More families are wading into terraced paddy fields across Japan for the back-breaking work of growing rice under “part-time farmer” programs.

Such systems were set up years ago to guarantee a stable rice supply for working members while allowing them to learn firsthand about growing the essential crop.

In light of the recent rice shortages and surging prices, such benefits of the programs have grown substantially in importance among the public.

On one sunny holiday in May, a stream of families flocked to a terraced rice paddy in a mountainous area of Itoshima, Fukuoka Prefecture.

They were rice-growing supporters for the regional nonprofit organization Denen Project.

That day, the families were tasked with sowing rice in seedbeds as part of their agricultural work, a procedure always carried out by newcomers to the initiative each year.

“The seeds you scatter today will bear fruit, allowing you to have rice at hand in the end,” said Susumu Kawaguchi, 66, chairman of the Denen Project. “I expect hard work from everyone here.”

His explanation reinforced the participants’ understanding that they could purchase rice raised under a pesticide-free environment at a special price exclusive to members.

A woman, 40, who came from Itoshima with her child, said she had always wanted to try growing rice.

She decided to join the agricultural endeavor after seeing rice vanish from store shelves and then reappear for more than 4,000 yen ($27) per 5 kilograms, double the normal price.

“I thought we should at least produce rice for our own consumption,” she said.

She emphasized the numerous advantages and benefits of the farming supporter framework.

“We not only learn how to culture rice, but we can also eat the delicious rice we grow ourselves. This process is enjoyable even for children, too,” she said.

Other newcomers agreed, saying it is nice to be able to grow and buy safe rice on a stable basis.

One participant said: “Rice may no longer be available on the market at some point.”

This year, 50 families newly joined the Denen Project.

Instructed by senior participants, the new members transported rice-sowed seedbeds and weeded stone walls.

After working up a sweat for two hours, one said, “I did not imagine this program would be so hard.”

Another feared tendon sheath inflammation in the arms.

One member summed up the feelings shared by other newcomers: “This is challenging but teaches me a lot at the same time.”

Following the day’s labor, the farming family supporters each received a 500-yen Gitton Gift Ticket, which can be used to buy rice.

The Denen Project started in 2004 with the aim of preserving terraced rice paddies abandoned by elderly farmers through the collective power of consumers.

The initiative was named “Denen,” which means “bonds via paddies,” to link regional communities with contemporary society through rice fields.

To become supporters, consumers must pay an annual membership fee of 10,000 yen plus a one-time registration cost of 2,000 yen.

Tasks arise almost every weekend, from rice planting to harvesting.

Supporters are required to participate at least once a year, but they are welcome to join every week. Each time they engage in agricultural work, they are rewarded with a Gitton coupon.

The Denen Project’s initial membership consisted of 26 households.

By 2011, after the number of rice paddies entrusted to the program increased, around 150 families were managing about 3 hectares of land.

Although a few members withdrew from the initiative this past spring, many inquiries came from aspiring supporters.

With a rise in its paddy number, the Denen Project increased its maximum supporter limit to 170 families in March. The 50 newly allotted slots were quickly filled.

After the solicitation deadline, the Denen Project was flooded with calls from individuals asking to be “put on the waiting list for potential cancellations.”

“A growing number of people may feel the need to secure at least some rice in this uncertain world by building regular connections with farming communities,” Kawaguchi said.

Although costs were raised last autumn, the member-only rice prices at the Denen Project are 3,300 yen for brown rice and 3,600 yen for polished rice per 5 kg, lower than current supermarket prices.

SIMILAR INITIATIVES ELSEWHERE

At the Inagura Rice Terraces in Ueda, Nagano Prefecture, 269 groups of citizens, up by more than 30 percent from 2024, are involved in the Kakawaritai hands-on agricultural program this year to receive rice for their own consumption.

In particular, there was a tripling in the number of “area owners,” who are responsible for maintaining each plot of rice paddy for an annual membership fee of 110,000 yen.

“More people than before consider it necessary to pass down terraced rice paddies to posterity,” said Yoshikazu Kubota, chairman of the conservation committee of the Inagura Rice Terraces.

In Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, the preservation panel of the Kashidani paddy terrace in late March invited 35 groups to become rice field owners. They were offered vegetables as well as 25 kg of unpolished rice for a yearly membership fee of 30,000 yen.

But when the quota promptly filled up by early April, the ceiling was expanded to 40 groups for the first time.

A representative from the farm ministry’s Regional Development Division said these initiatives can contribute to the future of agriculture in Japan.

“Rice paddy terraces have multifaceted functions, inclusive of protecting the environment and landscape,” the official said. “We will further expedite efforts to involve urban residents in maintaining terraced paddy fields, given the growing interest in rice.”