What is EM:

The path to understanding EM starts in the field of those tiny, tiny creatures called microorganisms …Any living thing or organism too small to be visible to the naked eye is known as a microorganism or microbe.

Microorganisms outnumber all other species and make up most living matter on earth. They can live on land, in the air, and in fresh or salt water environments – they even thrive in an amazing diversity of habitats and also in extreme conditions of heat, cold, radiation, pressure, salinity, acidity, and darkness, and often where no other life forms could exist and where nutrients come only from inorganic matter.

These microscopic organisms are vital to humans and the environment. They are essential in sustaining life on our planet by participating in the Earth's element cycles such as the carbon cycle and the nitrogen cycle. Indeed, microorganisms drive the chemistry of life on earth and even affect the global climate.

Effective Microorganisms (EM):

Our natural world is influenced by two dynamic, opposite forces – the forces of regeneration and degeneration. Regeneration can be described as vitality, support and good health – it is life promoting and effective. At the other end of the spectrum, degeneration denotes breakdown, decay, and ill health – it is counterproductive and pathogenic. Both these forces of regeneration and degeneration are driven by microorganisms. Apart from their activities at opposite ends of the spectrum, microorganisms also exist in opposite environments: aerobic (thriving on oxygen) and anaerobic (cannot tolerate oxygen).

EM compost, bokashi and regular applications of EM1 yielded a bumper crop! Lettuce, on average 3kg each, produced without chemical fertilizer

Effective Microorganisms, a term coined by Prof Teruo Higa, comprise the large group of regenerative microorganisms. Phototrophic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeast and fungi are some of the strains of microorganisms included in Effective Microorganisms.

Initially Prof Higa focused on the regeneration of soil, because soil conditions show very clearly which of the two forces are in control. When degenerative or pathogenic microorganisms dominate in the soil, plant growth tends to be poor, producing weak plants that are extremely vulnerable to pest infestation. However, this condition can be turned around by means of the regenerative, life promoting force of Effective Microorganisms (EM).  Added to the soil, “their activity instigates the regeneration process, purifying the air and water content of soil and intensifying plant growth.” [Higa, T.: An Earth Saving Revolution]

EM Technology:

Perhaps the greatest breakthrough in the formulation of Dr Higa’s culture of Effective Microorganisms (EM) is the coexistence of aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms. The exchange of food sources between them makes EM uniquely life promoting as a culture. For instance, azotobacters are aerobic and thrive on organic matter which also supports their process of reproduction and proliferation. The waste matter produced as a result is the ideal food source for phototrophic bacteria, which in turn produce organic waste, thereby providing the sustenance required by azotobacters. This symbiotic relationship is the key factor why EM technology can offer a solution to environmental problems.

The production unit for authentic EM1

EM™:

Prof Teruo Higa’s discovery and intellectual development of EM Technology, has since been commercialised with great success around the globe. Thousands of research and efficacy studies have been conducted and documented in projects, conference proceedings and books worldwide, tracking the application and successes of EM™ in the fields of crop  and livestock farming, the environment, construction industry and health.