An aging agricultural workforce, a food self-sufficiency rate below 40 percent and the constant threat of environmental damage: How can tiny vegetable distribution companies in Chiba Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, tackle the issues facing Japan's farming industry?
The answer, according to Setsuo Nakagoshi, is one organic tomato at a time. Nakagoshi's company, Watashi no Hata (My Field), is one of several organic grocery delivery services who are trying to make a change. A former financial securities specialist, he spent eight years in the industry before trading in tailored suits for the jeans and rubber boots he wears around his small farm.
Nakagoshi started farming three years ago and currently supplies organic vegetables to restaurants and residents in the Nagareyama area.