The cafe at Canaan Slow Farm (cafe & eco-stay) offers lunch consisting of freshly harvested vegetables, eggs and agu pork – indeed a “farmer’s feast.” Canaan lunch plate (¥1,200)

Canaan Slow Farm (café and eco-stay) is a large ecological farm resort, complete with lodging and a café, something that is rarely seen in Okinawa. Keiji Yoda, the owner, operates the large farm based on the concept of harmony with nature. Yoda, who has studied in Hawaii, got the idea for starting up this business through his interactions with local Hawaiian farmers at a place he started working after completing his internship. Some 100 agu pigs are raised in a stress-free environment in a large area on his farm, which started out with only 16 pigs. Yoda gives them fermented feed using pineapples, vegetables and such that are not good enough to be marketed. Compared to pigs with a large ratio of red meat that can be shipped out for slaughter in about six months, agu, known as a “lard type” pig, require much time and effort as they grow slowly, taking about 18 months to two years before they can be slaughtered. However, agu pigs are well regarded for their fat, which is sweet and seemingly melts in your mouth due its low melting point.

In addition, pineapples grown at Canaan Farm have become popular as they are very sweet, having a higher sugar content than ordinary pineapples resulting from spraying the plants with diluted seawater. An eco-farm has been achieved where everything circulates within the farm, with livestock given leftovers as feed and good crops produced with quality compost/soil. At the cafe visitors can enjoy meals prepared with meat, vegetables and fruits produced on the farm.

Canaan Farm aims to establish new brands of pig by cross-breeding agu with wild boar and with the mini-pig. Thanks to fermented feed, odor is not a problem at the pig farm, and the pigs raised in a stress-free environment confoundthe usual image of a pig farm. Japanese Black cattle are also bred naturally there.

Keiji Yoda and his wife, Hanae