The Tohoku region has diverse agriculture such as paddy field agriculture that focuses on rice cultivation, livestock breeding that uses the plentiful feed resources of a semi-mountainous area, the production of resource crops that makes the best use of the cool climate, and the production of fruits and vegetables. Overcoming cold weather and snow damage, the Tohoku region has played a role of Japan's food supply center. However, the decrease in profitability due to sluggish prices for major agricultural products and the ageing of farmers has expedited the decrease in people in charge and abandonment of cultivation, resulting in the multifaceted functions of food production, agriculture, and agricultural communities to be barely exhibited. From now on, the globalization of agriculture progresses is expected to grow people's interests more than ever, in a stable supply of safe and secure food, and in environmental conservation. In such a situation, it is essential that Tohoku agriculture, basing itself on rice cultivation, seeks the enlargement of farm, in addition to conversion to complex systems combining the field cultivation of wheat, soybeans, vegetables and flowers, and livestock breeding.
For this purpose, it is necessary to promote technological development that contributes to labor-saving, low-cost production of high quality, value-added agricultural and livestock products that are safe and trustworthy meeting consumer's needs, stable production of food by overcoming meteorological disasters, the expansion of natural circulation agriculture in harmony with the environment, and the maintenance of diverse functions of agriculture and agricultural communities with rural development.
In our 4th mid-term plan (2016-2020), we efficiently promote basic and leading research related to regional issues, and general research on cold region agriculture based on mid- to long-term prospects, cooperating closely with institutes within and outside of the organization as well as universities. In addition, we fulfill the central role of industry-agriculture-government regional joint research planning and coordination function and agricultural research technology information network, along with supporting research and development at public experimental research institutions in all the Tohoku prefectures, as a core institution in agricultural experimental research in the Tohoku region. Furthermore, we promote further cooperation with local leading producers and consumers, etc., through coordination and cooperation with the Tohoku Regional Agricultural Administration Office, all the Tohoku prefectures and predominant organizations.
We promote R&D for advancements in agriculture and the food industry by utilizing the abundant natural resources of the Tohoku region.
