Dr. Teruo Higa: The Pioneer of Effective Microorganisms

Dr. Teruo Higa's Story
Today, we continue Dr. Teruo Higa’s legacy at TeraGanix!

Since the beginning of Dr. Teruo Higa’s life, agriculture and science have been major influences in all of his life choices. From a very young age, he decided that he would become a trailblazer in the agricultural field. He graduated from the Agricultural Department of Ryukyus University where he also completed his doctorate in Agricultural Research. In 1970 he was invited to become an instructor at Ryukyus University and 10 years after that, he became professor of the university.

Dr. Higa is best known for his discovery of EM Technology or Effective Microorganisms. However, this incredible discovery occurred by accident. In the 1960’s, microorganisms were constantly being being studied, all across the globe, for many different applications. One day, Dr. Higa was working in the lab and accidentally spilled microorganisms near some shrubs. A few days later, he noticed that those shrubs had grown extremely well. Dr. Higa grew up farming and knew that farmers often only had the choice of expensive chemical pesticides and treatments for their crops. He decided to find a natural method through the use of beneficial microorganisms that would help relieve the farmers of their chemical dependencies.

Based off of this accidental discovery, Dr. Higa experimented throughout the years to discover the optimal combination of microorganisms and finally create the first use of EM Technology. The first creation is known as EM-1®. EM-1® is a soil conditioner that can be used on gardens or crops. The soil conditioner replenishes the soil by rebalancing the microbial community in the soil. These microbes are essential for healthy fertile soil and provide plants with the vitamins and minerals they need to grow to their maximum potential. EM-1, is a liquid bacterial product that is made up of three main microorganisms. These microorganisms are Yeast, Photosynthetic Bacteria, and Lactic Acid Bacteria. All products using EM Technology contain EM-1® in some part of their manufacturing process. However, being a soil conditioner is not the only application of the EM Technology.