The Future of Nanjo City, Okinawa : A Sanctuary for Nature Tourism and Agri-Tech
Yuntaku (chatting) with Mr. Zukeran Chobin, Mayor of Nanjo City, Okinawa Prefecture
◆ Progress report on Speedy Resorts.
We want to make Okinawa a bigger tourist market than Hawaii.
In terms of area and population, Okinawa Island (1,199 km² = 1.22 million) and Oahu (1,545 km² = 910,000) are the same. It is thought that the decrease in overseas travel in Corona will be more than compensated for by Okinawa.
Furthermore, in order to revitalize the southern part of Okinawa (Nanjo) more than the northern part (Onna Village), it is necessary to develop nature tourism (hotels are not luxury hotels) based on the abundant natural and historical heritage that has remained since the birth of the Ryukyu Islands. He suggested that the basic concept of the resort should be a resort where visitors can spend time while enjoying a lot of nature, rather than a resort where visitors are only allowed to spend a few days.
↓Okinawa Prefecture Nanjo City Attractions 2021
◆Explanation of the concept of Speedy Farm.
We would like to promote a new type of agriculture (agri-tech) utilizing the fertile land in southern Okinawa.
There is a lot of farmland that cannot be converted to residential land, and with the aging of farmers and lack of successors, a huge amount of farmland will be left unplanted.
We need to create new criteria for farmland matching. I understand the sentiment of not wanting to rent to newcomers, but at the same time, there is no future for us if we leave it as is.
We believe that the value of farmland does not lie in the land, but in the crops that can be produced from that land. If that land can be produced by new agriculture and new technology, matching will be activated. Therefore, our farm will create that pattern of success (modularization).
If the modularization is successful, it will not simply be a low-cost rental of idle farmland, but from the sales of the resulting crops. You could take a license fee. This should also create a new community between knowledgeable farmers and newcomers.
To make this happen, the business model of agriculture must be changed. Most of the cost structure of agriculture is labor costs. The eyes of AI sensors will make harvesting more efficient. AI sensor eyes will make harvesting more efficient, and deep learning of crop data will improve quality and optimize the timing of harvest. Genome editing will also make it possible to breed crops that are free of pests.
And the distribution of agricultural products is not limited to wholesale, but also includes D2C (direct sales) using “Nochoku” and “Pocket Marche”. By experimenting, consumer opinions could be utilized in agriculture.
There are many countries such as Israel and China that can learn from these modern farming methods. I would like to learn a lot from them and make Speedy Farm a success.
I exchanged views with the mayor on these two points.
We are especially pleased that they were interested in the concept of agriculture.
They wanted him to speak at a citizens’ university and other venues. Keep up the good work!