by implementing new farming methods
Japan: Eggplant farmers raised their productivity by 20%
"This was enabled by technologies that precisely control variables such as humidity and CO2, which were developed over many years by Kochi Prefecture and Kochi University. Kochi University is conducting world-class horticultural research in cooperation with the Netherlands, and attracting students from countries all over the world such as the Philippines and Kenya. Even among Japanese students, 90% come from outside the prefecture", he says.
"My administration will create a wave of young people moving to the local regions. Using new allocations, we will support the development of dazzling local universities that conduct world-class research in specific fields, such as cutting-edge science, tourism, and agriculture. Young people will rush to the regions, believing that “these are the places with opportunities” to study and work. This is the kind of regional vitalization we will promote", Abe predicts.
"Ms. Chiharu Yasuoka, who studied the food business at Kochi University, has endeavored to develop sauce and jam products using tomatoes cultivated in Hidaka Village. Orders are now coming in from all over Japan, and these popular products have sales of over 10 million yen per year. These special tomato products create new added value, and have brought new vitality to Hidaka Village. We will continue to support the ingenuity and passion of local people with 100 billion yen in local economic vitalization allocations. In order to encourage independent local initiatives in the area of social security, we will firmly secure financial resources by reviewing local consumption tax, which tends to favor cities, to place importance on population size for allocation."
'Weeding, protecting ridges, and conserving water. This work, which spans across generations of farmers working hard every day as they till the fields, has protected the upland areas and abundant mountains of Japanese hometowns, created specialty products that regions can be proud of, and formed Japan’s beautiful rural landscape. By making use of items unique to each local area and local characteristics, we will strongly advance regional vitalization across all of Japan."