Farmers' problems

A Decreasing Number of Farmers Each Year

In the agricultural world, a "young" farmer is considered to be 65 years old. Even when looking at age groups, more than half of "new self-employed farmers," including those taking over family businesses or changing careers, are 60 years old or older.

This is why veteran farmers are struggling. If agriculture remains an image of a second life after retirement, the shortage of successors due to an aging population will only accelerate. In fact, the number of farmers nationwide is steadily decreasing year by year.

Unsellable Off-Spec Vegetables

For small-scale farmers who cultivate many different varieties, this is not their only concern. Small farmlands make efficient production difficult, making it hard to turn a profit. They also struggle with off-spec vegetables that are indistinguishable until harvest.

In particular, if there are small quantities of many different types of off-spec vegetables, transportation costs make it difficult to profit from distribution. Moreover, small-scale farmers may struggle with shipping, potentially neglecting their farm work.

Even the option of processing, which seems to reduce food waste and offer benefits, has a drawback: if the quantity is too large, it ultimately leads to disposal...

Processing that Creates No Food Waste

Still, to properly find a use for off-spec vegetables and add value to them to ensure a good profit, processing that generates no food waste is a good strategy, provided the challenges can be overcome.

And if even one off-spec vegetable can solve a farmer's problem, enriching their life and spirit, and broadly spreading the appeal of farming, then...

It should attract attention from the working-age generation, who are suitable as successors, and contribute to the continued existence of agriculture, which is facing an aging workforce.