Tanabe

Onderstaande informatie komt direct van onze partnerorganisatie en wordt daarom niet in het Nederlands weergegeven.

This project is actively working for SDG2 (Zero Hunger) and SDGs 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), organized together with Akitsugawa Promotion Group (APG) since 2024. Tanabe City and Minabe Town in Wakayama Prefecture are Japan's largest ume(plums)-growing areas. Over 400 years ago, firewood forests were left around plum groves and near ridges on steep slopes to support plum production by recharging water sources, supplying nutrients and preventing slopes from collapsing. The bees that inhabit the wood and coal forests also help pollinate the plums. In addition, the wood and charcoal forests produce Kishu-binchotan, a top-quality charcoal made from Japanese oak logs, and a wood and charcoal forest management method called 'selective logging' has been devised, which can quickly regenerate logs and is not found elsewhere in the region. However, the region is also suffering from an ageing population and declining birth rate, and sustainable agriculture, particularly plum farming, is in danger due to a lack of manpower. An international workcamp was organised with the aim of communicating the plum and the region's attractions to volunteers from home and abroad, and connecting them to the next generation. In addition, rich Japanese food centred on rice. APG would like to think together about expanding the consumption of ume as a side dish.