Points of the New Basic Plan for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research- Key R&D targets for the next 10 years and policies for realizing them -March 31, 2015
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council, MAFF

Basic concept【Background】
 Increasingly unstable international food supply/demand due toglobal population increase and climate change.
 To continue stably supplying quality food while improving ourfood self-sufficiency ratio, we need to make agriculture, forestryand fisheries, which have experienced a weakening of theirproduction base (e.g., aging of and a decrease in workers),
more attractive to young people so these industries can givethem hope.

【Aims】
 Give priority to “R&D for promptly solving problems faced by the producers,” thereby facilitating joint R&D
with extension services, farmers, and other stakeholders.
 Establish a new system of industry-academia-government collaboration that links seeds for cutting-edge
technologies, such as ICT and robot technologies, to the value chain of domestic agricultural, forestry andfishery products.
 Steadily promote R&D on the challenges that should be addressed with medium- to long-term perspectives
such as global warming and the falling birth rate/aging population, by setting a basic direction for the future.

1. Basic policies for promoting research on agriculture, forestry and fisheries
1. Reform of R&D management(strategic development of R&D directly linked to needs)
 Development of R&D strategies thatinvolve stakeholders in industry,
academia and government

 Concentration/prioritization of budgets- “Selection of and concentration” on truly
necessary research themes

Action Collaboration with other government ministries,
adoption of technologies from other fields

 Effective operation of evaluation system

Basictechnologies,innovativetechnologies
of otherfields, etc.

 Strengthening the function as a “bridge” (see Improvement of regulatory science, etc.
- Acceleration of research in response to regulation

 Promotion of public understanding

3. Environmental arrangement for
creating diverse “knowledge”

 Reform of National Research and Development
Agencies

Industrial, academic, and government researchers
and businesses bring new technologies and ideas
and launch new research projects, thereby creating
new technologies.

 Technological development and extension through collaboration amongR&D institutes, extension services and producers- Intellectual property management with concealment
and exclusive licensing as options- Reviewing the operation of evaluation
system for budget concentration andprioritization

Extension

Platform(Universities, National Research and Development Agencies,
private companies, prefectural research institutes, etc.)

 Promotion of strategic intellectual property
management

Check

Commercialization

 Technological innovation by integration and utilization of “knowledge”- Research promotion system involving relevant
government ministries

figure on right)- Technological innovation through integration andutilization of “knowledge”- Strengthening collaboration among R&D, extension,and producers

Technological development- Improvement of bidirectional communication withpublic- Development of system for maximizing the effect of thescheduled reorganization of agencies in April 2016

Newvarieties,
newcultivation
techniques, etc.

Collaboration of diverse players(National Research and Development
Agencies, prefectural research institutes,farmers, agricultural organizations, private
businesses, extension officers, etc.)①Field Demonstration↓Producers, consumers

PlanResearchDo

Commercialization- Progress management using a road map- Strengthening collection of information onseeds of technologies from other fields

2. Acceleration of technology transfer②Feedback↓③Improvement

Refinement of research seeds to make them highly practical technologies

 Improvement of R&D base
- Effective operation of research funding system- Collection, analysis of R&D information- Human resource development

 Promotion of international collaboration- Active participation in international researchnetworks

2. Key targets of agriculture, forestry and fisheries research
1. R&D for promptly solving problems faced by producers with the aim of increasing income in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and rural communities Set 21 key targets for realizing models of efficient and stable farming in the areas identified in “Prospect of farming” and for promptly solving production and distribution problems
in different fields/items.
 Develop and achieve the practical use of new technologies in the next five years or so, then promptly introducing them to production.
Paddy farming○ Establishment of a highly profitable paddy farming system for different local conditions

Paddy fields in mountainous areas○ Establishment of a sustainable paddy farming system in hilly and mountainous areas using local strengths

Upland farming in Hokkaido○ Establishment of upland farming system for Hokkaido region that allows scale expansion and highly
productive farming

Upland farming in Southern Kyushu and Okinawa○ Establishment of a highly profitable upland farming system in Southern Kyushu and Okinawa

Tea○ Increase in tea demands through joint product development with tea companies, and establishment ofefficient farming system

Vegetables○ Establishment of a low-cost production and distribution system for vegetables to meet demands forprocessing uses and food businesses

Greenhouse horticulture○ Development of models of next generation greenhouse horticulture, realizing energy and labor-saving
technologies and high yield

Fruit trees○ Development of labor-saving and fast orchard establishment techniques for high-quality fruits that support
orchard scale expansion

Flowers○ Development of techniques to breed various flower varieties and to preserve quality during transportation

Dairy cows
○ Establishment of dairy farming system, allowing labor-saving and precision livestock farming

Beef cattle○ Establishment of efficient breeding and fattening system for beef cattle based on self-supplying forage

Swine and poultry○ Establishment of swine and poultry farming models to make the maximum use of domestic feed ingredients
Sustainable agriculture○ Development of techniques that strike a balance between production efficiency and environmental
conservation, and visualization of their benefits
Forests and forestry○ Advancement of technologies for forestry utilization and development of new demands for forestry products
Fisheries○ Technological development for realizing attractive fisheries and aquaculture
AFFrinnovation*○ Technological development for AFFrinnovation contributing to local employment and income growth
Promotion of export○ Development of export-related technologies for supporting the realization of country-by-country and item-byitem export strategy for agriculture, forestry and fishery products
Food safety, pests and disease control in animals and plants○ Development of techniques to improve food safety and to control pests and diseases in animals and plants
Agricultural and rural infrastructures○ Development of efficient farm water management technologies, effective technologies for maintenance andmanagement of agricultural and rural infrastructure, and information system for natural disasters prevention
and reduction for rural areas
Prevention of damage due to wildlife○ Establishment of effective and efficient damage control techniques according to wildlife characteristics
The Great East Japan Earthquake○ Solutions to technical problems hampering the resumption of farming and forestry work of the affectedfarming or forestry households and fishery operation of the affected fishery households* AFFrinnovation: Agrinnovation, Forestrinnovation, and Fisherinnovation. Adding value to agricultural, forestry, and fisheryproducts in innovative ways, by making new combinations, and creating a value chain.

2. R&D to be steadily promoted under medium- to long-term strategy Set 11 priority targets under the six basic directions for agriculture, forestry and fisheries research for problems that require medium- to long-term perspectives; e.g., global
warming and changes in consumption trends associated with the falling birth rate/aging population.
 R&D strategy for key R&D themes to be developed with a consultation of relevant parties and outside experts.
Stably supplying safe and reliable food, thereby contributing to the health and longevity of people.
○ Thorough safety management from production to table, and development of techniques to protect animalsand plants from the introduction and spread of pests and diseases○ Technological development for supplying nutritional and functional agriculture, forestry and fishery productsthat support healthy and long-living society
Innovating a production and distribution system in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, thereby drastically cutting costs.
○ Technological development for innovating agriculture, forestry and fishery production/distribution
Creating new industries and employment in rural areas.
○ Technological development for creating new industries using local resources
Improving yield/quality of agriculture, forestry and fishery products, building on existing strengths.
○ Development of world-class agriculture, forestry and fishery products

Promoting sustainability and stability of agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
○ Development of agriculture, forestry and fishery adaptive techniques in response to climate change○ Improvement of prevention techniques for plant pests and infectious diseases of livestock○ Establishment of a recycling-oriented sustainable agriculture, forestry and fishery system○ Development of technologies for sustainably maintaining, utilizing and managing rural infrastructure andforests by maximizing the multifunctional roles of rural areas○ Development of marine ecosystem-friendly fishery technologies that support sustainable use of marine
resources
Addressing global food and environmental challenges, thereby contributing to the international society.
○ International research in response to global challenges such as climate change and stable food production
in developing countries