Great Gear

Special Report 1: Farming Beneath a Dome (1x30)

Data di messa in onda: Dic 19, 2012

Special Report 1: Farming Beneath a Dome In our first "Special Report" segment, we take a look at a uniquely shaped plant factory, which is up and running in one of the devastated areas from the Great East Japan Earthquake. Within its dome is a circular vegetable cultivation stage. This is a dome-type plant factory produced by a company named Granpa. Curly lettuce is grown inside this 29-meter diameter dome. A maximum of 14,000 heads of lettuce can be grown in one dome. The harvest varies according to the season, but roughly 250 to 400 heads of lettuce can be picked a day. For now, eight domes have been up and running since September 2012 at Rikuzen Takata Farm in Iwate prefecture. The company that developed them already had one operating in Kanagawa prefecture which is what led to the interest by Rikuzen Takata City. This dome allows the planting of seedlings while standing up straight, which is impossible when planting things outside. The strong point of the plant factory is that it can supply a stable amount of vegetables every day with a constant quality. Additionally, post-harvest work is also relatively easy, as the inside of the dome is always kept clean. The dome plant factory different from the square ones is the product of a number of ideas. It foretells the future of farming and also brings hope to the devastated areas. Special Report 2: Cotton Comes to the Rescue After the tsunami struck the araes in 2011, rice paddies in the area were submerged under salt water for an extended period of time, making the cultivation of rice impossible. In our second "Special Report" segment, we check out how cotton could save farmers in the disaster stricken area. The agricultural land in Miyagi prefecture that was flooded by the tsunami in 2011 has since then been cleared, but nothing grows there. But now there is a ray of hope for the area, coming in the form of cotton. No more than three months after the disaster, local farmers teamed up with businesses and about 50 volunteers to plow the fields and sow seeds, thus starting the Tohoku Cotton Project. The project encompasses every step, from the growing of the cotton to the manufacturing of the final products. Each of the product features a tag with the Tohoku Cotton Project logo. The project's long-term plans of cotton production are bringing new hope to those who had already given up on the future of agriculture in the area. In addition to aiding recovery after the disaster, it has introduced new possibilities for collaboration with manufacturers in Japan. It will be worth keeping an eye on the progress of cotton production, which just three years ago was nowhere to be seen in this part of the country. On Site: Farming Frontier 2012 We visit a tradeshow that aims to help rebuild the agricultural industry and give back the food produced by Japanese farms its value and recognition. Yoshi Ogasawara reports from Farming Frontier 2012 for this "On-Site" segment. Schedule: Dec. 1-2, 2012 Location: Tokyo Big Sight Agriculture in Japan faces several serious issues, including decreasing income for farmers, a lack of workers, and an aging population. On top of these, the Great East Japan Earthquake in March of 2011 caused the destruction of large areas of farmland. The organizers of Farming Frontier 2012 hope to achieve several goals through the tradeshow. The first is to help support the reconstruction of areas hit by the disaster of 2011. Another is to promote the efforts of the farmers who supply the country with high quality produce. The final goal is to introduce the latest technologies and farming practices that make it all possible. This event offers delicious Japanese food and agricultural products, including those produced in the affected areas, to both Japanese and foreign consumers while providing them with the opportunity to see the producers' hard work, and to discover the new advanced technologies and cutting-edge farming operations used in Japan. Farming Frontier 2012 aims to promote Japanese food and agricultural products to people both inside and outside Japan.