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The Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund

Introduction to Grant Projects

Cansya

The Living with Nature Project

Activity grant

Project Description

Although there are concerns about the decline and aging of Japan's farming population, there are currently few opportunities for children to connect with nature, and the lack of a concrete image of what agricultural work involves could limit their employment options in the future. This project focuses on the basic human need of 'food', providing a venue for children to interact with nature by growing rice and vegetables, holding events from the planting of seedlings through to harvesting. Through this process, the children can learn things such as the connection between farming and the organisms living in agriculturual habitats, giving them a greater appreciation of nature.

Fields
Preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem
Grant year
FY2008 Activity Grants
Grant term
1 year
April 2009- March 2010
Grant amount
605,000 yen
Activity region
Hokkejicho, Nara, Japan
A sweet potato growing event for children

Overview of the Organization

Hiroyoshi Idate, Representative Director
Representative
Hiroyoshi Idate, Representative Director
Establishment
2006
Establishment purpose
Cansya operates as a venue to conduct educational and other activities to remind people of the benefits of mountains, woodland, and forests where animals co-exist with nature. However, we think people today aren't very aware that if these forests and woodlands are not maintained by humans, they will deteriorate. Cansya conducts events and social education activities involving these forests and woodlands in order to increase people's knowledge and bring them closer to nature.
Main areas of activity
Hokkejicho and the Mima area, Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan
Staff
19 full members
Annual operating budget
130,000 yen in 2006, 1.31 million yen in 2007, 1.69 million yen in 2008
Recent activities
  • (1) Environmental education
  • The Living with Nature Project - grant project
  • Being carried out on idle farmland between April 2009 and March 2010 with the goal of getting children and their guardians to cultivate crops such as sweet potatoes together. This is acheived by holding three major annual events (planting, vine cutting, harvesting), and work days (for weeding, etc.) once a month.
  • (2) Restoring semi-wild woodland functions on idle farmland in Nara's Mima area. This includes tree thinning over about 1ha in the three years since 2006. We are also reclaiming and maintaining farmland in Hokkejicho that has been left unused for over eight years (about 760ha).