Where are we? About the Asian Rural Institute.

We are serving as mission volunteers working at the Asian Rural Institute (ARI). We will be at ARI from September 1 to November 15.

ARI is a place of communal learning in Japan. ARI’s campus is a self-sufficient 15-acre organic farm near Nasushiobara (about 100 miles north of Tokyo), where the community grows over 90 varieties of crops and vegetables and raises livestock. As a church-related institution, ARI is Christian in inspiration and interfaith in practice.

Founded in 1973, ARI provides leadership training for grassroots community leaders through the annual Rural Leaders Training Program. Every year, ARI invites about 25 young leaders from organizations in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific to its campus. The class of 2025, representing 17 countries, is pictured. ARI has had 1,445 graduates from 63 countries.

The 9-month training is built on three pillars: Servant Leadership, Sustainable Agriculture (Foodlife), and Community of Learning. After their training at ARI, the leaders return home to their rural communities to implement what they have learned about leadership, community building, and sustainable agriculture.

You can learn more about ARI at its website: ARI.