The Curriculum
The Curriculum Standards
The ARI curriculum is based on the training program which was created through 50
years of experience of living out ARI’s mission. It also links this experience with thecurrent needs of the world. The basis of our training and life at ARI consists of thethree pillars of the ARI Rural Leaders Training. These conceptual pillars include:
Servant Leadership, Foodlife, and Community of Learning.
The ARI curriculum includes classroom sessions, Foodlife work (Crops & Vegetables,
Livestock, FEAST section), Foodlife Management Activities, Practical Field Study,
farm work, reflection paper writing, observation trips, home stay programs, self-study,
oral presentations, consultation and reflection, community events, community workand special events (e.g. foundation day, school fellowship and HTC). However, allaspects of community life and activities are valuable time and resources for training.
ARI CurriculumClassroom
SessionReflection

Foodlife Work
C&V
Livestock
FEAST

Paper
Writing

Observation
trip

Fellowship

Presentation

Self-study

Farm Work

Consultation

Foodlife
Management
Activities

Practical
Field Study

Discussion

Morning Gathering
Cleaning

Community Life
Dorm Life

Home stay

In order to meet both ARI requirements and government standards for organizedtraining hours, the Asian Rural Institute provides 1,760 hours of training. Because
time is limited, training is tightly scheduled from April until December. Fullparticipation in all curriculum activities and submission of all necessary reports
is required for the successful completion of the training program.
We do not provide an academic degree, and we do not promote industrialized
agricultural technology, such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides or large scalemono-cultures. Much of the learning takes place through the simple acts of living incommunity, working on farm, and sharing food, to know the best ways for grass-root
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rural community. We even can say that “ARI learning is not for participants themselves,
but for the people back home.”
Upon completion of the program, participants are issued a "Certificate of Graduation."
No personal holidays are allowed for participants during weekdays unless there
is a special request from an organization or a group. For permission to take a
weekday off, an official letter must be sent to the ARI Director. All community
members are expected to participate in morning and evening Foodlife workwhen they are on campus even when there is no special curriculum scheduled.
Saturday schedule: We have morning exercise, cleaning and Morning foodlife work
Saturday general cleaning: One a month, 9:00-10:00,
Dorm general cleaning: One a month, 10:00-11:00
Weekend + Holiday Schedule: Special schedule for foodlife work
* see page D-18 for all information about the foodlife work schedule.

Purpose and Three Pillarsof ARI’s Rural Leaders Training Program

The purpose of the ARI Training Program is to discover the meaning of the motto“That We May Live Together.” Humans, nature and all living creatures are God’s
creation and we must live together on Earth; however we all know how difficult this is.
Failure to live together is the cause of many problems in the world.
Food is the result of the joint work of God, nature and human beings. Therefore, westrongly believe that in order to value all life on Earth, sharing food is essential; bysharing food we may live together.
“Let us create a worldin which life and the food that sustains life
have the highest value”

That We May Live Together

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The three pillars which support ARI training are:Servant Leadership – A truly effective leader is one who serves; one who works at
the level of the people, and lives a life that is an example and an inspiration for people
to reach their highest potential.
Foodlife – is a special word used at ARI to show that food and life cannot be
separated; both depend upon each other. ARI is a place that values the soil –including the farmers and rural communities that work the soil – and finds dignity andsatisfaction in producing food with our own hands.
Community of Learning – ARI is a place where we can learn with and from one
another. We come as people of different cultures, ethnics and faiths, choosing to live
and grow together through our differences and difficulties. In our life together, we work
toward the goal of becoming effective servant leaders.

Foodsovereignty
Dignity of labor
Value of rurallife
To live inharmony withnatureFoodlife

EmpoweringtheMarginalized

Community
Building
Independent
Learning

Spiritual
GrowthLearning by
Doing

Personal
GrowthEquality

Awareness(Mindfulness)
Servant Leadership

Community of Learning

That We May Live Together
Life of sharing

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Diversity

Daily Activities
Daily Schedule
Monday to Friday (special schedule under COVID)
Time
6:30 - 6:35 am

Activities
Morning Exercise

6:35 - 7:00

Cleaning Chore (FEAST section 6:35-8:00)

7:00 - 8:00

Morning Foodlife Work

8:15 - 9:30

Breakfast & Break

9:30 - 10:10

Morning Gathering

10:20 - 12:20

Morning Activities

12:30 - 1:30 pm

Lunch & Break

1:30 - 3:30

Afternoon Activities

4:00 - 5:00

Evening Foodlife work (FEAST section 5:00-6:30)

5:00 - 6:30

Independent Learning Hour (self-study hour)

6:30 - 7:30

Supper & Break

7:30 - 9:30

Free (Evening Meetings, Other Activities, etc.)

9:30

Night Patrol

SaturdayTime
6:30 - 6:35 am

Activities
Morning Exercise

6:35 - 7:00

Cleaning Chore (FEAST section 6:35-8:00)

7:00 - 8:00

Morning Foodlife Work

8:15

Breakfast

12:30 pm

Lunch

6:30

Supper

9:30

Night Patrol

Once a month, we have “Saturday general cleaning” 9:00-10:00
Sunday and Holiday
Only weekend and holiday assignment (no morning exercise)
Sunday breakfast : 8:00
Holiday breakfast : 8:15 (same as other weekday)

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Beginning the Day Together: Morning Exercise
It is the first gathering of the community.
Before breakfast, before Foodlife Work,
before any other activity, we gather andgreet each other. In every kind of weather-rain, snow, cold and hot, -- we gather. Even
when most community members are away,
the rest of us will gather.

It is a contact point.
A community such as ARI, (which eat our
food from our own farm,) must often change
our schedule according to the weather or theneeds of others. In such a community, goodcommunication between all members is very
important. This is the first contact point of
the day to share information.

It is exercise.
Before any physical activity, such as
cleaning and Foodlife work, it is important towarm up our muscles by stretching. This isespecially true for those of us who begin
work in the fields directly after waking up in
the morning, so that we feel ready to workwithout fear of injury.

It is prayer.
As we exercise, greet each other, and share
information, we participate actively increation and greet our Creator as acommunity. Each community member takes
turns leading prayer, often in different
languages, to our God. With thanks andpraise, we pray for guidance and renewal
and ask for God’s blessing upon our
activities.

Cleaning and Foodlife Work
In order to sustain our own community, we must take time to do daily cleaning and Foodlife
work. They are central to the Rural Leaders Training Program at ARI. As we do our regularcleaning chores and Foodlife work, we learn together by working together. By hard work andconstant effort, we try to keep our surroundings clean and sanitary and our Foodlife as healthy
as possible. This is also important place to practice "leadership".
For a detailed description of Foodlife work see section D.

Morning Gathering
This 40 minute period each weekday morning is one of the most important times of our day,when all members of the Community come together for spiritual reflection. The time is to be
used for your personal meditation, leaving five to ten minutes for welcoming newcomers,
reports and announcements.
For a detailed description of Morning Gathering see section C.

Night Patrol
All of ARI community member have responsibility to keep our campus in safe. In our history,
we lost our Dining hall by fire in 1983. After that incident, we started night patrol duty. Eachcommunity member takes turns and one or two people check around our campus.
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Practical application of the curriculum<Hands-on Training>
Foodlife Management Acttivity (FMA)
This division of the training curriculum will offer participants an opportunity to improve upon
what they are learning by practicing and therefore making use of their accumulated learning.
At the same time, it will give them the responsibility to manage their designated sections.
Participants will be divided into groups. Each group will be given management responsibility in
the ARI fields, livestock (goats, pigs, poultry), FEAST and forest management, with thesupport of staff, TA/GI and volunteers assigned to each section.
Once a week, participants will have a Foodlife Management Activity session. During eachsession, there will be a practical lecture, workshop, discussion or sharing on leadership andfarming skills in order to help us live peacefully with other people and with nature, and todeepen our understanding of the meaning of “Foodlife.”
Participants will receive additional opportunities to use their ARI training in the following areas:

Integrated Organic Agricultural Techniques
Working in both livestock and field sections
will help participants understand the defined
relationship of animals, plants and othermicroorganisms that are central tointegrated organic farming.

Planning and Management
Each group will create their own weekly
work schedules and practice their own plans
together, with the advice and guidance of
the assigned staff.
Group Dynamics and Participatory Decision
MakingFMA sessions support group participation in
all activities. All group members are to havean equal voice in decision-making.
Participants of different races and cultures
are to work together to achieve goals; thediversity of this group will be a challenging,interesting, unique, and exceptionallyvaluable opportunity for participants of the
training program.

Leadership
Each group will have a leader to facilitateand coordinate group work, and plan
activities. The leader will lead the group for acertain period and at the end of his/her term,
he/she will reflect on his/her performance
together with group members. Group
leadership will rotate so that each participant
will have the opportunity to serve as a groupleader.
Using Local Resources
Learning to identify and use resources thatare available locally is an important part ofpracticing sustainability. FMA sessions will
give participants many opportunities topractice and gain awareness of theimportance of utilizing the local resources intheir home communities.

Sharing Indigenous Knowledge
Most of the participants are experienced
leaders and farmers, which indicates thatthey are good resource persons. FMA will
provide opportunities for each participant toshare his or her personal knowledge andskills.

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Practical Field Study (PFS)

Morning and Evening Foodlife WorkPFS sessions are set up to give both theory

Every morning and evening, we work for ourand hands-on knowledge of organic farming,

Foodlife. This is the time of production, at

animal rearing, and food processing

the same time this is the opportunity fortechniques.

participants

to

learn

and

practicesustainable agriculture and leadership.
PFS Classes

After the orientation period, participants will

Bokashi (quick compost)

be divided into groups. Participants are

Compostresponsible for the management of their

Indigenous microorganisms (IMO)

assigned

Fermented plant juice (FPJ)

preparation. (see section D)

field,

livestock

and

meal

Fish amino acid (FAA)
Water soluble Calcium (WCA)

Farm work

Water soluble Calcium and Phosphate(WCAP)

Rice husk charcoal

In addition to morning and evening Foodlife

Wood charcoal and wood vinegar

work time, farm work (during the daytime)

Seed collection

will be scheduled 1-2 times a week toSoil block for seedlings

manage the necessary work to produce ourFermented feed

food. This work is primarily done by theMeat processing – sausage, hamparticipants and farm staff members.

Optional Seasonal Topics

Community Work

Chicken brooding
Pigs (AI, delivery, castration)

This is a time when all members of thecommunity will come together to work
towards a single goal for the good of ARI.
It is a celebration of community and of whatcanbeaccomplishedthroughgroup

cooperation.
Rice transplanting
Drainage cleaning
Rice harvest
Corn harvest and silage making
Autumn crops and vegetables harvest
Forest management
and more

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<Classroom Lectures>
ARI lectures relate to the changing environments our participants live and work in. Training staff
and guest lecturers will present many topics, and show different viewpoints on issues that areimportant to rural living.
There are three themes of study:
leadership, sustainable agriculture,and development issues. About half
the classroom lectures relate toleadership, one third to sustainableagriculture,and the rest to
development issues. The knowledge
gained from lectures is then applied
during practical field study, farmwork, and study trips.

Theme 1: Leadership

Theme 3: Development Issues

ARI participants will learn about different
patterns of leadership and reflect on theirroles in their home communities. Classroom
exercises, group projects, and presentations
will help participants develop theirleadership skills.

In this theme, participants will work together
to identify and gain a deep understanding of
the development issues our world is facing
today, including climate change. We will
make connections between global problems
and the changes facing our communities.
Through discussions and observation trips,
participants will sharpen their criticalanalysis and problem solving skills.

This theme will also try to reach a basic
understanding of spirituality. In rural life, weare directly connected with the work ofGod's creation. As we participate in God's
work to sustain and enrich life, we also learn
the discipline of serving others in the ARI
community and beyond.

Theme 2: Sustainable Agriculture
Participants will study important concepts
and strategies of sustainable agriculture.
We will focus on concepts of biodiversity
and self-reliance in agricultural production,utilization of local resources, and protectionof the natural environment.

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Here is a rough calendar for the lectures:
April:
Orientation and Community Building
Japanese Language Learning
Organic Farming
Credit Unions
Nutrition
Independent Learning

August:LeadershipTime Management
Pad Making
Japanese Organic Farming Movement inYamagata
Religion and Rural LifeMay:
LeadershipPeer Feedback
Report Writing
Writing to Reflect
History of the Nasu Canal
Religion and the Rural Leader
Rice Cultivation
Dangers of Chemical Farming
Team Building
Alternative Marketing Systems
Defining Rural Leadership
Future Planning
Feed Management

September:
Leadership
Ashio Copper Mine Pollution
Landscape Design and Community Forests
Environment and Development
Leading with Dignity
October:
Leadership
Meat Processing
Life After ARI (Graduate Seminar)
Fundraising
Making Biogas
November:Leadership
Climate Change Education
Charcoal and Wood Vinegar
Peace and Reconciliation

June:
Leadership
Poultry Management
Gender Issues
Dignity
Disease Control for Livestock
Listening
Localization
Natural Farming in Tropical Areas

December:Reflection
Oral Presentation

July:
Leadership
Participatory Learning and Action
Hygiene and Women’s Health
Climate Crisis Leadership

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<Observation Trips and Study Tours>
Observation trips and study tours are some of the very important activities in the training
program. Participants will travel through Japan to visit people, groups, and institutions that are
involved in community development efforts and social welfare.
These trips are planned between the classroom sessions of the training program. Participants
will be expected to take part in planning each trip and sharing their reflections after their return
to ARI.
The main goals of the Observation Trips and Study Tours are:
- To learn various skills, technologies, knowledge, information, and observation, which one
cannot gain on the ARI campus- To study patterns, images, and roles of leadership through meeting with various ruralleaders in Japan- To witness life in a "developed country," allowing for an opportunity to reflect on themeaning of development – its convenience, efficiency, and social services – as wellas its sacrifices – pollution, overwork, loss of community and family, isolation, etc.
- To observe the Japanese community while learning how the individual, the family andthe community fit into Japanese society- To experience fellowship with Japanese people and communities- To develop leadership skills and learn group dynamics- To appreciate natural beauty, history, and culture

Observation Trips
a. Observation trip to Nasu Canal,
Nasushiobara city
Participants will visit Nasu Canal,
which was developed in 1885 by local
people and farmers to learn ruralleadership in this city.

c. Ogawa Town, Saitama Prefecture
Participants will visit leading organic
farmers in Japan and study theirecologically sustainable way offarming.

b. Observation trips in Tochigi Prefecture:
Participants will visit organic farmers
and organizations such as:
Kinoshijuku (organic farmers’
school), Manmaru farm, Don
Kame compost center, NPO rice
research center, etc.

d. Observation trip to Ashio Copper
Mine, Tochigi Prefecture
Participants will visit historical sites ofenvironmental destruction caused bycopper mine pollution and learn from
Mr. Tanaka Shozo, a leader who
fought for the lives of the suffering
people and the environment.

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Study Tours
a. Rural Community Study Tour
Participants will have a chance to travel
through rural Japan in one of the main
agricultural regions of the country andobserve their reality. This program includes
observation trip, discussion, reflection,
written report and oral presentation about
the results of the study tour.

b. Western Japan Study TourIn November, participants will go on theWestern Japan Study Tour. This tour
focuses mostly on urban issues and social
welfare. Through visits to various institutions,participants learn how Japan deals withvarious social issues.
Place to visit (plan):Place to visit (plan):
Organic farms
Permaculture farm
Farmers' groupJapan Agricultural Cooperatives(JA)Food processing group
Municipal officeHamamatsu
Seirei Social Welfare Community
Osaka
Urban development issue
Minamata
Pollution and its effects on humans and theenvironment
Hiroshima
Peace issues

Rural Community Study Tour

ARI

Western Japan Study Tour

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<Other Requirements and Programs>
Reflection

Oral Presentations

The practice of self-reflection is necessary
for gaining the most from the ARI training
program. We encourage participants toactively reflect on the daily ARI curriculum,
activities, and on all they experience during
their time here – especially those things thatthey find different from their own culture orwayofthinking.
Throughseriousconsideration and self-reflection, we hopeparticipants will gain new perspective andunderstanding, and experience meaningfulpersonal growth.

In order to give the best possible report oflessons and experiences gained during the
ARI training program, participants will be
asked to present the results of their studies
several times. Participants will use
Independent Learning hours and their freetime for preparation of presentation.
Participants will be strongly encouraged tothink about how their learning can be used
to improve the situation back home,including why the learning is importantand how it relates to their work andleadership in their countries.

Reflection Paper

The Final Oral Presentation (just before
Commencement) will be based on eachparticipant's Reflection Paper & Report to
the Sending Body.
Each participant will make a timed
presentation. This presentation should beclear enough to be understood by rural
people. Use of audio or visual aids, chartsand drawings will be encouraged.
Both oral and written presentations are
crucialrequirements
forsuccessful
completion of the course.

This paper is to help Participants to think
more deeply about their experiences before
coming to ARI, their learning at ARI and theirvision for their future work and community.
The paper writing classes will guideparticipants in identifying their own
resources and the resources of theircommunities, how they have changed
through their experiences at ARI, their
dream/vision for their community after
leaving ARI.
The
preparation
andpresentation of this exercise will help
participants to develop important skills andshould be treated as part of theirself-training.
During the year, four "paper writing classes"
are given with writing assignments due
during the year. Participants will be required
to turn in the complete written assignment at
the beginning of November.
Participants will work with their consultants
to complete this assignment. Participants
will be expected to do their own typing. Staff
members and volunteers cannot be
typists. Computers are available for use.

Interviews
ARI Director will carry out two individualinterviews with each of the participants overthe course of the year to talk about andreflect upon their experiences and learning.
The schedule is as follows:
Initial interview (beginning of training)– needs and expectations– goal of learning
Final interview (the end of training)– sharing about overall learning andgrowth
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Independent Learning hourHomestay program (according to COVID

Every day 1-1.5 hour, participants will havesituation, might be canceled)time for their self-study and reflection. They

Duringare encouraged to stay in the classroom,

participants will have opportunities to stay inlibrary or other project sites. They can ask

a Japanese home in several places.

Western

Japan

Study

Tour,

additional questions to the lecturer, write
their report, sharing and discussion what

School Fellowshipthey learned, have an additional meeting or

Participants will have the opportunity to visitgroup discussion, personal project, readseveral Japanese schools to speak withbooks to study more, research, consultation,

Japanese students. Through this fellowship,counseling, Credit Union and many moreparticipants will observe the Japanesecreative ways.

educational system and share ideas with

Using this time in a meaningful way is theJapanese youth. Interaction with these

key to successful training in ARI. At the

young people will also help them to learn

beginning of the training, consultants will

about each participant's country.

help participants to set the learning goals.

Special Programs
Summer Individual Project (SIP)

We are often asked to take part in programs

One week in summer, participants canwith other organizations for the purposes ofconcentrate on deepening their ARI learninginternational cooperation and exchange.

according to the needs of their work and

These organizations can include schools,

community at home.

youth organizations, church groups, etc.

Goals of the Summer Individual Project are
to practice what they have learned in ARI bythemselves or with other participants, create
ideas for the future, and build confidence.
Participants can choose from various topics
to study for that week.

Phone Usage in Curriculum
Smart Phones and other personal electronic devices should not be used during class. Please
place them on vibrate or silent mode or turn them off. Some of you may want to use yourphone for taking pictures, recording talks, or using a dictionary. If you want to use for those
purposes, please get permission from lecturers and Curriculum staff.

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