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Traditional and Hi-tech Japanese Farm Tools

Hirata-san, our rice farming teacher, shows us here the traditional Japanese hand tool for weeding rice fields.  The wooden machine with the skis is old style.  The long pipe with the chains is Hirata-san’s original tool!  He is using ancient know-how, a simple hand pulled device, with modern ideas.  His new tool can do 10 rows at once, instead of one at a time like in the past.     This is the type of  re-innovation that organic farmers are developing to reduce the need for chemicals and still be able farm efficiently.