Our Challenges
The Kubota Farm—A Platform for Demonstration and Concept-creation
Japanese agriculture is riddled with problems, but the industry itself sustains humanity, serves to protect national land, and facilitates the relationship between nature and mankind. Kubota was looking at how it could create a better future for the noble agriculture industry and the farmers who had for so long supported the company, while examining ways in which it could contribute to the stable supply of food worldwide.
One measure was the opening of the first Kubota Farm in 2016. Kubota managed and undertook work on the farm, using it as a platform to implement and demonstrate low-cost, labor-saving, and precision technologies that would be necessary for the future of Japanese agriculture. It was also a place where the company could trial its total line-up of solutions, from production through to sale. Through doing, showing, and demonstrating work that could solve issues across Japan, it was a majestic effort to create concepts for profitable farming, attract younger generations, and build a sustainable industry. As of June 2020, 13 Kubota Farms have been opened nationwide.
Kubota eFarm Yabu in Hyogo Prefecture is one such example. The farm is located in a hilly and mountainous area*1 that is suffering from population decline, low birthrates, an aging population, and the ensuing lack of new professional farmers and successors. Moreover, with an increase in abandoned farmland, overall it is a typical Japanese farming village. However, due to proactive revitalization efforts led by local administrations, the area was designated as a National Strategic Special Zone*2 in 2014 so that it could function as a hub for agricultural reform in hilly and mountainous areas. Approximately 40% of Japanese farms are located in areas like this, with each facing similar issues. Kubota therefore set out to use this region to create new concepts for profitable agriculture, develop future successors, and revitalize local communities. The area was previously a rice-producing region, but with limited land and snow in winter, it was difficult to generate stable profits throughout the year. One solution was the greenhouse cultivation of tomatoes, a product that was particularly popular in the city. To increase profitability through high-added value, the company decided to grow just two popular, highly sweet tomato varieties: Fruitica and Kosuzu. To do so, it adopted the Imec cultivation method,*3 which makes use of a special film made from medical-use hydrogel. This eliminated the need for soil preparation, and enabled even those with no experience to harvest tomatoes with high sugar content. This strategy was a success, and acted as a model for profitable agriculture in hilly and mountainous areas. Kubota continues to provide farmers across Japan with information from these Kubota Farms, bringing new hope to regional revitalization and the future of Japanese agriculture and food.
- *1Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas Basic Act, Article 35: “Areas with poor geographical conditions and disadvantages to agricultural production including mountainous areas and their surrounding areas”
- *2Areas experimenting with regulatory reform in order to create “the world’s easiest environment in which to undertake business.” In placing limitations on areas and sectors, the aim is to drastically ease regulations and implement preferential tax rates.
- *3A method in which tomatoes are planted on top of a special film that has an infinite number of nanosized holes to ensure that only the necessary nutrients reach the roots, and that excess water and unwanted bacteria does not pass through. This revolutionary new technology enables even inexperienced farmers to produce safe, high-quality tomatoes with a high sugar content from their first year of cultivation.
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