Promoting GAP in Tochigi Prefecture

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1 Promoting GAP in Tochigi Prefecture Jan 19, 2016 Environmental conservation farming leader Management Skills Section Agricultural Administration Department Tochigi Prefectural Government

2 Agriculture in Tochigi Prefecture (Unit price: 100 million yen Item Rice and wheat (percentage) 1, % 1, % % % % % % Horticulture (percentage) % % % % % % % Stockbreeding (percentage) % % % % % % % Other (percentage) % % % % % % % Total 2,951 2,746 2,741 2,552 2,659 2,786 2,690 National ranking 14th 11th 10th 10th 10th 8th 9th Agricultural production Agricultural yield resulted in 269 billion yen (9th out of 47 prefectures) Percentage of horticulture and animal husbandry are increasing.

3 Agriculture in Tochigi Prefecture Rank Agricultural product Amount of production (billion yen) Proportion against nationwide yield (%) Rank Agricultural product Amount of production (billion yen) Proportion against nationwide yield (%) Strawberries Rice Two-row barley seeds Pork Dried gourd shavings Beef cattle Raw milk Burdock Leek Onion Milk cow Rose Buckwheat 1 17 String beans (unripen) Aralia cordata Plants and nursery trees for gardens Elephant roots Chrysanthemum Japanese pear Chinese cabbage Cyclamen (pot) Asparagus Eggplant Tomato Sweet corns Cucumber Western orchid Yam Spinatch Baby chickens (sold by 7 parties from other prefecture) Crown daisy Agricultural products for which Tochigi ranked 10th or higher out of 47 prefectures nationwide (2012)

4 Developing original Tochigi varieties The Tochigi Prefectural government develops numerous original varieties at its agricultural experiment station to satisfy consumer needs and fulfill producer expectations. Sky Berry strawberries Orihime Japanese pears Registered in: November 2014 Core features: Extremely large fruit, good shape Sweet and juicy Highly resistant to disease Registered in: June 2013 Core features: Bluish fruits, mature extremely early Superior appearance with smooth skin Fine texture and soft, juicy fruit

5 Agriculture in Tochigi Prefecture (Households) 90,000 80,000 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 78,417 21,341 71,881 65,042 56,016 47,833 17,370 14,159 12,980 11,015 販売農家数 Number of distributing farmers Full-time farmers 主業農家数 H H H H H22 (Year) Number distributing farmer and full-time farming households Both distributing and full-time farmers are decreasing year by year. The number of full-time farmers in particular has decreased by nearly 50% in the last two decades.

6 Promoting GAP in Tochigi Prefecture 1. Preparing policies and manuals 2. Developing leaders 3. Extension and instruction 4. Future promotion

7 1. Preparing policies and manuals (1) Formulation of GAP introduction policy in Tochigi Prefecture (March 2006) Background Growing concerns in food security and safety Improving agricultural management and reducing risks Policy details GAP promotion policy How to introduce GAP Purpose Food security: Improve safety of Tochigi s agricultural products Environmental conservation: Mitigate environmental impacts associated with the production of agricultural products Work safety: Preventing health hazards to farmers

8 (2) Preparation of GAP Manual (March 2007) Formulated control standards to avoid risks, and prepared documents to improve based on GAP introduction polices in Tochigi Prefecture Strawberries, tomatoes, spinach, Japanese pears, and grapes Prepare and distribute GAP selfchecklist

9 GAP Practical Situation Survey ( ) To the improve accuracy of GAP, we provided a GAP implementation progress survey and consultation to eleven JA offices in Tochigi Prefecture, starting in FY2007.

10 Challenges in introducing GAP to production sites Many producers recognize that GAP is an inspection using a selfchecklist. The prefectural government expressed no clear vision for why the initiative was needed and how to start implementing it Producers feel that using the checklist is a hassle. Producers organizations (JA, etc.) tend to emphasize distribution and collection of the self-checklist. Initiatives become questionable Producer s self-evaluations were found to be excessively high, often by 10 points or more (see below, compared with scores by professional auditors) Lack of explanation of GAP Lack of comprehension of GAP Needed to build understanding of GAP

11 (3) Preparing Tochigi Prefecture Standards for GAP (March 2011) (Japan s first initiative) To resolve challenges, the following standards must be identified: Significance of participating in GAP Basis for GAP (e.g. laws and ordinances) Appropriate practices Tochigi Prefecture Standards for GAP Compiling guidelines on the common foundations of GAP (April 2010, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)

12 Tochigi Prefecture Standards for GAP

13 Structure of Tochigi Prefecture Standards for GAP Check item Food security Environmental conservation Work safety Overall Total Number of items (including legal obligations) 19 items (4 items) 15 items (3 items) 9 items (3 items) 7 items (3 items) 50 items (13 items)

14 Using the Tochigi Prefecture Standards for GAP For farmers: No need to read through the whole thing at once This is like a dictionary where you can look things up when you are unsure of how to practice GAP properly. Make farmers pay extra attention to legal matters. Instructors: Tell farmers to bring the checklists when they participate in study sessions, review sessions at sites, and meet to unify criteria for visual inspection, using the checklists as a study text. Check several items each time. 14

15 Using the Tochigi Prefecture Standards for GAP Most of the initiative items in GAP need to be practiced by farmers. For more accurate farming, it is necessary to focus on the following: Conformity with standards and compliance with the laws and regulations Reviewing inappropriate habits Leaving records to avoid carless mistakes 15