Farmers' problems

The number of farmers is decreasing year by year

In the world of agriculture, the age group considered young is 65. Even when looking at the age groups, the majority of "new self-employed farmers," including those who have taken over the family business or changed jobs, are over 60 years old.

That is why veteran farmers are worried. If they continue to think of farming as a way to pursue a second life after retirement, the shortage of farmers due to the aging population will only continue to accelerate. In fact, the number of farmers nationwide is decreasing year by year.

Non-standard vegetables with nowhere to go

But that's not all that is troubling farmers who grow a wide variety of crops on a small scale. Small farmland makes it difficult to produce efficiently and makes it hard to make a profit. You may also have trouble with non-standard vegetables that are difficult to tell apart until you harvest them.

In particular, when it comes to small quantities of multiple non-standard vegetables, even if you try to distribute them, the transportation costs make it difficult to make a profit. In the first place, small-scale farmers have trouble shipping the products, and there is a concern that they may neglect their farm work.

Even with the option of processing food, which could potentially bring benefits such as reducing food waste, there is a drawback in that if the amount is too large, it will ultimately have to be thrown away.

Processing that does not produce food waste

But how can we find a proper use for non-standard vegetables and add value to them so that we can make a profit? As long as we can overcome the challenges, processing them in a way that doesn't result in food waste is a good option.

And if even a single non-standard vegetable can help alleviate farmers' worries, not only improve their lives but also enrich their hearts, and spread the joy of farming to the wider world.

This will attract attention from people in the prime of their working lives who are suitable to take on the role, and should also help ensure the survival of agriculture, which is facing an aging workforce.