Future-oriented Agriculture—Strawberry Plant Factory Based on Regional Collaboration

1. Background of the collaboration agreement

On April 24, 2021, the Sakawa Branch Strawberry Division of Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) Kochi Prefecture (Sakawa Strawberry Division, hereafter), NTT WEST, the town of Sakawa, and Kochi Prefecture concluded a collaboration agreement to promote agricultural development and regional revitalization, particularly by leveraging the strawberry-cultivation technology of Sakawa Strawberry Division and information and communication technology (ICT) of NTT WEST and its group companies (NTT WEST Group, hereafter), as a way to explore the possibilities of “plant-based town development” advocated by the town of Sakawa.

In the Sakawa Strawberry Division, farmers are aging and their number is decreasing. Accordingly, while working on ways that will allow them to pass on skills, they aim to increase the number of new farmers and pursue sustainable agriculture by creating an environment that makes it easy for individuals to take up farming.

To become a social ICT pioneer, NTT WEST is taking the initiative in solving various problems brought about by changes in the environment surrounding society by using the power of ICT and collaborating with local communities (Fig. 1). As one of our initiatives, we had been considering the strawberry plant factory business as a means to solve social problems in the agricultural sector. Accordingly, we thought it was a good idea to grow Sakawa’s delicious strawberries, which are highly evaluated by distributors, in a plant factory. Therefore, we consulted with the Sakawa Strawberry Division, leading to this collaboration.

Fig. 1. NTT WEST “Smart10x” initiatives.

The town of Sakawa is aiming to attract new farmers to support the Sakawa Strawberry Division and create a town in which children can learn about the industries of Sakawa by using ICT in a manner that they can nurture their interests in such industries. Moreover, they want to make effective use of ICT in the “Sakawa Town, People, Work Creation Comprehensive Strategy” aimed at measures for addressing population decline, regional revitalization, and establishment of a virtuous cycle.

Against this background, we decided to close a collaboration agreement with the aim of contributing to the promotion of agriculture and plant-based town development by using ICT in the production of Sakawa strawberries. Targeting new agriculture and plant-based town development, NTT WEST will also explore ways to promote agriculture through digital transformation by promoting the use of ICT in agricultural fields and collaboration with plant factories in the Kansai (west Japan) region through regional cooperation. Kochi Prefecture is participating in this agreement to support the collaborative efforts of the Sakawa Strawberry Division, NTT WEST, and the town of Sakawa (Figs. 2 and 3).

Fig. 2. Background and motivation for collaboration with the town of Sakawa.

Fig. 3. Cultivation technology used in a strawberry plant factory.

2. Details of the collaboration

3. Future developments

Under this collaboration agreement as a starting point, we will promote regional revitalization through cooperation in various fields, including the use of ICT, with a focus on Sakawa strawberries.

Authors: (top tier from left) Naoki Iwatani, Manager, NTT Business Solutions Corporation; Akiko Unami, Manager, NTT Business Solutions Corporation; Katsu­hito Tsuzuki, Director, NTT WEST Corporation; (middle tier from left) Takashi Kawakatsu, Chief, NTT Business Solutions Corporation; Hiroki Kouyama, NTT Business Solutions Corporation; Yuriko Maehara, NTT WEST Corporation; (bottom tier from left) Tsukasa Uekawa, Manager, NTT WEST Corporation; Yoshikazu Takayama, Domainhead, NTT WEST Corporation; Tomoyuki Nomura, Chief, NTT WEST Corporation