Kenichi Suzuki, Director General of the Sorachi Regional Development Bureau, gave a lecture entitled "What we expect from agriculture in Hokuryu Town in the future" and held an opinion exchange session.

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

On Monday, August 5th, from 4:00 pm, Kenichi Suzuki, Director of the Sorachi General Bureau of Hokkaido, was invited to give a lecture to young farmers in Hokuryu Town and hold an exchange of opinions with them in the multipurpose space of Hokuryu Town's commercial revitalization facility, COCOWA.

Lecture: What to expect from agriculture in Hokuryu Town in the future
- Considering Sorachi agriculture in 10 years' time, triggered by the review of the Water Activation Subsidy -

Moderator: Deputy Mayor Masaaki Okuda

A speech by Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki

"I hope that by listening to Director Suzuki and Section Chief Nogami's talks and exchanging opinions with you all, we will be able to further deepen our friendship," said Mayor Sasaki.

Opinion exchange participants

Sorachi General Bureau of Hokkaido: 2 people

• Kenichi Suzuki, Director of the Sorachi Regional Development Bureau
• Tatsuya Nogami, Director of Agriculture, Industrial Promotion Department, Sorachi Regional Development Bureau

Hokuryu Town: 19 people

• Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki of Hokuryu Town
• Hokuryu Town Deputy Mayor Masaaki Okuda
• Katsuyoshi Takahashi, General Affairs Division, Hokuryu Town Hall
• Hokuryu Town Agricultural Promotion Council, Committee Member Satoshi Hashimoto
• Masayuki Takada, member of the Hokuryu Town Agricultural Promotion Council (representative of Farm Zenzo Co., Ltd.)
• Tomohiro Fukase, Representative of the Hokuryu District JA Agri Support Council (Individual Farmer)
• Takahiro Fujii, Vice President of the Hokuryu District JA Agri Support Council (Individual Farmers)
• Yuta Kawamura, Auditor (Individual Farmer), Youth Division of JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative
• Tatsuya Yoshioka, Chairman of the Farming and Agricultural Policy Division of the JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative Youth Division (Horyu Farm, Agricultural Cooperative Corporation)
• Hiroto Sakamaki, Director of Honoka Agricultural Cooperative
• Honoka Agricultural Cooperative Association, Yoshio Futoshi
• Junpei Mihara, Director of the Hokuryu Chamber of Commerce and Industry Youth Division (Hekisui Co., Ltd.)
• Tetsuya Yamazaki, Deputy Director of the Youth Division of the Hokuryu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Hira Construction Co., Ltd.)
• Kiyohiko Fujinobu, Chairman of the Hokuryu Construction Industry Association Kenseikai (Hokuko Construction Co., Ltd.)
• Shinichi Sasaki, Vice Chairman of the Hokuryu Construction Industry Association Kenseikai (Hokuso Co., Ltd.)
• Kiyotaka Fujinobu, Planning Committee Chairman, Hokuryu Construction Industry Association Kenseikai (Shiomi Construction Co., Ltd.)
• Keiko Tsuzuki, Director of the Industry Division, Hokuryu Town Hall
• Junichi Iguchi, Counselor, Industry Division, Hokuryu Town Hall
• Hase Ikuo, Secretary General of the Hokuryu Town Agricultural Committee

Kenichi Suzuki, Director General of the Sorachi Regional Development Bureau, Hokkaido

Lecture: What to expect from agriculture in Hokuryu Town in the future
- Considering Sorachi agriculture in 10 years' time, triggered by the review of the Water Activation Subsidy -

1. self-introduction
2. Summary of the partial revision of the Basic Act on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas
3. Current status and challenges of agriculture in Hokkaido
4. The direction Sorachi agriculture should aim for
5. Examples of Sorachi Agriculture's Initiatives
6. Expectations for agriculture in Hokuryu
7. Conclusion

1. Self-introduction

• Born in Saroma Town, Okhotsk (born June 1967, age 57)
• After graduating from the Faculty of Agriculture at Iwate University, he joined the Hokkaido Prefectural Government in April 1992.
• From April 2005, he served as Chief of the Production Promotion Section of the Agriculture Division of the Sorachi Subprefecture (then) for three years.
• He served as Director of the Agriculture Policy Division and Deputy Director of the Agriculture Policy Department of Hokkaido Prefecture, and was appointed Director of the Sorachi General Bureau in June 2023.
• Hobbies include running and cross-country skiing

② Outline of the partial revision of the Basic Act on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas

The outline of the amendment is to respond to changes in the circumstances surrounding agriculture and rural areas by establishing basic policies related to establishing food security, ensuring a food system in harmony with the environment, improving productivity for the sustainable development of agriculture, and promoting rural areas (effective use of local resources, creating an environment for collaboration between agriculture and welfare, and measures to combat damage caused by birds and wild animals).

Reference case

1. Declining food self-sufficiency rate (Japan's food self-sufficiency rate is the lowest among the G7 countries, and the country aims to raise it to 45% by 2030)
2. Consider a menu using ingredients that can be produced domestically
3. Regarding the trend in fertilizer prices, currently most chemical fertilizers are imported, and prices are soaring. In the future, it will be important to make effective use of existing domestic resources, such as securing compost through cooperation between farming and livestock, and making effective use of sludge fertilizer.
4. As part of efforts to establish fair prices for agricultural products, we will consider how sales prices should be, taking into account the rising prices of production materials and consumer prices.
5. Hokkaido's climate will undergo significant changes, including an increase in the average annual temperature, increased precipitation, decreased solar radiation, an extension of the frost-free period, and earlier snowmelt.
6. Increase in sudden heavy rain
7. Development of "heat-resistant rice" that can withstand heat. In Hokkaido, the development of Hokkaido-style heat-resistant rice that combines the current cold tolerance and good taste with heat tolerance is being considered. This will need to be considered in conjunction with thorough water and fertilizer management of the current varieties.
8. Global population growth (mainly in Asia and Africa) will reach just under 10 billion by 2050
9. Population trends and estimates for Hokkaido and the Sorachi region (population decline)
10. The number of rice farmers is decreasing and there is a rice shortage. By 2025, it is possible that we will not be able to achieve 100% domestic self-sufficiency. In 2030, will we need to shift from animal feed to staple food in order to secure rice?! And by 2040, if there is a poor harvest, the government's rice stockpiles will run out!?

③ Current status and issues of agriculture in Hokkaido

1. Wheat production trends:Improving productivity in rice paddies is important for maintaining rice paddy functionality through crop rotation
2. Hokkaido soybean production:It is increasing year by year, accounting for 40% of the national total. Strengthening productivity in Hokkaido is of utmost importance, and efforts must be made to improve productivity in cultivated fields as well as in crop fields converted for other crops.
3. Buckwheat production:In order to continue producing buckwheat on farmland that has been converted into upland, it is necessary to increase the yield per unit area from the current level.
4. Trends in agricultural output:Among the four major prefectural bureaus in Hokkaido, Tokachi is at the top, followed by Abashiri, Kamikawa, and Sorachi.
5. Responding to change:Charles Darwin said, "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives; it is the one that is most adaptable to change."
6. It is important to preserve history and tradition while also practicing agriculture that is suited to each era.

④ The direction Sorachi agriculture should aim for

1. Review of Water Activation Grants:The government's policy is that farmland that has not been flooded even once in the next five years (2022-2026) will not be eligible for the grant. If flooding management has been carried out for more than one month and there has been no decline in yield due to continuous crop damage, the land will be considered to have been flooded.
2. Expectations and roles for Sorachi agriculture:Sorachi agriculture contributes to improving food self-sufficiency and strengthening food security to the maximum extent possible.
   The key points are "human resource development (creating a system that can pass on skills and knowledge)," "soil preparation (securing and effectively utilizing compost, conducting soil analysis)," and "production according to demand (polarization of paddy rice between high-quality rice and low-cost rice, efforts to rotate rice fields, efforts to convert high-quality, high-yield rice into field crops)," as well as promoting agricultural and rural development projects and improving production and distribution systems (improving efficiency through incorporation, securing lots through cooperation between agricultural cooperatives).

⑤ Examples of Sorachi agricultural initiatives

1. Promoting Sorachi-style crop rotation (introducing dry-field direct seeding to avoid continuous cropping)
2. Production of forage rice (WCS) and livestock farming
3. Production of sake rice, Yamada Nishiki (Kato Farm, Ashibetsu City)
4. Garlic production (JA Pinne initiative)
   ・Promoting new crops in the fields (garlic, sweet potatoes, peanuts)
5. Production of tomatoes for processing (an initiative of the Hokkaido Processing Tomato Extension Council and JA Iwamizawa)
6. Sorachi flower production
7. Wine grape (winery) production
8. Utilizing sewage sludge as fertilizer (Iwamizawa City initiative)

⑥ Expectations for agriculture in Hokuryu

1. Maintaining and securing the functionality of rice paddies
   ・Rice (high quality rice, specially cultivated rice (sunflower rice), sake rice, export rice)
   ・Rice field rotation (four-year crop rotation with paddy rice, wheat, soybeans, and buckwheat)
   - Highly profitable crops (sunflower watermelon, sunflower melon, flowers)
2. Sustainable development of agricultural management
   ・Establishment of agricultural corporations (maintenance and management of farmland)
   ・Establishment of agricultural work support organizations (contractors) (to supplement labor and improve work efficiency)
   ・Promoting smart agriculture
   ・Branding of agricultural products (securing lots, inter-regional collaboration)

⑦ Conclusion

"Food is the source of life (to live is to eat), and agriculture in Hokuryu has the potential to continue producing food for the Japanese people.

I want you to value agriculture and take pride in it.

"I would like you to continue to keep in mind that the keywords for the coming era, 10 years from now, are 'production according to demand' and 'responding to change,' and continue to work in this field," Director Suzuki concluded.

Thank you very much to Director Suzuki for your valuable and wonderful insights.

Q&A

• About smart agriculture
• Demand for infrastructure development (in low-density areas)
• About soil preparation (compost and fertilizer measures)
• Regarding soil testing (checking the necessary components for soil quality)
• Subsidy support system
• Agriculture and livestock collaboration in compost
• Establishing a system to accept new farmers
• Regarding transportation issues

Various questions and opinions were raised, leading to lively discussions.









With boundless love, gratitude, and prayers, we hope that the young people of Hokuryu Town, who will be responsible for the future, will have an invaluable opportunity to listen to the valuable talk by Director Kenichi Suzuki of the Sorachi General Subprefectural Bureau, actively exchange opinions, and think about how Sorachi agriculture can adapt to future changes.

Other photos

Click here for 37 photos of the lecture by Director Kenichi Suzuki of the Sorachi General Subprefectural Bureau, "What we expect from agriculture in Hokuryu Town in the future" >>

Related articles

　

◇ Interview and text: Ikuko Terauchi (Photography and editing assistance: Noboru Terauchi)