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Line 1: {{Orphan\|date=~~August~~March ~~2014~~2024}} '''Takao Furuno''' (born 1950) is a Japanese farmer, social entrepreneur, philanthropist, private aid volunteer, and architect of the [[:ja:%E5%90%88%E9%B4%A8%E8%BE%B2%E6%B3%95\|Aigamo duck-rice culture method]](in Japanese). ==Biography== Born in 1950, Takao Furuno lives in [[Fukuoka Prefecture]], [[Kyushu]], [[Japan]], a rural region west of the [[Japanese archipelago]]. A small farmer, he was one of the first to begin using [[organic farming]] methods in Japan, starting in 1978. By his account, he found in [[Rachel Carson\| Rachel Carson’s]] famous book, ''[[Silent Spring]]'', the motivation to take his farm in a new direction.<ref>T. Furuno, ''The Power of Duck: Integrated Rice and Duck Farming.'' Tagari Publications, 2002.</ref><ref>The Power of Unreasonable People; Elkington, John and Hartigan, Pamela; Harvard Business Press; 2008, pp. 95-96</ref> He obtained a PhD in [[Kyushu University]] by Aigamo Method<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Kyushu University public relations \|url=https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/f/4962/No.56.pdf \|page=37}}</ref> ==Evolution of the Aigamo Method== Line 14: By 1989, he had re-engineered the method into a ''sustainable, integrated organic rice and duck farming system'' that could be replicated. Today, in addition to protecting his family’s health, Furuno now produces crop yields without the use of chemicals that equal or surpass those of farmers still using conventional methods. Furuno has successfully marketed duck rice, which now sells at a 20-30% premium over conventionally grown rice in Japan and other countries. Today, his 3.2-hectare farm produces rice, organic vegetables, eggs, ducks, and ducklings.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqpEg45fp4I Takao Furuno : des canards dans les rizières] (video).</ref> Through his writings, travels, lectures and cooperation with agricultural organizations and governments, his methods have spread to more than 75,000 farmers in Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Iran, and Cuba. The adoption of this method boosts a farmer's income, decreases their workload, and reduces environmental damage, while increasing local and regional food security. When the ducks are no longer needed, they are used as table birds or sold to add considerably to the family income and protein intake. Farmers using the aigamo method also have more time to spend with their family or ~~during~~doing other things. In the past, it has been estimated that manual weeding of paddies requires 240 person-hours per hectare every year.<ref>Mae Wan Ho, Ibid.</ref> ~~==A Social Entrepreneur==~~ Takao Furuno is an inspiring example of modern social entrepreneurship. After reading [[Rachel Carson]]’s book, [[Silent Spring]], which brought to light the horrors of pesticides, insecticides, and modern farming practices, Furuno was compelled to turn his Japanese rice farm organic. Organic rice farming had met with little success in Japan, making Furuno a trailblazer in his field. Like nearly all entrepreneurs, Furuno tried and failed at many methods for ten years before discovering the Aigamo duck method. This revolutionized his efforts to be an organic farmer. But what solidifies Furuno as a social entrepreneur was his drive to market, and profit from, his discovery. As of 2008, Furuno sold his “duck rice” at a 20 percent to 30 percent premium over conventionally grown Japanese rice. In a generation where the small farm is being swallowed by large corporations, Furuno drew $160,000 a year from his 3.2-hectare farm. Now, Furuno is determined to share his success and inspire others to develop similarly creative solutions to current and future farming challenges. He authored a best-selling book, The Power of the Duck, in 2002 and began traveling around Southeast Asia, giving lectures to and cooperating with governments and farmers. His methods has been implemented in over seventy-five thousand farms across China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia. What makes Furuno a social entrepreneur is his determination to tackle a problem that seemed unsolvable, his ability to find a creative, reproducible solutions, and his passion to spread his ideas internationally. It is farmers like Takao Furuno that will revolutionize the destructive processes of modern farming by discovering new (or rediscovering old) sustainable, clean methods of food production for an exploding human population. <ref>The Power of Unreasonable People; Elkington, John and Hartigan, Pamela; Harvard Business Press; ~~2008, pp. 95-96</ref>~~ ==Publications== Line 29 ⟶ 20: Furuno, Takao. ''Aigamo Duck Cookbook.'' In Japanese. Nobunkyo publisher, {{ISBN\|4-540-98395-4}}. Furuno, Takao. ''The One-Duck Revolution.'' In English. Self Published on Lulu.com, 2012. {{ISBN\|9781300076339}}. {{ISBN\|9781329202078}}. ==References== {{~~reflist~~Reflist}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Furuno, Takao}}