A robotized rice farming undergoes trial runs in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture. (Video by Yasuaki Oshika)

Photo/Illutration A drone applies rice seeds to a paddy on April 15 in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture. (Yasuaki Oshika)

NOBEOKA, Miyazaki Prefecture--The backbreaking work of sowing and harvesting rice by hand could soon fall exclusively to drones and robots under an ambitious agricultural program taking shape here.

As part of its efforts to alleviate a farmer shortage, the Nobeoka city government already signed an agreement with Kyoto-based robot manufacturer Tmsuk Co. to take on the task of tending to vacant rice paddies.

Once rice seeds have been planted by a drone, a succession of robotic technologies still to be developed would deal with weeding and reaping.

“This initiative is in line with our course of action to support (farming),” said a farm ministry representative. “We welcome the entry from different industries with wide perspectives.”

A trial run on April 15 saw a drone take off with a quiet whir, its movements controlled with joystick like one used for video games. The craft flew over a 1000-square-meter rice paddy, scattering seeds treated beforehand with powdered iron to ensure a smooth drop from the air.

The seeding process took just 10 minutes.

“It was done in almost an instant,” said a gobsmacked Nobeoka Mayor Yoji Yomiyama who was watching. “This method is revolutionary. It will dramatically reduce the burden on farmers.”

In Yomiyama’s view, the municipal government was “clutching at straws” when it tied up with Yoichi Takamoto, the chairman of Tmsuk.

Takamoto was working on plans to robotize agricultural procedures based on communications technology at the time. He also happened to be a longtime friend of Yomiyama’s deputy, Hiroshi Nakama. It turned out that Nakama once worked at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications where he was responsible for telecommunications policies.

Takamoto harbored bitter memories of abandoning farmland he had inherited in Gunma Prefecture because he could find no one to work the land on his behalf.

Alarmed by the prospect of Japan’s agriculture vanishing, Takamoto decided to join hands with Nobeoka city as it, too, is struggling with a rapidly growing number of fields left vacant by increasingly elderly farmers.

“We do not have the farmers to take over paddies,” said Yomiyama. “The challenge now is how to lighten the heavy workload in farming.”

Growing seedlings takes up a considerable part of the labor process in rice farming. With this in mind, Tmsuk adopted an aerial seed spraying method to sidestep the process of creating beds for seedlings.

“Our style is just the same as that in the United States, where seeds are directly scattered from aircraft,” said Takamoto.

Nobeoka city provided three paddies totaling 3000 square meters for the experiment. Setting up its base in the municipality, Tmsuk will develop and test various robots during the program’ three-year trial period.

One such envisioned model is a duck-based robot that will go into operation by the end of May. The machine, which sort of resembles a bird, will stir water in the paddies to prevent weeds from popping up. Around 15 units are projected to be introduced.

Fertilizer will be sprayed with a drone, while a rice-harvesting robot will be tested for reaping as the successor to the robotic duck.

All farming processes from seeding to harvesting will be automated as much as possible. 

The objective is to establish a business model where part-time farmers can care for their fields while working at offices or from home for their companies, given that Tmsuk’s robots can be operated remotely with PCs and smartphones.

“We should not just stand by and watch the continuous decline of Japan’s agriculture,” said Takamoto. “Sweets and bread should be made from rice flour if the prolonged Russian invasion of Ukraine leads to difficulties in securing wheat.”

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