Electronics giant Panasonic Corp. wants to get its hands dirty by making use of its prowess in advanced information technology to assist small and midsize farmers in their quest for better yields.

Panasonic offers to analyze soil samples for quality based on techniques used by crop growers to achieve better tasting harvests across Japan that are more nutritional.

The endeavor is also intended to help lessen their reliance on agrochemicals and chemical fertilizers. Panasonic said its aim is simply to make agriculture more eco-friendly and sustainable.

This past summer, vegetable grower Shigemasa Suzuki was agonizing over his farm’s falling productivity, which was especially painful as he knew the demand was there.

“If I continue to rely on conventional methods, I won't be able to respond to recent drastic climate changes,” Suzuki recalled thinking.

Vegetable prices surged due to poor weather conditions nationwide. Suzuki grows eggplants in Marugame, Kagawa Prefecture, and was desperate to increase shipments but had no luck.

The prolonged rainy season in July, followed by August with very little rainfall, left Suzuki pondering how to “radically review soil preparation in a way that can significantly affect the harvest, shape and other qualities of my crops.”

It was around this time that Suzuki heard from another farmer about the Saibai Nabi Doctor service introduced by Panasonic in May.

The system works very much like a doctor's diagnosis of a health problem in the way it evaluates agricultural field conditions cited by farmers. For example, it uses 27 categories to look at such things as the presence of magnesium, which is indispensable for photosynthesis., and essential minerals for organic farming.

The findings are shown in numerical form to provide advice on how to improve soil conditions for different crops. Fertilizers needed for soil preparation can be bought through the service as well.

Suzuki sent a soil sample from his field to Panasonic and received the analysis findings in late August. The assessment revealed his farm “lacks manganese” but is “excessively rich in zinc,” which means his land is anything but ideal for growing eggplants.

Based on the results, Suzuki said he will “follow the advice and use fertilizers and check the soil conditions regularly,” adding that he also intends to use the service for soil preparation to grow spinach and asparagus.

But what prompted the electronics giant to embark on the venture?

Michiko Arai, a Panasonic official in charge of the service, explained that she initially tried to create better cooking appliances.

“There are limitations to cookers alone,” said Arai. “Pursuing tastiness finally led me to food ingredients.”

Arai was involved in the development of cooking and other features of microwave ovens within Panasonic and applied for a position in the soil analysis team in 2014.

She had to learn agriculture from scratch at a melon farm in Shiga Prefecture. After realizing that soil preparation is a core factor in crop production, Arai began developing a method to assess soil in numerical format.

“I knew literally nothing about farming, so I worked hard to figure out what I could not understand, resulting in the development of a service that will allow beginner farmers to take advantage of the skills of experienced agriculturists,” said Arai, looking back.

Panasonic is targeting small and midsize farmers who are trying to raise high quality agricultural produce. Improving soil conditions will not only improve yields and the shape of produce but also things like the sugar content in peaches and the sourness level of tomatoes.

The service, company representatives say, also eliminates excessive use of agrochemicals, leading to a reduced environmental burden.

A field evaluation costs between 5,000 yen and 15,000 yen ($47 to $141), excluding tax, per round. Those taking advantage of the service for the first time can do it for free under a special discount campaign.

Panasonic said it has already received requests from 300 farmers, including a Hokkaido rice maker, a tomato farmer in Kumamoto Prefecture and one raising grapes in Nagano Prefecture.

The more data on production that is collected, the more accurate the soil improvement service will become. Panasonic is looking to earn 3 billion yen in sales within three years as the business expands.

Panasonic has also experimented with developing an automated tomato harvest robot and a business to deliver foods to households to be processed with home cookers. The soil venture is intended to complement these and other programs in the future.

The company’s move is in line with a government policy to promote the fusion of agriculture and information technology to streamline farming.

“Businesses have released all sorts of unmanned tractors, drones and other hardware products, but I have never heard of services directly connected to agricultural land,” said Hirotaka Mori, the Kagawa branch head of the farm ministry’s Chugoku-Shikoku Regional Agricultural Administration Office.

“Soil preparation is a basic process in farming, and I expect it will become more common for farmers to make use of this sort of service.”