By Jack Lichten | Ecumenical Relations, ARI
Thanks to your support, Asian Rural Institute's Class of 2025 completed their training in December, and returned to their home communities to implement their training knowledge into successful lifegiving and uplifting programs and projects.
What did they learn through their training? ARI's curriculum coordinator, Manosi Abe Chatterjee, provides overall reflections from theirtraining -- what they traveled across the world to learn and practice.
Asian Rural Institute Class of 2025 Program Reflections
Through the abundant blessings of God and the continued support of all well-wishers of ARI, we have successfully completed another academic year. We are proud to celebrate 27 new graduates from 16 different countries.
We began the year with 28 participants; however, due to a family emergency, we sadly bid farewell to one participant. Over the nine months, many participants faced serious family hardships. Though their hearts longed to return home, they remained committed to completing the program. This resilience was sustained by their faith in God and by the care and encouragement of the ARI community, both in Japan and in their home countries.
In April, during orientation, participants reflected on the question, “What is community?” Responses included working together, respect, listening, caring for one another, and sharing food. Participation lies at the heart of ARI’s community-based learning. While “participate” means to take part, its Latin root participare means to share something in common with others. Through daily life together, participants discovered both shared values and meaningful differences.
We also asked ourselves more challenging questions: Are we truly living together, or simply tolerating one another? Are we accepting differences, or avoiding discomfort? While clear answers may not yet exist, these reflections extend beyond nine months at ARI and invite us to reconsider our roles within our wider communities.
Participants engaged deeply with social issues in Japan, learning about discrimination in Minamata, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Ashio, as well as the declining farming population, reduced youth involvement, and the impacts of climate change. While these realities can appear overwhelming, participants also encountered hope through communities working toward justice and renewal.
Participants delivered three major presentations using the blank sides of old calendars, encouraging creativity, clarity, and reflection in an increasingly digital world. Presenting in English - often a second, third, or fourth language - strengthened participants’ confidence in communicating across cultures.
This year was the first year for former farm manager Osamu Arakawa to work as Director of ARI. This presented a wonderful opportunity to highlight the connection between farming and leadership more concretely. He reminded us that it is not just farming - but organic farming. It is not just leadership – but servant leadership. Both are rooted in a deep appreciation and understanding of God and Soil - the source of all life.
In fact, participants spent about 77 hours picking up skills in the classroom related to leadership capacity building. 75 hours in relation to sustainable agricultural practices or management. And 445 hours of practical experience - on the farm, in livestock, and in the kitchen. In addition, participants learned about development issues, had regular reflections, presentations, observation and study tours, amounting to 1937 curriculum hours - all opportunities to demonstrate their leadership and learning.
Participants also completed individual projects focused on issues relevant to their communities. These included food processing, alternative livestock feeds, black soldier fly production, banana stem silage, community project planning, interviews, translation, and educational material development.
While the program continues to grow, participants also identified areas for improvement, including entrepreneurship, income generation, and deeper exploration of climate-resilient agriculture. These gaps reflect the reality that learning does not end at ARI.
Many of our graduates return to communities that are disproportionately affected by conflict, disaster, and inequality. Yet they rise to the occasion as leaders who are willing to dedicate themselves to their people, even in the most difficult times. In their own words, they are committed to being leaders who seek to uphold the dignity of people, deeply listen to the needs of others, and leave nobody behind.
As the Class of 2025 returns home to implement their training, ARI prepares for the Class of 2026 to travel from their home organizations to begin their training.
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By Jack Lichten | Ecumenical Relations, ARI
By Jack Lichten | Ecumenical Relations, ARI
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