Half-Farming, Half-X: Naoki Shiomi Practices His Dream with 3 Exercises

Before the talk began, we were all given a handout. On the front was the exercise Mr. Shiomi had prepared for us, and on the back were his questions and thoughts about Half-Farming, Half-X.

"For the reconstruction work after the 311 earthquake in Japan, I am very grateful to Taiwan for donating nearly 24.1 billion" - that was how he opened.

For a moment, I, who was not someone directly affected, had somehow come to feel that the 311 disaster was already a bit distant, and in that moment I felt ashamed. Many people changed their way of life and their pace because of 311. "Because people are very small" - he responded with this, and it served as a warm-up for his belief that the era of Half-Farming, Half-X has arrived.

What is Half-Farming, Half-X?

The letter X is the unknown in a mathematical equation, used here to suggest that every independent individual has their own X, and X can be something you are good at or something you like to do. In other words, by your own strength you take on a small part of farming work, and while being self-sufficient (eating), you can also rely on your own specialty to maintain a connection with society (living). Growing your own food not only lets you confirm that the vegetables you eat are healthy, but farming also means you are very close to the land. Yet who says a farming life must be completely disconnected from society? This X refers precisely to using the professional skills you are good at, so that you can still make the best contribution to a society that is progressing.