Japan's "Food" and the Role of Agriculture

About 20 years have passed since I jumped into the world of agriculture. Currently, at my farm in Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, we grow over 100 varieties of vegetables organically and deliver them directly to individuals and restaurants. Here, from the perspective of such an agricultural manager, I would like to consider the entry into force of the TPP and changes in Japanese "food."

In recent years, there has been active discussion about the impact of the TPP, such as whether the liberalization of agricultural markets will deal a major blow to domestic agriculture, or whether competition and selection will promote efficiency and large-scale operations.

However, it is safe to say that this TPP will have almost no impact. A few opening measures were taken, such as establishing a duty-free import quota for rice from Australia, but the impact on domestic rice farmers will likely be small.

Rather, I feel that the TPP has finally started moving in the direction discussed during the GATT Uruguay Round in the 1980s. Conversely, this means that structural reform has not progressed at all for the past 30 years, and my honest impression is, "Has it really taken this long just to reach this level of agreement?"

Furthermore, I see no material in this TPP that will promote future reforms. Mechanization and large-scale operations will likely proceed anyway, but those depend heavily on changes in the business environment such as domestic demand, and it is hard to imagine that the TPP will accelerate them.

Next, let's consider the impact on consumers. First, the TPP itself has little impact on dietary habits. However, as the globalization of agricultural markets progresses in the future, various impacts are expected in connection with changes in the lifestyles of Japanese people.

For example, let's consider cabbage. As the population decreases and the number of elderly households, dual-income households, and single-person households increases, fewer people will buy a whole head of cabbage. It is a hassle to cook, and the volume is too much. Instead, demand for cut vegetables in small bags—processed vegetables—is increasing. The so-called "externalization of food" is progressing.

Imported vegetables are one part of what supports this. In recent years, the import volume of processed foods has been increasing, and they reach the dining table through various routes: overseas agricultural products processed abroad or imported and then processed domestically, or domestic agricultural products processed abroad and re-imported.

Agricultural production has not been able to keep up with these changes in the food chain (food distribution) caused by changes in household composition and lifestyles. Therefore, some small-scale farmers may go out of business because distribution becomes a bottleneck, and there is a possibility that this could make food supply unstable or narrow the range of consumer choices. In the future, changes such as the loss of food diversity or a decline in quality may gradually appear.

So, can small-scale farmers survive amidst these changes, and what role can they play? Taking our farm as an example, the situation remains the same in that we are fighting against "cheap and tasteless things," whether they are domestic or imported, and I am not worried about the impact of liberalization. However, the business environment is certainly becoming tougher.

Actually, the biggest enemy is the "simplification of diet" among people. We are particular about season, variety, and freshness, and we ship delicious vegetables directly to consumers and restaurants at the most delicious timing. Therefore, if more people want to buy high-quality food with a focus on taste and cook it skillfully, our customer base will expand. On the other hand, if everyone becomes the type of person who says, "It's enough to just buy a cheap, ready-made salad at a convenience store on the way home from work," we won't stand a chance.

Japan is a society where you can "eat delicious vegetables heartily every day." I think this is very precious and a happy thing. And what is necessary to protect this rich food culture is for more people to be particular about and enjoy the "experience of eating," such as cooking together as a family, having a lively meal with friends, or looking for a favorite restaurant. If that happens, chances will arise for farmers who are making truly delicious agricultural products to win the competition.

That's why I never say, "Please protect the farmers." Rather, I want to say to everyone, "Be more selfish!" Even though Japan has matured this much and consumer demand has diversified, agriculture has still not escaped the situation of a bygone era where the goal was mass production and mass supply of uniform food. I believe that if everyone raises their voices and strongly demands, "Let us eat tastier things!" both production and distribution will change.

Looking at it differently, agriculture can be called a "frontier" full of opportunities. It is only now that capital and technology from the outside will begin to flow into agriculture in earnest. While there are concerns about the aging of farmers, a younger generation starting new initiatives is steadily growing. If liberalization progresses and large-scale farmers targeting the volume zone and small-scale farmers targeting niches compete and improve, diverse innovations will be born. Agriculture is, indeed, a creative job.