

Personnel (3)Education and Research
General and administrative(Disaster recovery)
Total operating expenses
Net operating gain (loss)
Non-operating revenue (expenses)
Investment Income
Interest & dividends
Accommodation user fees
Interest expenses
Interest expense on loans
Interest expense on school bonds
Sales and special services (4)Sales costs
Gain (loss) from sale of assets
Net non-operating gain (loss)

894,573
153,128
376,094(498,120)
1,423,795
4,221,429

853,401
166,105
1,131,551(760,746)
2,151,057
2,696,083

819,772
253,065
623,691(250,312)
1,696,528
1,901,200

18,961
188
18,773(18,773)(12,516)(6,258)187,859(16,270)0171,777

24,492
1,185
23,307(25,803)(16,983)(8,820)225,208(17,878)0
206,019

20,651626
20,025(19,875)(13,504)(6,370)250,662(35,056)
0216,382

Net gain (loss) for 2011

4,393,206

2,902,102

2,117,582

recorded in Japanese yen. Dollar equivalents
have been stated in this report for theconvenience of international supporters according
to the 2011 average exchange rate of US$1 =¥79.90(1) As ARI seeks to train some of the mostmarginalized people in the world. Neither intl’
participants nor their sending bodies are able tohandle the costs of training. These expenses arecovered by scholarships and contributions madeby individuals and organizations. Japaneseparticipants pay their own tuition and fees.
(2) Details of operating expenses are listed on the
opposite page(3) Does not include salaries paid for two
missionary staff by their supporting churches(4) Revenue generated from seminars, fee-based
short term training, and sales of farm produce,
processed goods, and handicrafts
AFARI: Donations for 2011 totaled $155,454
designated for operating expenses, disasterreconstruction, and the 40th Anniversary CapitalCampaign

Operating expenses (2)Donation
Categories

A
B
D
E

A Scholarships 6.0%
B General donations 15.2%
C 40 Anniv. Capital Campaign 1.4%
D Special donations 11.8%
E Disaster recovery 65.6%thAccumulated gain (Loss):
Beginning balanceEnding balance(3,468,746)
12,187(3,468,746)
2,133,809

2,099,118
0Self Sufficiency in ARIThis financial report does not reflect the value of ARI's own farm goods that were supplied to the kitchen and foodprocessing section which came to an approximate total of US$70,000 in 2011. This figure represents a 60% reduction in
ARI’ s food self-sufficiency rating, which was caused by the radioactive contamination of the soil. To make up for the
shortage, vegetables valued at $5,500 were purchased from the Aino Organic Farmers Group using a donation given
specifically for this purpose.

16

CStatement of Financial Position
As at March 31, 2011 and 2012
(US$)*

Notes (continued from left page)(3) Operating expenses in detail:

Assets

3/31/2011

Fixed Assets
Property
40th anniv. endowment
Scholarship endowment
Scholarship fundSecurities / shares
Telephone rights
Retirement fundDepositCurrent Assets
Cash & savings
Stock (livestock, rice, etc.)
Accounts receivable
Sales items
Other

5,228,039
4,237,987
82,813
902,418
0
2,740
813
0
59
752,574
630,7140
22,32914,27285,2597,418,890
6,090,115
6,081
904,859
375,468
2,740
813
37,54759
1,047,226
769,677
119,655
37,763
17,394
102,737

Total Assets

5,980,613

8,466,115

3/31/2012

Liabilities and Net Assets
Fixed Liabilities
Long term loans
School bonds
Current Liabilities
Short term loans
School bonds
Accounts payable
Consumer tax payable
Other

1,231,410
889,233
342,177
1,759,046
944,928
633,790
60,0795,786
114,464

1,426,027
876,718
549,310
1,221,374
838,545
253,566
22,386
3,964
102,913

Total Liabilities

2,990,456

2,647,401

Net assets
Designated funds
Accumulated gain & loss

(2011 actual)
Personnel

853,401

Faculty352,125

Staff and other personnel

501,276

Education & Research

166,105

Student stipends

34,045

Study tours

21,828Agricultural training costs

49,678Travel: domestic for students

863

Travel: intl students

30,302

Course materials

1,931

Research

1,581

Medical3,773

Staff training

1,741

Alumni association support

250

Project costs

645

Special lectures

5,655

Utilities

7,479

Miscellaneous expenditures

6,258

Sales cost
Administration

0
1,131,280

Office supplies

6,347

Utilities

31,758Transportation for staff

8,442

Fund raising

22,221

Vehicle fuel13,516

Vehicle maintenance

30,915General maintenance

6,247

Communications

9,204

General and administrative

68,706

Publications

7,154

Insurance

2,458

Rental expenses

17,157

Taxed & public dues

5,205

Membership fees

2,323

Conferences

4,541

Commission fees

13,934

Special events

791

Public relations

1,663

Medical6,458,903(3,468,746)

7,952,523(2,133,809)

259

Sales costs

17,873

Miscellaneous expenses

750,567

including disaster damage
repairTotal Net Assets
Total Liabilities and Net Assets

ARI vs. Nuclear Waste
Nuclear power plants have the ability to
produce massive amounts of power for
the world’ s insatiable hunger for energy.
One stubborn little problem, however(other than the fact that these “safe”
plants tend to explode from time to time)is that they produce waste that is dangerously radioactive for thousands ofyears. Since currently we have no means
to eliminate spent nuclear fuel, otherthan burying it, we are depending on thebrilliance of future generations to handle
this problem for us. Presently there is apool full of fuel rods suspended 30 meters
above the ground in reactor #4 of the
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant; astructure severely weakened by the

2,990,157
5,980,613

5,818,714
8,466,115

tsunami. Removing these rods is only thefirs t in a series of hazardous s teps,
toward which there is not yet any final
resolution.
Of course the ARI farm produces waste
too, which can be pretty smelly! It comesfrom the animals, the kitchen, and eventhe gardens. However, these materials
can be cycled back into the system andserve to enrich the earth rather thanpoison it. “Waste” is eliminated at ARI by
making it a resource. After forty years ofliving a simple life of farming, theamount of hazardous waste accumulatedon this campus is zero. Which system doyou want to entrust to provide for theneeds of our children’s children?

Depreciation allowance

110,000

Total operating expenses

2,150,541

Auditors’ Statement
e above duly audited financial statements
have been prepared by the Fujinuma Tax andAccounting Service, Inc. and approved by the
ARI auditors, Mr. Akira Funatsu and Mr. Tokichika Harada. All the documents were properly
kept and there were no irregularities.
May 8, 2012
Auditor: Akira Funatsu

Auditor: Tokichika Harada

17

PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
PAID
SO. MD 207
Permit #1368

American Friends of the

Asian Rural Institute
Rural Leaders Training Center - Japan

c/o J.B. Hoover
1121A N 94th st.
Seattle, WA 98103
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTEDCAMEROONINDONESIAMYANMAR

SIERRA LEONE

Mr. Ataba JudeFonsahMr. Syamsul Asinar

Mr. Paing Kui

Konsorsium
Pembaruan
Agraria

Kanpetlet Township
Baptist Association

Ms. Fatmata Kamara
Francess

INDONESIAMYANMARSRI LANKA

Ms. Lidia Hotmaida
NaibahoMs. Bya Myar

Mr. Karagoda
Pathiranage
Malsha ArunodthMushroom Training& Research Center(MUPTAREC)

F.S.
MICRONESIA
Mr. Glorian Dahioboi

Mabang Community
Development Project

Ohwa Christian HighSchool and College

Petrasa Foundation

Kay Htyoe Boe
Traditional
Youth Association

HAITI

INDONESIAMYANMAR

THAILANDMr. Jean Gontran
Delgrace

Ms. Lilin Surianti
Zendrato

Ms. May Su Win

Ms. Kassirin Phiboon

Eglise Methodisted'Haiti

Pelmas BNKP

Practical Field Study
Farm

Institute for a
Sustainable
Agricultural
Community

INDIA

JAPAN

NEPAL

ZIMBABWE

Mr. Siby Mathew
Periakkottil

Mr. Yasutomo Kido

Mr. Bihari ChaudharyRev. Munetsi Hokonya

BASE – Backward
Society Education

Methodist Church in
Zimbabwe

TRAINING
ASSISTANT

WayanadVanamoolika
Samrakshana
Sangam

INDIA

MYANMARPHILIPPINES

Fr. Clement Raja

Rev. James San Aung

Sts. Joachim & Anne
Church -Sivagangai
Catholic Diocese

Myanmar Lutheran
ChurchMs. May Grace
Maglangit-Maboloc
Water, Agro-forestry,
Nutrition andDevelopment
Foundation, Inc.

SannasaDevelopment
Foundation

LIBERIAMs. Miatta Roberts
Sirleaf
Church Aid
Incorporated

facebook: “Asian Rural Institute”