[プロフィール]
1926年熊本県天草生まれ。神戸大学経済学部卒業後、郷里の天草に戻り、農業に従事。砂栽培に独自の工夫を加え、「断食農法」「スパルタ農法」と呼ばれる農法を考案。世界的な農業指導者として、日本全国はもちろん、台湾、フランス、中国など海外諸国でも活動している。また、同農法の家庭菜園向けの普及活動にも力を注ぐ。

主な著書に「おいしさはここにあり」（小学館）、「食は土にあり」（エヌティティ出版）、「永田農法／極上トマトをベランダで作る」（光文社）、「永田農法／おいしさの育て方」（小学館）などがある。

[Profile]
Born in 1926 in Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture. After graduating from the School of Economics at Kobe University, he returned to his hometown of Amakusa and pursued agriculture. Adding his own unique techniques to sand cultivation, he devised a farming method known as the "Fasting Method" or "Spartan Method." As a global leader in agriculture, he is active not only throughout Japan but all around the world in countries like Taiwan, France and China. He also pours his effort into spreading the same farming method to household vegetable gardens.

Major publications include "Deliciousness is Here" (Shogakukan), "Food is in the Soil" (NTT Publications), "The Nagata Method / Grow First-Rate Tomatoes on Your Veranda" (Kobunsha), and "The Nagata Method / How to Raise Deliciousness" (Shogakukan).