Farmers x Universities x Experts Collaborate on a New Challenge to Regenerate the Future from Soil — Launch of "Ethical Terroir Japan," a Co-creation Hub to Reconnect Cycles —
Ethical Terroir Japan, established in February 2026, aims to realize a society where people and nature can flourish by reconnecting soil, ecosystems, and regional activities as a co-creation hub. Through "Bio-reconnection," they integrate diverse stakeholders to foster soil regeneration, sustainable agriculture, and a new model of well-being in rural communities, addressing systemic issues of severed natural cycles.
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- 📰 Published: April 2, 2026 at 07:55
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Ethical Terroir Japan, a general incorporated association, was established on February 17, 2026, in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture.
This organization will commence its activities as a co-creation hub aimed at realizing a society where both people and nature can flourish, by reconnecting soil, ecosystems, and regional activities.
Currently, in many regions of Japan, due to population decline and aging, it has become difficult to manage farmland and mountains, leading to soil degradation and ecosystem collapse.
This is not merely a regional issue, but a structural problem caused by "the severed connection between people and nature's cycles."
We believe that this problem cannot be solved piecemeal; rather, the very structure of society needs to change.
That is, systemic change.
To reconnect the severed cycles through wisdom and technology, and to create a new societal structure where people and nature circulate together. We define this concept as:
"Bio-reconnection" — reconnecting severed cycles with wisdom and technology —
and this is the core of our activities.
Ethical Terroir Japan will function as a hub connecting diverse entities such as farmers, universities, researchers, experts, and local residents. Beyond mere collaboration, we will integrate practice, research, technology, and education to redesign the cycles themselves.
Specifically:
- Building a data foundation to visualize soil and environmental conditions
- Creating mechanisms to record and share regional climate and activities
- Operating a platform that connects education, research, and practice
In addition to these:
- Guidance on the manufacturing and utilization technology of biochar
- Practical agricultural guidance for regenerative agriculture
- Providing educational programs to learn about soil regeneration and the concept of cycles
Through these initiatives, we will spread the wisdom and technology of regeneration throughout society.
This project is being advanced in collaboration with universities, research institutions, companies, and experts.
Specifically:
- Soil analysis and scientific verification: Ibaraki University
- Biochar technology development and utilization: Takatsuki Biochar Energy Research Institute, Sumisodachi Co., Ltd.
- Others: Human Environment University, Ehime University
Through collaboration with diverse specialized fields such as these, we are promoting initiatives that connect practice with science, and technology with regions.
Furthermore, we propose a new concept called "Ethical Terroir."
This is a way of thinking that values not only natural conditions like soil, climate, and topography, but also human activities and regional cycles themselves, thereby adding new meaning and value to agricultural products.
By valuing the process, including "how it was grown" and "within what kind of cycle it exists," we will present a new model for agriculture suitable for the coming era.
---
Representative's Comment
Representative of Ethical Terroir Japan
Maki Ohashi
"Until now, we have faced nature on human terms. As a result, the cycles of soil, forests, and regions have been gradually broken.
However, fundamentally, humans have lived as part of these cycles. Therefore, what is needed now is not 'protection,' but reconnection.
Ethical Terroir Japan will function as a hub, together with farmers, researchers, and local people, to bring these cycles back into society.
We hope that this initiative will expand from depopulated villages into a model for a new society."
---
Our Dream
Our dream is not to protect nature.
It is to restore a society where humans return to their original cycles and live within them.
If the soil is revived, living creatures will increase, water will flow, and regions will breathe again.
And within that, people too can live their lives to the fullest.
We hope that this initiative will become a new form of well-being in Japan's depopulating rural villages, and eventually expand into a new model for society as a whole.
This initiative is a practice of systemic change starting from depopulated villages.
For more details, please visit our website
https://etjapan.org/
Contact
Ethical Terroir Japan, General Incorporated Association
Email: etj@nenowa.com
Contact Person: Ohashi
This organization will commence its activities as a co-creation hub aimed at realizing a society where both people and nature can flourish, by reconnecting soil, ecosystems, and regional activities.
Currently, in many regions of Japan, due to population decline and aging, it has become difficult to manage farmland and mountains, leading to soil degradation and ecosystem collapse.
This is not merely a regional issue, but a structural problem caused by "the severed connection between people and nature's cycles."
We believe that this problem cannot be solved piecemeal; rather, the very structure of society needs to change.
That is, systemic change.
To reconnect the severed cycles through wisdom and technology, and to create a new societal structure where people and nature circulate together. We define this concept as:
"Bio-reconnection" — reconnecting severed cycles with wisdom and technology —
and this is the core of our activities.
Ethical Terroir Japan will function as a hub connecting diverse entities such as farmers, universities, researchers, experts, and local residents. Beyond mere collaboration, we will integrate practice, research, technology, and education to redesign the cycles themselves.
Specifically:
- Building a data foundation to visualize soil and environmental conditions
- Creating mechanisms to record and share regional climate and activities
- Operating a platform that connects education, research, and practice
In addition to these:
- Guidance on the manufacturing and utilization technology of biochar
- Practical agricultural guidance for regenerative agriculture
- Providing educational programs to learn about soil regeneration and the concept of cycles
Through these initiatives, we will spread the wisdom and technology of regeneration throughout society.
This project is being advanced in collaboration with universities, research institutions, companies, and experts.
Specifically:
- Soil analysis and scientific verification: Ibaraki University
- Biochar technology development and utilization: Takatsuki Biochar Energy Research Institute, Sumisodachi Co., Ltd.
- Others: Human Environment University, Ehime University
Through collaboration with diverse specialized fields such as these, we are promoting initiatives that connect practice with science, and technology with regions.
Furthermore, we propose a new concept called "Ethical Terroir."
This is a way of thinking that values not only natural conditions like soil, climate, and topography, but also human activities and regional cycles themselves, thereby adding new meaning and value to agricultural products.
By valuing the process, including "how it was grown" and "within what kind of cycle it exists," we will present a new model for agriculture suitable for the coming era.
---
Representative's Comment
Representative of Ethical Terroir Japan
Maki Ohashi
"Until now, we have faced nature on human terms. As a result, the cycles of soil, forests, and regions have been gradually broken.
However, fundamentally, humans have lived as part of these cycles. Therefore, what is needed now is not 'protection,' but reconnection.
Ethical Terroir Japan will function as a hub, together with farmers, researchers, and local people, to bring these cycles back into society.
We hope that this initiative will expand from depopulated villages into a model for a new society."
---
Our Dream
Our dream is not to protect nature.
It is to restore a society where humans return to their original cycles and live within them.
If the soil is revived, living creatures will increase, water will flow, and regions will breathe again.
And within that, people too can live their lives to the fullest.
We hope that this initiative will become a new form of well-being in Japan's depopulating rural villages, and eventually expand into a new model for society as a whole.
This initiative is a practice of systemic change starting from depopulated villages.
For more details, please visit our website
https://etjapan.org/
Contact
Ethical Terroir Japan, General Incorporated Association
Email: etj@nenowa.com
Contact Person: Ohashi