目指すは“北のニュージーランド”！黒松内町で始まった羊飼育プロジェクト「めぐさとファーム」が描く、環境再生と地域産業の未来図

When it comes to Hokkaido's soul food... it's Jingisukan (grilled lamb), but the reality is that much of it is imported. This time, we'll introduce an initiative to transform Kuromatsunai Town in Shiribeshi into a "sheep kingdom." Environmentally regenerative agriculture begins in Kuromatsunai Town. One sheep, two sheep... oh, there are a lot! Where are they headed? They're literally taking detours! A certain project has begun here in Kuromatsunai Town. Yoshitaka Uchida. Towards summer, he's in the midst of shearing sheep with two members of the regional revitalization team. Shoya Ishida, Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team Member: "I'm still inexperienced and it's difficult..." Yoshitaka Uchida: "This is the first shearing of 'virgin wool,' so it's the best wool." Yoshitaka Uchida: "In my view of environmentally regenerative agriculture, agriculture that improves the environment, sheep, even when producing the same meat, have the potential to be produced in a way that has less environmental impact." Mr. Uchida's main profession is... here. Associate Professor, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University. The seminar theme is "Future Agriculture Considering Nutrient Cycles." Associate Professor Yoshitaka Uchida: "Not just research, but how to give back to society." Marie Nishino (1st year Master's student): "(Professor Uchida is) very frank. He even took the lead in grilling meat at barbecues with students." Hokkaido University celebrated its 150th anniversary this year. What they aim for now is the "regeneration" of the "environment" that is on the verge of collapse. This is about building a system for sustainably producing and distributing food. Environmentally regenerative agriculture. So, what does that mean...? What is "environmentally regenerative agriculture"...? The circular system that "Megusato Farm" aims for Sheep are grazed on disused pastures. The sheep grow by eating naturally growing grass... And they reproduce. By consuming their meat, our self-sufficiency rate increases, creating a "sustainable, circular agriculture" system. Associate Professor Yoshitaka Uchida "What I often say is that we should use everything that grows naturally. Japan has a lot of rain compared to the rest of the world, and the soil is fertile, so especially in Hokkaido, around here, in spring, as you can see, weeds grow at an incredible rate. Humans can't eat them directly, but by using sheep or cows, we can make them edible." A machine with a disc attached is placed in the pasture. What is it doing? Associate Professor Yoshitaka Uchida "The plate meter rises according to the amount of pasture grass. 1060 kg per hectare. We consider things like how many days we can feed the sheep based on how many kilograms of grass there are." We measure the amount of grass in multiple locations before and after the sheep eat to understand how much grass they consumed. Associate Professor Yoshitaka Uchida "Pack test... pull this out." Raising sheep also contributes to protecting the environment. Associate Professor Yoshitaka Uchida "By turning land into pasture and raising sheep and cattle, we can properly cover the surface of the soil with grass, which helps prevent soil erosion into rivers even when it rains." Uchida studied abroad for eight years in New Zealand, where there are approximately five times as many sheep as people. Sheep are familiar animals to him. The goal in Kuromatsunai Town is "the New Zealand of the North"! A pasture that nurtures "people" and "sheep" opens! July 10th. A pasture for an environmental regeneration project has opened. The name, "Megusato Farm," reflects the idea of ​​"people and nutrients circulating." Farm Manager Yoshitaka Uchida: "I don't want this farm to become just a place to buy sheep. Our mission is to regenerate the environment, nurture local industries, and bring new talent to this town so that the next generation can preserve this rich natural environment." Marie Nishino (1st year Master's student) and Yuika Goto (4th year undergraduate student): "We started with two sheep, and now we have 14. We're really looking forward to seeing how many more we get. Our first goal is to reach triple digits." Currently, the sheep are purchased from various locations throughout Hokkaido. Here, they raise not only sheep, but also people. Shoya Ishida, a member of the Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team: "I really want to create a new sheep industry as a new industry for Kuromatsunai Town, so first, I'm aiming for a scale of 200 or 300 sheep within my three-year term as a cooperation team member, and then I'll start a business..." On the opening day, "tomato sheep," raised on tomatoes in Numata Town, Sorachi, were served. Kuromatsu Town Resident: "(Sheep) might be well-suited to Kuromatsunai. If we can get something like this, I hope we can eat a lot of it soon." Participant: "I'd be happy if we could eat it consistently, I'm looking forward t...