Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
C HAPTER 2
The History of Bokashi
THE VERY WORD BOKASHI INVOKES A SENSE OF MYSTERY . The exact translation from Japanese
addstotheenigma.Ihavecomeacrossvarioustranslations,withthemostcommonbeing“fer-
mented organic matter.” I have also seen bokashi translated as “obscuring the direct effectiveness.”
The first translation makes sense because it directly describes the process involved. The latter is a
bitmoreconfusing—toobscurethedirecteffectiveness, toconceal it,tomakeitdifficulttounder-
stand. On the surface, that definition makes some sense, because the processes involved in bokashi
areabitdifficulttofullyunderstandandthewholeprocessisoftendownplayedasaformofvoodoo
composting. But I think that the concept of “obscuring direct effectiveness” stems from the ability
ofthebokashifermentationprocesstoaltertheoriginalmaterialsenoughtomakethemunattractive
to pests, yet still result in an end product that is highly beneficial for soils and plants. Michinori
Nishio has written that “if rape seed or soybean meal is directly applied to soil, a certain fly lays
eggs in it. The maggots feed on young seedlings and cause serious damage. Fishmeal also attracts
field mice, which dig tunnels under seed beds. To avoid damage of this kind, farmers developed on
theirowninitiativeatechniqueofcompostingorganicfertilizersforashortperiod—bokashi.” 3 He
then went on to say that “overall, the aim of the process seems to be, firstly, to decompose sub-
stances which attract pests, and secondly, to create a slower-acting organic fertilizer.” 4 These two
statements put the second translation into perspective. As is often the case, the problem lies in the
translation.Bokashi'srootslieinAsia,andalotoftheresearchandinformationaboutitiswrittenin
Japanese, which literally leaves some holes in the translation of information.
Todaybokashicompostingsystemsareusedworldwideasanalternativetotraditionalcompost-
ing. Although the exact path that bokashi has taken to get to the inoculated bagged bran and plastic
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