IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2023) 14-2

Research article
erd

Agricultural Support for New Farmers in H City, Tokyo,
Japan
RIKA TERANO
Faculty of International Agriculture and Food Studies, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan

NINA N. SHIMOGUCHI*
Faculty of International Agriculture and Food Studies, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan
Email: n3nocon@nodai.ac.jp

RAMADHONA SAVILLE
Faculty of International Agriculture and Food Studies, Tokyo University of Agriculture, JapanHETTIGE SAMITHA LAKSHAN GUNASEKARA
Graduate School of International Food and Agricultural Science,
Tokyo University of Agriculture, JapanKATSUMORI HATANAKA
Faculty of International Agriculture and Food Studies, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan
Received 6 September 2023

Accepted 26 November 2023(*Corresponding Author)

Abstract In Japan, engaging in agriculture as a new farmer comes with various challenges
and uncertainties. To sustain and secure the agriculture sector’s future, national and local
governments, farmers, private entities, and other stakeholders provide a wide range of
support. Seeking best practices is a sound basis for increasing the number of new farmers andimproving their resilience. Through a case study approach, this study aimed to clarify thecurrent condition and issues of agricultural support for new farmers in H City, Tokyo, anddetermine the initiatives and agricultural support that assisted a young female farmer inestablishing an urban farm. This study conducted interviews with a young female farmer andcity officers. The in-depth key informant interviews revealed that training, subsidies, securing
land services, and referral to farmer’s organizations are some of the available forms of
support. The interviewed farmer considered the recent revision of the Law on Productive
Green Areas a significant opportunity for her to rent farmland, which is a challenge for most
new farmers. Despite the fact that a 5-year rental period is commonly practiced, she could
avail of a 30-year lease, conveying the importance for new farmers to also develop trust,confidence, and a good relationship with the farmland owner. Although the interviewed
farmer has successfully established a farm, there is a need for further investigation to clarify
consumer preferences, buying behavior, and their degree of familiarity with her farm andproducts to improve her farm business and resilience.
Keywords new farmers, law on productive green areas, farm resilience, female farmer

INTRODUCTION
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Japan (MAFF Japan, 2020), thecountry’s self-sufficiency level was 73% in 1965 and decreased severely to 38% based on caloriebased calculation in 2021. Therefore, the primary source of food for human consumption and feed
for livestock mainly depends on imports from abroad. Although the country must increase its selfsufficiency level, decreasing trends in farmland area and population are apparent challenges in the
agricultural sector of Japan. According to MAFF Japan (2021a), the total cultivated area was 6.0
million ha at a peak in 1961 and gradually decreased to 4.3 million ha in 2021. For the past fourⒸ ISERD

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decades, the number of individuals employed in the agricultural sector declined by more than 60%
from 5.77 million in 1980 to 2.13 million in 2020 (Statistics Bureau Japan, 2022).
Under such circumstances, urban agriculture supplies agricultural products and provides amulti-functional environment in the cities. According to MAFF Japan (2022), 13.0% of the total
agricultural management entities are in urbanization-designated area (shigaika-kuiki in Japanese),commonly defined by the urban municipalities. These 140,000 agricultural management entities
contribute about 7.0% of gross domestic agricultural production, only cover 62,000 ha of farmland
limitedly 1.4% of the total domestic farmland. Looking at those farmers who work mainly inagriculture, 70% of them are over 65 years old and only 11% of them are younger than 49 years old(MAFF Japan, 2022). In this apparent situation of aging farmers, identifying ways to increase thenumber of new farmers is crucially important. What kind of support new farmers need remains aquestion. In this study, we organize policies of the government and attempt to elucidate how new
farmers are supported by introducing a case of a new tomato farmer in H city.
METHODOLOGY
We described policies and trends of agriculture in the H city based on key informant interview of H
City Agricultural Affairs Division on 20 June 2022 at the H city hall. Through a case study approach,we collected reference materials related to the sequence of events when starting farming andestablishing agricultural cooperation, and conducted an interview and observation survey regarding
the current business of Ms. K.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Policy for New Farmers in Japan
According to Bureau of Urban Development (2022), the promotion of productive green areas wasproceeded as the Productive Green Area Act among large cities for city planning development, toavoid farmland conversion to housing land area and maintain the agricultural environment in cities.
If landowners keep the land as the green area which are not only farmland but also related businessincluding farm restaurant and direct selling shop for agricultural products; benefits include paymentof fixed asset tax of the green area under farmland category, and eligibility for inheritance tax
payment grace system. It is expected that this kind of promotion of agriculture leads to land retention.
The Productive Green Area Act and at same time Urban Farmland Leasing Facilitation Act
assist new farmers in accessing farmland for the long-term. The latter act secures the landowner’s
right over the farmland for a long-term lease contract. It protects them not to lose the land rights after
leasing out the land to non-family members. Historically, Japan had a landlord system between
landowners and tenants before land reforms were implemented twice in the 1940s. With this act,
tenants were entitled to hold landownership of the land as actual cultivators. This may be a reason
why the landowner avoids long-term leases to others, especially non-families. When new farmers’
parents are not from a farming family without succession, they experience difficulties in starting
farming. Hashimoto and Mitsuhashi (2017) studied the case of Utsunomiya City’s new farmers.
When they start farming, they need access to land, financial support, and training opportunities.
Osawa (2014) also pointed out that access to farmland become a barrier for new farmers from nonfarming families. His research illustrates a way to create places for new farmers to sell vegetables at
direct selling markets and let them gain more profit even though they produce small volumes at atime. In addition to the land access, a new farmer needs support. Tokyo Metropolitan Government(Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs, n.d.) designs supporting systems for new farmers: A farming
preparation fund (supports financially new farmers during the training period before they start
farming on their own within 2 years) and Business start-up capital (supports new farmers
immediately after they start farming when management is unstable within 3 years). In the new farmer
settlement support project as a farming preparation fund, the Tokyo Chamber of Agriculture supports
newly certified farmers. Municipalities subsidize 3/4 of the operating costs for cultivation-relatedⒸ ISERD

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facilities and agricultural machinery (Tokyo Chamber of Agriculture, 2021). The new farmers gained
experience and reached an annual income of 3 million yen.
Background of H City, Tokyo
With regards to agriculture, blueberry, pear, apple, persimmon strawberry, radish, and tomato are
well-known agricultural products of H City. There are many picking farms of blueberries and/or
apples as popular agritourism destinations. The high season of picking farms is in summer, between
July and August. Radish is Tokoji (Toko temple) in a line of Nerima radish as one of the Edovegetables.

Source: RESAS, 2020

Fig. 1 Management entities by marketing channels for agricultural products (%)
According to the H City based on an interview, agriculture in the H City was once used to be
active in rice farming, but from the mid-1950s onwards there was a shift to upland farming. The
conversion was to produce crops with a higher selling price than rice. Tomatoes were one of them.
Cultivation in greenhouses was introduced in the 1960s, and it became important. Since 2009,
tomatoes have been produced using a barrel cultivation system. Tomatoes have become a specialty
product. Currently, there are 8 tomato farmers in the H City. Based on the key informant interview
of H City agricultural affairs division staff, the total number of farm households decreased from 371
in 2005 to 273 in 2020. Moreover, there are only 57 farmers who are younger than 50 years old, 238
farmers are older than 50 years old including 76 farmers above 75 years old. In H City, more than
100 cases convert farmland of paddy fields and fields into housing areas every year. There is a totalof 57 ha of farmland under cultivation of H City, comprising of paddy field 4 ha, a vegetable field
37 ha, and a fruit orchard 16 ha. The ratio of farmland compared to the whole land of H city decreases
from 4.1% in 2005 and 2.1%. Out of 129 farm households in 2020, 123 households averagely
cultivate less than 1 ha, 5 households cultivate in the range from 1.0 to 1.5 ha and only one household
cultivate larger than 1.5 ha in 2020. Notedly, as shown in Fig. 1, 67% of the agricultural products
harvested in H city are sold directly to the citizens in H city through farmer’s market or roadsidestand locally, indicating that producers and consumers seems to have close distance in H City. It mayⒸ ISERD

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be predictable that people in H City are used to purchasing local products and being familiar withthe local brands or producers of fruits and vegetables.
A Case of the New Farmer as a Tomato Producer
There are three main attempts by the municipal administration based on the Tokyo metropolitan
government’s policy: (1) implementing the New Farmer Settlement Support Project with theadditional subsidy by H City, (2) increasing the motivation of citizens to support farm work for local
farmers, and (3) producing and consuming locally through the direct farm shop and school lunch
catering. As of 20 June 2022, funds of new farmers come from the Tokyo metropolitan government
subsidy (equivalent to 75% of the total expense) and the remaining 25% is equally sourced from H
city subsidy and new farmer’s own capital.
There are three types of new farmer support in the H City: (1) new farmer as the successor ofan existing farmer, (2) newly employed farmer at agricultural cooperation, and (3) new entrants fromnon-farm households. Among these new farmer types, there is the “authorized new farmer (nintei
shinki shunousha)” who submits own management plan to the municipal office. New entrants offarming in this system are limited to youth in the age range from 18 to 44 years old. H City prepares
not only subsidies but also support to rent in farmland and introduces agricultural organization underthe municipal administration.
In the H City for the past 22 years from the year 2000 to 2021, there have been 29 new farmers
as heirs of the existing farmers who start working at home. On the other hand, there are only 2 newfarmers as authorized new farmers, and Ms. K is the first case of new farmer under the new farmer
settlement support project in 2020 to develop one tomato cultivation facility. According to Ministryof Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (n.d.), the Law on Productive Green Area was enacted
first in 1974. In 1992, it was revised to add tax reductions on inheritance tax and property tax withthe condition of area larger than 500 sq. m. In 2017, it was again partially revised to allow thefollowing: (1) municipalities can reduce the area from 500 sq. m. to 300 sq. m. or more by ordinance,(2) to set up restaurants, processing facilities, and farmer’s markets in the area, and (3) If 30 years
have passed after the municipality register the land as a productive green area, the purchase offer
period can be extended to 10 years. Landowners can receive tax break for property tax as farmlandtax not as housing and deferring inheritance tax payment. In September 2018, after the Urban
Farmland Leasing Facilitation Act was enacted, tenants could rent the land directly from the ownerof the land, and those owners still could maintain the grace period for paying inheritance tax after
they rent out in the urban area (MAFF, 2021b). This act is limited to the land that is designated as a
Productive Green Area. Advantages of the act area; for tenant it is easier to rent-in directory, and forowner after the contract period usually long term, the farmland will be returned, therefore thelandowner can rent it with confidence.
After graduating from university, Ms. K started working for a large-scale tomato greenhousecompany. In 2017, she became a farm trainee in Tokyo and established the Farm in H City in 2018.
When she was looking for farmland to start farming, there was a revision of the law on productive
green areas in 2018. It triggered for Ms. K to rent farmland from a local landowner. The law allows
landowners to receive tax breaks even if they rent own farmland out to others. Ms. K became thevery first new farmer who could have access to the land lease in Japan after the law on productive
green area was revised. She also gained support from Tokyo Chamber of Agriculture member (Tokyo
Chamber of Agriculture, 2021) and the municipal officer as third parties. When someone is new tofarming, it is quite hard to gain trust from landowners. With the support of the Tokyo Chamber ofAgriculture and the H City, she was assisted in having a 30-year rental contract for the land andinstalled facilities to produce tomatoes and other crops. For the land rental, she seemed to havebenefitted from Urban Farmland Leasing Facilitation Act and the revision of Productive Green Act.
Moreover, she purchased three greenhouses with the subsidies under new farmer settlement support
project. Since seven-eighth was paid by subsidies, her expense became only one-eighth of the total
expense. As Ms. K explains, the landlord understands her desire to make a large investment and build
greenhouses, and in anticipation of the payback period of the investment, she was able to rent theland for an extended period.
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She produces vegetables in the cultivating facilities of the plastic greenhouse as shown in Fig.
2a. Her products are certified as Tokyo GAP (Good Agriculture Practice) and eco-farm products ofTokyo (Fig. 2b). In addition to medium-sized, large-sized, and mini-sized tomatoes, the farm also
produces turnips, blueberries, and other vegetables. Most vegetables are sold fresh, except for sometomatoes that are processed tomato puree with yellow, green, and red colored tomatoes and bottled
separately. These colorful puree products are sold online. She sells fresh tomatoes and others throughher online shop in a box. The marketing channels of the fresh tomatoes include the unmanned store(mujin hanbai) in front of the farm (Fig. 2c), the farmer’s market of Japan Agricultural Cooperative(JA), a shop supported by the municipality, local fruits and vegetable shops, and chain supermarkets
in Tokyo. Moreover, she proactively participates in a local young farmer’s club since 2020 torevitalize the agriculture of H City. She also sells her own products at those coordinated events. She
also opens events at her farm for local kids with parents to and feel the importance of food throughvarious farming activities such as harvesting fruits and vegetables.
To promote sustainable agriculture in Tokyo, issuance of Tokyo GAP started in April 2018. Asof 2 March 2022, 130 farmers were certified (Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs, n.d. on
Promotion of GAP in Tokyo). Farmers who apply for Tokyo GAP are required to fill out the checklist
and comply with water quality, recordings of management, soil cultivation, IPM (Integrated Pest
Management) to reduce chemical input, and other recommended farming practices. On the other
hand, the certification of eco-farm products started in 2021. It intends to reduce the usage of synthetic
pesticides and chemical fertilizers. There are three categories of certification: 25% or more reduction,
50% or more reduction, and no usage at all. When farmers do not apply any of the inputs, theirproducts are considered “Tokyo Eco-100” (Tokyo Metropolitan Government, 2017). In the case of
tomatoes, these are commonly certified as “Tokyo Eco-25” with a 25% reduction of synthetic
pesticides and chemical fertilizers through agriculture. These two certifications ensure her concerns
on human health and the environment load reduction by applying sustainable farming practices.

(a) Production facility(b) Certification sign boards(c) Unmanned store (mujin hanbai)

Source: Farm visit, 2022

Fig. 2 Pictures taken at Ms. K’s farm
CONCLUSION
This paper presents the national and municipal policies to support new farmers. After the overview
of agriculture in the H City was introduced, the case of new farmers was described. In the H City,
the number of farmers has been on the decline, and increasing the number of farmers is an importantmission. For this reason, the city actively implements support for new farmers. When new farmers
start farming, they need access to land, financial support, and training opportunities. Thus, the city
supports not only those who become farmers as successors but also non-farmers who are new tofarming as one of the important policies of the city. This article took up the case of Ms. K, a tomato
producer who also produces blueberries and vegetables. To start production in the H city in 2019,
access to land was a challenge. But after the revision of the Productive Green Area Act, as the firstⒸ ISERD

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new farmer (non-farmer who is from a non-farming household), she has been producing tomatoes.
Now, she is one of the popular local farmers featured in various media, so people often recognize her
face and name. A specific element of the successful case in the H City is still not commonly seen in
Japan. Municipal officers and the Tokyo Chamber of Agriculture supported Ms. K in gaining accessto a 30-year land lease, which is a very rare case. However, this implies that without third party
support, including with regard to land access, new farmers from non-farming families find it very
difficult to start farming.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to extend appreciation to the H City Officers and Ms. K for sharing time andvaluable information.
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