It's hard to have just cup noodles and sweet bread... Make and prepare vegetables March 12th 11:50am

When most people hear the phrase "disaster preparedness," they think of things like stockpiling water and preparing emergency bags.

However, it may be difficult to imagine how to prepare for leaving your home and living as an evacuee.

One of the concerns when living in an evacuation zone is prolonged is malnutrition.

If you continue to eat an unbalanced diet, you often become unwell.

In order to solve these problems, an initiative to "grow and prepare vegetables" has begun.

(Matsuyama Broadcasting Station Director Yumika Tamura)

Everyday instant food...

When major disasters occur, such as the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, there are cases where evacuation periods are prolonged.

When food availability is limited, instant foods and sweet breads are an easy way to replenish energy, but if you continue to consume them at every meal for a long period of time, they tend to be nutritionally unbalanced.

During a disaster, it is easy to feel stress and fatigue.

Lack of nutrition increases the risk of infectious diseases, and an unbalanced diet also increases the risk of high blood pressure.

Malnutrition during disasters can directly lead to life-threatening situations.

Resolving vegetable shortages during disasters with “Bina”

In an effort to solve this problem, Uwajima City, located in the southern part of Ehime Prefecture, has begun an initiative.

A field lined with beautifully grown vegetables such as cabbage, Chinese cabbage, and broccoli.

These are vegetables grown for disaster relief.

It is grown by a non-profit organization called BISAI-FARM.

It comes from the word "binai" which means "to prepare vegetables".

The representative, Akiko Hayashi, is a certified disaster prevention specialist and has focused her efforts on local disaster prevention activities.

Last year, when she attended a training session for female disaster prevention leaders held in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, she heard that there were victims who were falling ill due to a lack of vegetables in their evacuation areas. It is said that he came up with the idea of ​​​​Bina Farm.

BISAI-FARM Representative Akiko Hayashi: ``

I had heard that there would be a shortage of vegetables during disasters, and when I went on a field trip, I heard similar stories, so I thought we had no choice but to do this.''

We aim to have vegetables in the fields at all times, and in the event of a disaster, we envision a system in which the vegetables can be used for soup kitchens at evacuation centers in the area.

Using Tsushima Town, Uwajima City, where we are currently cultivating, as a model area, we plan to expand our fields to other areas of Uwajima City, Omishima Island in the Seto Inland Sea, and even neighboring Kagawa Prefecture.

There are currently 5 members.

On our own, we cannot grow enough vegetables to provide a sufficient supply in the event of a disaster.

To achieve this, we collaborate with other farmers.

We created groups on SNS for each district with the farmers we collaborated with.

The purpose is to communicate with each other in the event of an emergency so that each farmer can provide vegetables to areas in need.

In addition, we are planning a system in which we can collaborate with companies to provide vegetables in times of emergency.

Vegetables are usually used in single-parent households and children's cafeterias.

On the day we interviewed, approximately three containers of vegetables were harvested at Bina Farm.

Vegetables harvested during normal times are provided to local single-parent families.

Additionally, one of the members, Fumika Kimura, provides vegetables at the children's cafeteria she runs.

BISAI-FARM Fumika Kimura: ``

I'm very grateful to receive vegetables.I'm planning to run a children's cafeteria that can function as an independent disaster prevention organization in the event of a disaster, so if something happens, the vegetables won't be distributed.'' I'm grateful for that because I think there are times when I can give vegetables to people who want them.The prices of vegetables have been rising recently, so I think there are some people who can't eat them.''

The origin of our activities is our own experience of being affected by the disaster.

The representative, Mr. Hayashi, calls himself a ``disaster prevention geek.''

When I visited his home, I found a lot of disaster prevention goods.

My daughter Anan, who is in the second year of junior high school, also obtained her disaster prevention qualification when she was in elementary school.

In addition to the disaster preparedness supplies that her family had, she also prepared her own disaster prevention bag.

What sparked Hayashi's interest in disaster prevention was the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake that occurred 29 years ago.

At the time, I was living in Osaka, where I was a vocational school student, when the disaster struck.

He says he still remembers the scene when he was alone in his apartment building and was struck by a strong tremor.

Hayashi

: ``The doors to all the cupboards were open, and the refrigerator had moved more than a meter and was coming out in front of me. All I could do was crawl under the futon. I couldn't move. I couldn't even run away. I can't do it, I can't even stand up. It's the first time I've ever been shaken like that, and I still remember the scene at that time."

After returning to his hometown of Ehime, he experienced the Geiyo Earthquake in 2001, which had a seismic intensity of 6-lower in Hiroshima Prefecture and 5+ in Ehime Prefecture.

The fear of earthquakes remained in Hayashi's heart for a long time.

However, as she raised her children in her hometown, she gradually began to come to terms with it.

Hayashi

: ``When the earthquake happened, the only thing I could do to protect my children was to cover them.There was nothing I could do if I was still scared, and even if I was crushed under them and the children survived. , I thought there was nothing I could do if I hadn't been taught anything.Then I realized that I had to first admit that I was scared and overcome that fear.''

At the invitation of a friend, Mr. Hayashi obtained his disaster prevention qualification in 2019.

At the time, Uwajima City was suffering major damage from the heavy rains in western Japan.

Until then, I had been actively disseminating information about disaster prevention through local PTAs, etc., but after becoming an employee of an NPO, I began to put even more effort into local disaster prevention.

Our goal is to create a town where people can feel safe even after a disaster occurs.

Bina activities started last August, inviting fellow disaster prevention officers and others.

We used abandoned cultivated land and started mowing the grass.

This is the first time for all but one of the five members to try farming.

Despite the struggles, I have been growing vegetables.

The support of local people is a major source of strength in our activities.

Local businesses and farmers donated the materials needed for cultivation, such as seedlings and compost.

Seeing Hayashi and his friends enthusiastically coming to the nursery despite having a hard time dealing with insects and vermin, he gradually started helping with watering and other tasks.

Local children and high school students also participated in planting and harvesting seeds.

Mr. Hayashi says that one of the joys of his activities is the connections he develops with local people through farming.

Mr. Hayashi

: ``The children seemed to enjoy watching the vegetables they planted grow and harvesting them.The local people also came to harvest the vegetables.Every time we met, They remember my face and say, ``If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know.'' That kind of interaction is fun. It also includes intergenerational exchange where older people teach the children various things. I hope I can continue to do so.”

On this day as well, a person who grows vegetables in the neighborhood visited the field and was impressed, saying, ``It's hard to get things this beautiful.''

Bina's activities are also strengthening ties between local people.

At the root of Hayashi's activities is a desire to increase peace of mind after a disaster occurs.

BISAI-FARM representative Akiko Hayashi

: ``Isn't it tough for those who have survived?I want to eliminate even one part of the fatigue of those who survived.I want to be able to eat rice and vegetables.'' I want to create a town where people can eat and live in peace, so I will continue to work on BISAI-FARM.”

No matter how much you prepare, disasters can happen at some point.

I think it is also an important perspective in disaster prevention to consider security when a disaster occurs and evacuation life is prolonged.

(Broadcast on “Gyutto! Shikoku” on February 24th)

Matsuyama Broadcasting Station Director

Yumika Tamura

Starting in 2023, Matsuyama Station

will cover a wide range of local topics such as education and sports.