People of an agricultural cooperative (JA) group are growing a strong interest in a hands-on farm, which, they recognize, is an important tool for facilitating development of agriculture in urban areas.
JA-ZENCHU (Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives) or JAs’ apex body in Japan recently printed an additional 500 copies of a handbook for opening hands-on farms, since a flood of orders have poured on to deplete the stock of the books. One thousand copies of the handbook had been originally printed for staff members of JAs and their prefectural unions.
The handbook is increasingly used not only at JAs located in urban areas, but also at JAs in rural regions.
JA-ZENCHU regards a hands-on farm as a focal point of promoting participation by JA’s associate members, non-farming residents patronizing business services of JAs, in supporting agricultural development in their community.
The apex body of the JA group plans to carry on a campaign to promote openings of hands-on farms at JAs’ areas in the country through organizing seminars and workshops for sharing successful experiences among themselves.
The handbook is titled as “A handbook for opening and managing hands-on farms,” a copy of which was provided to JAs and JAs’ prefectural unions which want it.
As of the end of October, about 100 JAs are using the handbook to consider opening a hands-on farm in their respective territory.
JA-ZENCHU is still receiving orders of the handbook from JAs located in Tokyo and other big cities as well as from JAs in rural areas which consider hands-on farming as measures to facilitate young people’s participation in agriculture.