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Top Prizes for non GMO Crops are offered to Japan's Farmer!
More and more this year Farmers are being offered prime rates for their crops if those are GMO free. Even better are the prizes paid for Organic Soya beans and vegetables.
The Japanese consumer seems to be ready and willing to pay more for their food since the last two food crisises.
Japanese are more and more concerned as to where they food comes from and as to how it is grown. There is a move to more Organic food as well as locally grown food.
The main problem today is not the demand, but the supply. Decades of bad policies and a push from the Japanese Goverment to reduce it's own production in favore of cheeper imports has resulted in a shortage of Farmers and supply.
With up to 60% of the Farm land being simply abandoned and an ageing farm population with an average age of 61 year of age today and no one to take over the farms. Japan is running into a serious food supply problem over the next 5 to 10 Years.
Already Japan does rely on almost 60% imports from over see, mainly China and the USA.
Yet the Japanese consumer is now demanding locally grown and non GMO food. Maybe some of the unemployed could be retrained to become Farmers and take over the abandoned farm land, however that would not be easy either since this raises a new problem of who will pay for this, after all the land is still privately owned even if it is been administrated and regulated by the goverment!
Crowd Power
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Paschen
Narita, Chiba, Japan








Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (6)
at 19:16 on June 22nd, 2008
Paschen, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 20:50 on June 22nd, 2008
Thank you! It is much appreciated! This topic does need more exposure and reflection through out the World!
at 10:31 on September 30th, 2008
Paschen, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 19:35 on September 30th, 2008
Thank you cassy82 for the read, comment and flag here, I do appreciate it.
at 02:06 on July 31st, 2009
The Prises Offered for Non GMO and Organic Food to farmers is even better this year in 2009 and for 2010 the contract are already available now.
at 05:48 on July 31st, 2009
Back to basics finally. We are becoming aware of taste and health again. Not the fast food stuff that only stuffs the stomach and creates obesity. The land could be leased out, so the old farmer gets some return on his investment, and sell on later to the lessee.