With Japanese farmers still feeling the effects of last March’s devastating Tsunami, the government has stepped in with a futuristic plan to revamp Japanese agriculture.
The tsunami last year, sparked by a 9.0 earthquake in the Pacific, devastated the Japanese seaboard, shutting down trade, damaging ports, and destroying the Fukushima nuclear power plant, leading to a meltdown and serious radioactive contamination. In addition, the waves polluted the surrounding countryside and severely damaged farmland in the surrounding.
In order to help resurrect the agricultural sector, the Japanese government is planning a series of robotic farms in the Fukushima prefecture. Known as the Dream Project, the Agriculture Ministry is planning to begin on-site research this March and has allocated $53 million over the next six years.
The farms, when they are finished, will boast state of the art robotic systems. The farm will use unmanned tractors to harvest crops, LEDs to replace pesticides, and will channel carbon dioxide generated by farm machines back into plants to strengthen them without the need for chemical fertilizers.
The farm is part of a larger plan to revolutionize Japanese agriculture. According to an Agriculture Ministry representative, “We hope the project will help not only support farmers in the disaster-hit regions but also revive the entire nation’s agriculture.”
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer