Girls! Come Out to Farm: Farming Womanpower Project in Japan

Japanese is aging - so is its farming. The government and business are working hand in hand to find solutions to counter Japan's aging farming.

Farming is generally men's enterprise and women are mostly sidelined to support the industry. Now the question of aging farming is more pressing than ever and agri-related industries are introducing new commodities to help encourage women to take a positive part in this ever vital primary industry. Women's views are fully integrated into product development, says a farming instrument maker.

Recent statistics show women share about 41.8% of the professional farming population but only 23.7% below age 39. Most of them are primarily working in peripheral sectors packaging, etc. and few operating heavy farming machinery.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is now promoting what it calls "Farming Womanpower Project" to induce more women into farming. Farming machinery manufacturers take it a welcome business opportunity and are respectively responding the call with new ingenious products.

Beauty care and cosmetics are vital to young women on the farm. Iseki & Co. has come up with a unique whitish tractor of simple, urban design. It is equipped with a board to prevent suntan. Daihatsu Co. has a light pick-up truck of pink, orange and other colorful bodies. When marketed, many wondered if it would ever sell at all, but actually they are doing very well, says a sales staff.

Ultra violet rays pose a threat to female farmers. As part of the Farming Womanpower Project, manufacturers are involving cosmetic experts to introduce a line of makeup skills for skincare and water resistant foundation.

To introduce farm produce raised by female farmers, Mitsukoshi Isetan Holdings developed this summer a water manju and  gelato. Customers react favorably, comments a sales staff.

It's fresh breeze drifting into farming - certainly a solution to the problem Japan is facing today.

News Source: J-CAST News