Thinking about the future of food and agriculture with children

Sustainability ─ Growing together with children [Agricultural Learning Facility]

KUBOTA AGRI FRONT

Kitahiroshima City, Hokkaido

This unique agricultural learning facility allows children to learn about current issues in food and agriculture and think of multiple solutions together. Despite the theme, which can easily become serious, the children who participated all seemed to enjoy themselves. Even children who don't know each other quickly become friendly and engrossed in the program. How did this facility come about? We followed the facility from concept creation to operation.

Why not start a farm in a new town?

Why not create a farm in the newly created "co-creation space"?

The offer came to Kubota at the end of 2020. The offer came from the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, who were currently building Hokkaido Ballpark F Village, a town that would create a new culture centered around a new baseball stadium, Escon Field Hokkaido. The following January, 2021, Kubota decided to participate as a company, but according to Kubota's Fumie Hirose, who served as project manager, the project initially started with a completely blank slate.

"Initially, the Fighters only imagined it as a farm. But Kubota was creating a co-creation space in such a wonderful location, and many Fighters fans would be visiting. It would attract attention from all over Japan, so we wanted to create a facility that was open to the general public. Kubota is promoting smart agriculture, but smart agriculture cannot progress without the understanding of many people. So we thought we should use this as a starting point to spread the word. So, incorporating a smart agriculture farm was a given from the start." (Hirose)

However, discussions did not progress smoothly regarding how to construct the overall concept for the facility, and several months passed without any decision being made.

"For Kubota, this project presented two major challenges. One was that it was Kubota's first corporate PR facility aimed at the general public. The other was that the opening date for F Village was set for March 30, 2023, making the schedule extremely tight. However, Kubota lacked the know-how to handle both of these. So, when our branding department took over the project, we decided on one direction: to create an agricultural learning facility that would let many people know about the various challenges currently facing the themes of food and agriculture, which are essential for human life. We then decided to bring in NOMURA Co.,Ltd. company with extensive experience in this area," said Hirose.

NOMURA Co.,Ltd. was contacted in September 2021. At that time, there were already 18 months until the opening of F Village and 19 months until the grand opening of KUBOTA AGRI FRONT.

A facility that grows through the ages

Within a week of being contacted, new teams were formed by both companies, and discussions began to create a concept for the agricultural learning facility. Tomoko Yanagihara, the planner in charge on NOMURA Co.,Ltd. side, said that it started with inputting a wide variety of information.

"Usually when it comes to corporate facilities, we are first given the given conditions, and then we make proposals, provide feedback, and make revisions in an iterative process. But this time, there were no given conditions, and we started from scratch and worked together with Kubota to think things through. That's why we heard all sorts of things from Mr. Hirose and his team, from issues related to food and agriculture, the way the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries thinks, the reactions of children at the AgriKids camps that Kubota has run, and even some recent moving stories.

We use this input as fertilizer for our ideas. We then continue our discussions together. We also went together to see some challenging facilities that were attracting attention. In short, we learned as much as we could." (Yanagihara)

Hirose says that through repeated brainstorming and facility tours, he began to see what he needed to prioritize.

"First of all, we wanted to be close to the visitors, especially the children, and create a facility that was as close to their perspective as possible. And then we wanted to let them experience it. That's what we wanted to focus on," says Hirose.

After many discussions, NOMURA Co.,Ltd. team proposed a concept: "A place to build a community of like-minded individuals who aspire to the future of food and agriculture." Hirose says:

"When I saw the proposed concept, I thought, 'This is it.' These keywords determined the roots, or rather the core, of KUBOTA AGRI FRONT. In other words, the project doesn't end when the facility is completed; it starts with the completion of the facility and continues to grow. It continues to evolve, even as times change, with the common themes of food and agriculture for all humanity. This could also be a facility that is typical of Kubota, which is involved in timeless businesses such as agricultural machinery and water infrastructure. I felt that this concept encapsulated all of that significance," says Hirose.

One card game turned the tide

The concept is set. Now, what will the facility's interior be like? The smart farm, which was part of the initial plan, was immediately decided as an indoor greenhouse. However, the crucial question remains: what kind of experience will visitors have? Good ideas for the interactive displays are not coming to mind.

"We received various suggestions for displays that allow visitors to experience the operation of unmanned tractors for smart farming, and interactive displays that introduce general agriculture. But something just didn't feel right," says Hirose.

At that moment, a card game about agricultural management discovered by a member of NOMURA Co.,Ltd. team completely changed the course of their thinking.

"Kubota had always told me that when people think of agriculture, they have a strong image of actually going out into the fields and working on the farm. However, agriculture today has a large element of management. And yet, in reality, farmers spend so much time on farm work that they have very little time to devote to management. Smart agriculture is the solution to this problem. I had begun to feel that the perspective of agricultural management would be key when I came across this card game. I decided to put the perspective of an agricultural manager at the core, and changed my concept to a game that would allow people to experience agricultural management. It was truly a turning point," says Yanagihara.

Hirose continues.

"For children, it offers a different kind of surprise and fun than just studying. They can also understand what smart farming is. We expanded on the idea of creating a cutting-edge farming management simulation game, and that's how we finally created the centerpiece of the interactive displays," (Hirose).

Agriculture is a homework assignment from the Earth

The completed KUBOTA AGRI FRONT is comprised of five areas. The program begins with an [Introduction] where models are used to show children the challenges of food and agriculture in a way that captures their interest. Next is the [Theater], where children learn about the importance of food and agriculture by immersing themselves in a video. Then there is the [Field], where children are divided into teams and compete in an agricultural management simulation game. Finally, there is the [Tech Lab], which features an indoor farm and plant factory where crops are actually being cultivated. Lastly, there is the [Table], where children can discuss what they have learned and felt. The overall theme is "Agriculture is a homework assignment from the Earth." In each area, there is a communicator to guide visitors, engaging in conversations and thinking together about the challenges of food and agriculture and the multiple solutions to these challenges.

One of KUBOTA AGRI FRONT's greatest features is its vibrant programs, which are far removed from the image of existing learning facilities. In fact, its operation is handled by NOMURA Co.,Ltd. In addition to its functions of planning, designing, and producing facilities and displays, the company also has the function of undertaking the operation of completed facilities. Partway through the project, NOMURA Co.,Ltd. 's operation team also participated, and together they considered the content of displays, such as creating a program that would keep visitors engaged. At the same time, they also proceeded with the recruitment and training of local communicators. Hiromi Tsunoda of NOMURA Co.,Ltd., Ltd., who is in charge of training communicators as the overall manager of KUBOTA AGRI FRONT, says that recruiting good people is what gives the facility its power.

"The applicants had a variety of previous jobs, including bakeries, cram schools, roadside stations, airports, and restaurants. What they all had in common was that they had no experience in attendant work, and they all sympathized with the concept of this facility. Despite their lack of experience, they had a strong emotional attachment to the facility, so they had great potential. Although there was a scenario that served as the basis for what they would say, the training was not just about memorizing and speaking; it involved understanding the concept of each area, and learning how to think about what they wanted to communicate." (Kadota)

The facility's high potential was revealed in an unexpected way even before it opened.

"At the end of the program, the children are given rice balls to eat, but we discussed various options, such as using rice balls with furikake seasoning or cooked rice, as plain rice balls would not be popular. However, after hearing this, the communicators decided that salted rice balls would be the best way to truly appreciate what they had learned and experienced through the program. We agreed with this and adopted their opinion. Everyone has inherited the facility's concept and is spontaneously proposing new events and other things. It seems that the communicators are growing along with the facility." (Kakuta)

I want to be a communicator

Hirose feels that KUBOTA AGRI FRONT is expanding and growing as a place to make friends.

"We've created this space together with people involved in food and agriculture, such as gathering children together to hold a remote-controlled tractor event in collaboration with Hokkaido University, and having high school students from Hokkaido Mikasa High School and Hokkaido Iwamizawa Agricultural High School help plan the cafe and farm. At first, the visitors were strangers to each other, but by the end of the program they had become good friends. Sometimes even the parents became friends. When we held a communicator work experience event for children, many of the children expressed their desire to become communicators in the future. Children who were too shy to even say their own names now spoke out loud about the future of agriculture. Reading the children's impressions, I'm moved by the realization that our messages are getting across. I want KUBOTA AGRI FRONT to be a place where we can always return to our essence and continue to take action towards the future."

(Interviewed in December 2024. Titles in the article are those at the time of the interview.)
Interview and text by Tsuyoshi Nose (former editor-in-chief of Nikkei Trendy)
Photo = ©Kenta Yoshizawa