Speaker Archive
Osamu Arakawa
Associate Director and Farm Manager
https://gyazo.com/dd290065bf13c074d9788facfe34c8be
Osamu is the associate director and farm manager at ARI. He has worked and lived as an agricultural advisor in Tanzania, Nepal and East Timor. He is an expert on organic farming and Foodlife work at ARI.
Masanobu Sakurai (Masa)
Crops and Vegetables Section Leader
https://gyazo.com/b857746413f76d7eee8f208336d74b3b
Masa joined the ARI faculty in 2016. He spent 20 years in Thailand working on organic agriculture. With knowledge of agriculture in both tropical and temperate climates, he is currently the leader of the crops and vegetables section at ARI.
Yuta Kimura
2020 Graduate. 2021 Graduate Intern - Poultry section and Sales section
https://gyazo.com/7ff69a07bf0ef2c9a8ff363441ef5d9b
Yuta wants to continue learning about many aspects of agriculture including; improvement of soil, food processing, marketing, and chickens. Yuta plans to refine his skills in chick rearing and product sales to help him become an effective JOCV in Kenya. Through his knowledge gained at ARI he plans to be a teacher for the next generation.
Hiroka Komatsubara
2020 Graduate. 2021 Graduate Intern - Crops and Vegetables Section
https://gyazo.com/93cd9e1989c1921873b69e1cbd84add2
Hiroka's vision is to support rural villagers in developing countries as an agricultural resource person. She wants to share her knowledge of organic farming, along with sharing the dangers of chemicals, the importance of biodiversity and the connection between food and life. She wants to work alongside the local people to help solve their daily problems and concerns and to create a positive change in their lives.
Tomoko Arakawa
Director of ARI
https://gyazo.com/fde566d330f6fb2160875da1e0cdbc87
Tomoko is the director of ARI, she gives lectures on leadership and Participatory Learning and Action. She has taught about education, leadership, and gender in Japan, the US, and other countries for over 20 years.
Takashi Yamashita
Fund Raising, Domestic Programs Coordinator
https://gyazo.com/e9ac4a47c8508e3fea54d3f0c45c11c5
Takashi is the Fund Raising and Domestic Programs Coordinator and he has been working at ARI for 10 years. His passions are peace building and sustainability and he enjoys spending time in the outdoors.
Ryo Maki
2019 Graduate. 2020 Graduate Intern - Livestock section
https://gyazo.com/98635f56440766de6a33ce42d2e4693a
Ryo is a 2019 graduate of ARI and a 2020 GI (graduate intern). He studied agriculture in university and continued to expand his knowledge here at ARI. He will become a staff member in March, his work will be with the pigs in the Livestock section.
Manosi Abe Chatterjee
Admissions and Recruitment Coordinator
https://gyazo.com/3bfc831cdd2e1e3469f40b36472fa558
Manosi began life at ARI as a long term volunteer in 2016. Since then, she researched the issue of food insecurity and poverty in Japan through her Master's in Sustainability Science. She rejoined ARI as the Admissions Coordinator in 2019. She loves soil and believes in the capacity of sustainable human relationships!
ARI Volunteers
https://gyazo.com/6202ef9f44f0d7be9f653046931a27f4
At ARI, there are currently 12 volunteers. Nine Japanese volunteers, one from Taiwan, and two from the United States. At ARI, they work in sections ranging from the farm, to livestock, the office, sales, and to the FEAST section that cooks our meals. The current age range is from 19-60.
Hiromi Sato
Fundraising, Domestic Operations, Sales
https://gyazo.com/be09117bccaa1a36f13023248f54a414
Hiromi has been working at ARI since 2008 and is currently in charge of the sales section. She promotes ARI products at various fests and marches (markets) but more importantly, connects the work of ARI with many supporters outside of the local ARI community.
Gilbert Hoggang (Jil)
2004 Graduate, Livestock Staff (Pig Section)
https://gyazo.com/ee7fe6801a06c8fc785f8525c37a7edf
Jil is a 2004 graduate of ARI from the Philippines. He joined ARI as a staff member in 2008 and takes care of our pigs in the livestock section. He is passionate about community and the true meaning of "development" and challenges our community in deepening our understanding of such issues.
Rev. Kashiko Goh
https://gyazo.com/f57e180663932344daf463a6083895dd
Rev. Kashiko Goh is a former pastor of Hachioji Eiko Church. After retiring, she moved to Nasu. For 29 years, she was a member of the Women's Association of the Christian Church in Japan and was involved in the homestay program with ARI.
Yuko Emura
Fundraising, Domestic Operations, Supporters Support
https://gyazo.com/a276d046951acc2d0a31c7848352efab
Yuko was a volunteer at ARI in 2020 and 2021 and in March of 2021 she became a part of the office staff. Yuko studied Music Theory at University and now uses her musical talents often at ARI.
Moe Koyama
Farmer, Gururi Farm
2009 Graduate, 2010 Graduate Intern
https://gyazo.com/cc64b7f2da1214b2731c564543b09979
Originally from Osaka, her motto is: "bochibochi" , "slowly, step by step"
She studied at ARI with the dream of living in a farming village.
She now lives with her husband in a rural village in the mountainous area of Iga City, Mie Prefecture, where they farm organically, growing mainly rice and seasonal vegetables, respecting local cycles and connections.
Kaoru Kobayashi
2018 Graduate, 2019 Graduate Intern
https://gyazo.com/a098cf223a7bd555035c93575576b862
Born in Yokohama, she worked as an office worker in Tokyo for 7 years before studying at ARI. After graduating from ARI, she happened to make a stop in Hokkaido but decided to stay on there. She is currently learning more about agriculture in Iwamizawa, central Hokkaido, where she works in a wine vineyard and vegetable farm.
Richelle dela Paz
2019 Graduate, Philippines
https://gyazo.com/8647bbbf169c60f4bc86c0e75e522b75
Though born and raised in the city, I also advocate for simple yet meaningful countryside life.
Currently, I am working towards building a demo farm showcasing indigenous & innovative farming techniques. We will start to offer free farm trainings for farmers, youth, and farm enthusiasts once the farm becomes fully operational.
With this effort I hope to create a network of cooperation between rural and urban dwellers through food exchange.
Cornelio Masunong
2019 Graduate, Philippines
https://gyazo.com/0d9868ae563d60c6aeacfd658e52a885
(Corns, on the right)
Currently working in the Lifehouse Tipo farm in Zambales, Philippines, where they rear pigs and chickens while growing vegetables. They are also producing biogas. Corns is also working with ARI graduates from Zambales to establish an ARIGA (ARI Graduates Association) cooperative Zambales chapter. They are also trying to work with the CDA (Cooperative Development Authority) Government authorities in order to improve living conditions.
Goichi Miyamoto
https://gyazo.com/e702db904f3791c7b4f0c611d5bcbd96
Born in Tokyo in 1978, he moved to Nasu-machi, Tochigi Prefecture from Tokyo after spending a year in Australia in 2000. He has been working on "Rear Car Coffee UNICO" which is a coffee stall made from a rear car, and "Hamburger Cafe UNICO" which specializes in hamburgers, and in 2010 he organized "Nasu Asaichi", a marche in the Nasu area involving producers and businesses in Nasu. -In 2014, he opened his own shop "Chus", and in 2018, he started working with a dairy farmer to develop the famous Nasu confectionary "Butter no itoko" (Butter's cousin).
Joshua Ofori Suttah
2020 Graduate, Ghana
https://gyazo.com/780177d0f2d2d36a5d2476a788b73013
Martin Kirigia Gikunda
2020 Graduate, Kenya
https://gyazo.com/2e546c8928d4344848cb6a995654d6be