Reviewing Rice Price Surge and Rebuilding Supply Policies | Chapter 5The Midori Strategy for a Sustainable Food System

Climate change has increased the frequency of extreme weather events such as heat, droughts, and major floods, causing instability in global food production as well as sharp rises and falls in grain prices. In Japan, which depends heavily on imports for food and agricultural production materials, the risk of difficulty in securing stable supplies is increasing.

Japan's average annual temperature has risen by 1.44 degrees Celsius per 100 years, exceeding the global average increase of 0.79 degrees Celsius. In agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, high temperatures have caused lower yields and declining quality.

Greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sectors in fiscal 2023 were 51.03 million t-CO2, accounting for about 5% of Japan's total, while the sectors account for about 80% of methane emissions and about 50% of nitrous oxide emissions.

The Midori Strategy aims to achieve 14 KPIs by 2050, including zero CO2 emissions in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; a 50% reduction in chemical pesticide use on a risk-adjusted basis; a 30% reduction in chemical fertilizer use made from imported materials or fossil fuels; and organic farming on 25% of cultivated land, or 1 million ha.

The measures cover procurement, production, processing and distribution, and consumption, combining behavioral change, dissemination of existing technologies, and the development and social implementation of innovative technologies and production systems.

Producers receive support measures such as special tax and financing provisions through certification of environmental burden reduction activities. The Environmentally Friendly Agriculture Direct Payment Program supports farming activities that reduce chemical fertilizers and pesticides and have significant effects on preventing global warming and conserving biodiversity.

Food companies are expected to address sustainable raw material procurement, consideration for the environment and human rights, food loss reduction, food recycling, and the use of recycled plastics. Public-private platforms and forums for information sharing have also been established.

Consumers have opportunities to access information on reducing environmental burdens and food loss through displays showing contributions to greenhouse gas reductions under the Mieru Label, use of organic food, and calls to select products with the earliest expiration dates and finish one's food.

In local communities, initiatives include consolidating organic farms, using biomass, developing renewable energy, serving organic food in school lunches, and passing on rural culture. Agriculture and rural areas provide multifunctional benefits such as water-source recharge, flood prevention, ecosystem conservation, landscape formation, and cultural transmission.

Policy implementation faces the challenge of advancing climate change mitigation and adaptation, environmental burden reduction, productivity assurance, and initiatives at every stage of the food system in parallel.

Under the Midori Act, prefectures certify environmental burden reduction activities, while the national government certifies foundation-establishment projects and provides special tax and financing provisions. As of the end of March 2026, more than 36,000 entities were certified for environmental burden reduction activities, 105 plans for foundation-establishment projects, and 93 designated areas across 34 prefectures.

In Yamamoto, Miyagi Prefecture, large greenhouses equipped with ICT-based environmental control systems have been developed since fiscal 2012. In an area where about 95% of cultivation facilities were damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake, the system combines sensing-based heating and fertilization, energy-saving materials, and ultraviolet lamps.

The Environmentally Friendly Agriculture Direct Payment Program supports initiatives that generally reduce chemical fertilizers and pesticides by at least 50%, along with farming activities that have significant effects on preventing global warming and conserving biodiversity. The implemented area in fiscal 2024 was 91,000 ha, and a review of the program is being considered with fiscal 2027 as the target timing.

The agriculture sector has set a plan to reduce emissions by 11.76 million t-CO2 in fiscal 2030 compared with fiscal 2013, advancing energy efficiency, biochar use, longer midseason drainage periods, and reductions in livestock-derived methane. Electric brush cutters and automatic steering systems each have a 50% adoption target for 2030.

Chemical pesticide use, on a risk-adjusted basis, was reduced by approximately 19.9% in pesticide year 2024 compared with pesticide year 2019. Chemical fertilizer totaled 680,000 tonnes in 2023, based on the total NPK quantity and production volume, representing an approximately 25% reduction from 2016.

The area under organic farming was 34,500 ha in fiscal 2023, equivalent to 0.8% of cultivated land, while the 2030 target is 63,000 ha. In fiscal 2025, 154 municipalities participated in the Organic Village initiative, and 328 municipalities used organic food in school lunches in fiscal 2024.

Food loss totaled 4.64 million tonnes in fiscal 2023, comprising 2.33 million tonnes from households and 2.31 million tonnes from businesses. Business-related food loss was reduced by 58% compared with fiscal 2000, and as of October 2025, 377 businesses were working to relax delivery deadline rules.

For environmental burden visualization, the Mieru Label covered 24 product categories as of the end of March 2026, and rice products could also display biodiversity conservation information. As of February 2026, 24 prefectures had stores and other outlets where the products could be purchased year-round.

The biomass utilization rate was 77% in fiscal 2023, with a target of approximately 80% in 2030. In fiscal 2025, the cumulative number of municipalities designated as Biomass Industrial Cities reached 107, while 112 municipalities had prepared basic plans under the Act on Promoting Generation of Electricity from Renewable Energy by Using Agricultural and Fishing Villages at the end of fiscal 2024.

Renewable energy generation facilities using agricultural water facilities and other infrastructure numbered 313 at the end of March 2025, and accounted for 32.2% of electricity consumption by land improvement districts. The area of agrivoltaic initiatives was 1,362 ha in fiscal 2023, and initiatives with impacts on farming accounted for at least 20% of ongoing cases.