Dream to open interactive goat farm in Hioki City, Kagoshima – a couple with 22 goats calls for support
Mr. and Mrs. Iwamoto calling for support
Yoichi Iwamoto of Higashiichiki-cho, Hioki City, is currently seeking support through crowdfunding to create a farm that promotes the charm and appeal of goats.
Iwamoto, working for an electrical engineering company, came across a triangular-roofed house nestled in the woodland in Nagasato, Higashiichiki. In 2019, he moved to the area with his family of five from Kagoshima City. In June of the same year, he started keeping a goat to keep the weeds down in his garden, and that was the beginning of his “newfound fascination with goats.” “Goats swallow their food, and later, they bring it up and chew it again. It was fascinating to see how they kept moving their jaws,” said Iwamoto.
Later, he also acquired Tokara goats from the Tokara Islands and currently has 22 goats in his herd. The goat farm covers about 660 square meters of the property, including a goat house that the family built themselves, a separate shed for the male goats, and benches. Iwamoto decided to give crowdfunding a try to open the farm as “Yagie’s Land, a reservation-based goat farm where visitors can interact with the goats.
He describes that the fence surrounding the farm is basic, resulting in kids escaping from the enclosure or the fance distorted by the force of adult goats trying to eat the grass outside. The money raised through crowdfunding will be used mainly for the cost of building a sturdy fence.
“We want to promote the one-goat-per-family movement,” Iwamoto said. “Goats are part of our sustainable future. Goat manure has almost no odor, and when mixed with scraps and fermented, it becomes fertilizer for growing vegetables and flowers. Not only do goats eat weeds in gardens and fallow fields, but they are also therapeutic to watch. They are also beneficial for children’s emotional development. In the future, we want to rent out goats as well, but first of all, we hope to complete the farm where people can enjoy themselves and have fun,” he added with a smile.
The crowdfunding campaign is open until November 16 via READYFOR.