The future of food is essential for our health and well-being. However, this very future is at stake for the Japanese due to the country’s continuously declining birthrate and aging population, the rising global food demand, global warming, and climate change.
Japan’s primary industries have supported the food supply of the nation’s people. However, studies show the number of workers in Japan’s primary sector will likely decrease by half over the next ten to twenty years, including the farmers, whose average age is 67.9 as of 2022. The area of farmland in Japan is also steadily declining. Furthermore, the risks involved in procuring production materials and food, of which Japan has relied on imports to date, continue to worsen annually due to the growing food demand caused by the world’s population growth, unstable grain prices, and the decline in Japan’s international standing and purchasing power.
Greenhouse gas emissions from the food system, including chemical fertilizer production, food transportation, processing, retail, and waste disposal, are estimated to account for about a third of total anthropogenic emissions and are a major cause of climate change. At the same time, the primary sector is suffering heavy damage from recent extreme weather events. Furthermore, fears of a protein crisis (in which the demand for protein exceeds the supply) and other food-related issues continue accumulating. Amid this worsening situation, the primary sector requires food innovation to become sustainable.