April 1st, 2026
NARO sets three visions—"enhancing food self-sufficiency and security," "strengthening the competitiveness of the agriculture and food industries and expanding exports," and "achieving both improved productivity and environmental conservation"—and aims to realize these through the following research and development activities, as well as the practical application and dissemination of their outcomes.
SegmentⅠ: High-Profit Regional Smart Production Systems
Contribute to securing food security and establishing sustainable production systems by improving productivity and profitability through the development of smart agriculture technologies tailored to region-specific climatic conditions and farm management practices.
Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
1. Enhancing the Supply Capacity of Agricultural and Dairy Products through the Development of Smart Production Systems for Cold Regions and Large-Scale Farming
- Strengthening the productivity of large-scale upland farming systems in cold regions through the development of labor-saving and sustainable smart production systems
- Improving dairy cattle health and producing high value-added milk and dairy products through the use of new domestic feed varieties and smart technologies
- Enhancing profitability through the development of crop rotation and integrated farming systems adapted to climate change for large-scale paddy field in cold regions
Tohoku Agricultural Research Center, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
2. Improving Productivity through the Establishment of Smart Production Systems for Integrated Farm Management Based on Paddy Farming
- Improving productivity through the development of sustainable paddy-upland rotation systems based on smart production management technologies
- Enhancing the profitability of integrated farm management through the establishment of vegetable production systems utilizing digital-based management and innovative cultivars
- Strengthening agricultural productivity in hilly and mountainous areas and promoting the resumption of farming in areas affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster through data-driven field management
Central Region Agricultural Research Center (Kanto, Tokai and Hokuriku Regions), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
3. Improving Productivity through the Development of Smart Production Systems for Large-Scale Farming and Metropolitan Suburban Agriculture
- Improving productivity through the optimization of cultivation management in large-scale paddy farming operations
- Improving productivity through the development of sustainable, high value-added vegetable production technologies in metropolitan suburban areas
- Strengthening farm management in large-scale operations through the utilization of smart agricultural technologies
Western Region Agricultural Research Center (Kinki, Chugoku and Shikoku Regions), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
4. Improving Labor Productivity through the Establishment of Smart Production Systems in Hilly and Mountainous Areas
- Improving labor productivity in hilly and mountainous areas by utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for labor-saving management of small, fragmented fields
- Improving domestic feed utilization in hilly and mountainous areas by developing smart grazing and sustainable beef production systems
- Improving productivity and energy efficiency in small- and medium-scale greenhouse horticulture by predicting plant growth and environmental conditions
Kyushu-Okinawa Agricultural Research Center, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
5. Expanding Farm Income through the Establishment of Smart Production Systems for Advanced Utilization of Farmland in Warm Regions
- Enhancing farm income through the development of large-scale paddy farming models for warm regions utilizing smart agriculture technologies
- Strengthening productivity through the development of multiple pest- and disease-resistant varieties and labor-saving, low-cost production technologies that support upland farming in warm regions
- Strengthening productivity through the breeding of climate change-adapted cultivars of vegetables such as strawberries and the development of new production systems for warm regions
- Enhancing farm income in Wagyu cow-calf operations through the expansion of feed production and utilization in warm regions and the development of labor-saving feeding and management technologies
SegmentⅡ: Next-Generation Agricultural Production Infrastructure Systems
Contribute to ensuring food security and achieving a significant improvement in productivity through the development and integration of smart production infrastructure technologies—such as farmland and irrigation facilities, agricultural machinery, and crop and livestock sectors—and through collaboration with regional agricultural research centers.
Institute for Rural Engineering, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
6. Strengthening Food Supply Capacity through the Development of Efficient and Resilient Agricultural Infrastructure Systems
- Promoting the creation of highly efficient production infrastructure and developing technologies for their full utilization
- Developing spatial planning technologies that promote resource recycling and local production and consumption of renewable energy, thereby contributing to the establishment of a circular economy
- Development of maintenance technologies to reduce damage to irrigation and drainage facilities and reduce risks from unexpected failures
- Development of operational support technologies for irrigation and drainage facilities to reduce drought and flood damage and drastically reduce management labor
Institute of Agricultural Machinery, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
7. Improving Productivity, Reducing Environmental Impact, and Enhancing Safety through the Smartization of Agricultural Work
- Enhancing labor savings and operational efficiency through the expansion of tasks constituting operations for automated machinery
- Improving productivity and reducing environmental impact through the expanded application of advanced work mechanisms in agricultural machinery
- Realizing agricultural safety through digital twin modeling of agricultural working environments using smart technologies
Institute of Crop Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
8. Enhancing Crop Cultivar Development and Breeding Capacity through the Utilization of Smart Breeding Infrastructure
- Strengthening the capacity for stable food supply through the development of innovative rice cultivars
- Strengthening the capacity for stable food supply through the development of innovative upland crop cultivars and associated cultivation technologies
- Enhancing breeding capacity through next-generation breeding systems
Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
9. Strengthening Productivity through the Establishment of Sustainable Livestock Production Systems
- Strengthening productivity through precision reproductive management of cattle and the development of embryo utilization technologies
- Strengthening productivity through the development of technologies to improve feed utilization efficiency in meat animal and poultry
- Strengthening dairy and beef productivity through the mitigation of enteric methane emissions and smart feeding technologies
- Strengthening the capacity for domestic feed production through the development of efficient, high-yield feed production and utilization technologies using smart technologies
- Strengthening productivity through livestock management practices that promote environmentally sustainable resource recycling and address animal welfare
- Reducing damage to agricultural and livestock products through the development of wildlife damage control technologies
SegmentⅢ: Innovative Bio- and Food Systems
Contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of Japan's agriculture and food industries, as well as expanding exports and creating new markets, through the smartization of technologies for the utilization of domestically produced agricultural products and foods, the development of technologies to enhance the productivity of fruit trees and vegetables, and the development of innovative agricultural products and foods.
Institute of Food Research, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
10. Strengthening the Growth Potential of the Food Industry through the Development of Smart Utilization Technologies for Domestically Produced Agricultural Products and Foods
- Expanding exports through the development of non-destructive quality evaluation and quality preservation technologies for agricultural products
- Simultaneously promoting reduction of food loss and improvement in profitability in the food supply chain
- Realizing a healthy society through the Japanese-style diet
- Creating new food and bio-based industries through fermentation and the utilization of domestic raw materials
Institute of Fruit Tree and Tea Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
11. Strengthening Productivity and Export Expansion through the Smartization of Production Processes for Fruit Trees and Tea
- Strengthening productivity and export expansion through the development of core technologies for fruit tree production
- Strengthening productivity and export expansion of apples through cultivar development and smart production systems
- Strengthening productivity and export expansion of citrus through cultivar development and data-driven production systems
- Strengthening productivity and export expansion of grapes and persimmons through cultivar development and data-driven cultivation systems
- Strengthening productivity and export expansion through the development of technologies for the sustainable and stable production of high value-added tea
Institute of Vegetable and Floriculture Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
12. Strengthening Productivity and Reducing Environmental Impact through the Development of Smart Production Technologies and Cultivars for Vegetables and Floricultural Crops
- Achieving stable production and domestic and international expansion through the development of vegetable cultivars and lines that respond to market needs
- Achieving stable production through the development of innovative floricultural cultivars, lines, and core technologies
- Strengthening productivity through the development of smart production technologies for open-field vegetable and floricultural production
- Strengthening productivity and improving energy efficiency through the development of smart production technologies in greenhouse horticulture
Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
13. Creating New Industries through the Development of Innovative Biomaterials Utilizing Digital Technologies
- Developing innovative protein-based materials and novel functional silk through enhancing the functionality and productivity of silkworms
- Strengthening the insect industry through enhancing the functions of beneficial insects and developing innovative technologies for utilizing insect functions
- Creating novel functional biomaterials through the development of technologies for modification and utilization of cells and tissues
- Strengthening agricultural productivity through innovative technologies for utilizing plant-microbe interactions
- Creating innovative crops and strengthening industrial competitiveness through advanced genetic engineering technologies
SegmentⅣ: Adaptive Production Systems for Environmental Change
Contribute to the establishment of environmentally harmonious production systems that support stable food production and strengthen food security through enhanced sustainability in agriculture and livestock industries.
Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
14. Advancing Integrated and Sustainable Agricultural Environmental Management Technologies for Environmental Change through Data Integration
- Advancing greenhouse gas mitigation and soil carbon sequestration technologies for achieving a decarbonized society
- Enhancing the resilience of crop production: advancing agro-meteorological and crop information systems, and evaluating the effectiveness of climate adaptation technologies
- Developing and advancing biodiversity indicators and monitoring technologies toward achieving a nature-positive society
- Advancing sustainable soil management and agro-environmental evaluation technologies based on comprehensive assessment of soil environment
- Advancing technologies for controlling and reducing environmental chemical substances to ensure the production of safe agricultural products
Institute for Plant Protection, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
15. Reducing Damage from Pests, Diseases, and Weeds through Environmentally Friendly Integrated Pest Management Technologies
- Reducing risks through the development of advanced forecasting, diagnosis, and control technologies for transboundary and high-risk pests
- Improving productivity and reducing environmental burden through the development of integrated pest and disease management technologies
- Improving productivity and reducing environmental burden through the development of integrated management technologies for invasive and difficult-to-control weeds
National Institute of Animal Health, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
16. Strengthening Surveillance and Reducing the Impact of Livestock Diseases through the Development and Practical Application of Diagnostic and Control Technologies
- Minimizing farm-level losses and export risks through the development and application of diagnostic and control technologies for transboundary animal diseases
- Strengthening surveillance systems for viral diseases and reducing the impact through the development of diagnostic and control technologies
- Reducing the impact of bacterial diseases and enhancing animal and public health through the development and practical application of surveillance, diagnostic, and control technologies
- Enhancing livestock disease surveillance and improving productivity through data science-driven early detection technologies
Core Technology Research Headquarters, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
Make a significant contribution to the digitalization and sustainable development of Japan's agriculture and food industries. Accelerate the creation of outcomes from segment-based research by developing and utilizing advanced research infrastructure.
Research Center for Agricultural Information Technology, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
17. Enhancing AI, Data Science Research and Information Infrastructure to Accelerate Research Across NARO's Segments
- Advancing generative AI technologies that leverage diverse data and strengthening information research infrastructure
- Expanding the adoption of WAGRI and promoting the utilization of agricultural data
- Developing AI technologies to realize cyber-physical systems (CPS) and fostering human resources to lead AI-driven research
Research Center for Agricultural Robotics, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
18. Improving Agricultural Productivity and Work Efficiency through the Development of Core Robotics Technologies
- Improving agricultural productivity of greenhouse horticulture through the development of robotics-based plant factories
- Enhancing agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability through advanced robotics soil maintenance systems integrated with smart agricultural machinery
- Advancing agricultural robotics R&D through state-of-the-art core technologies
Research Center of Genetic Resources, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
19. Enhancing the Value of Genetic Resources to Promote the Stable Operation and Expanded Utilization of the Genebank Project
- Promoting the Genebank Project of genetic resources for food and agriculture and strengthening the provision of information to enhance the value of genetic resources
- Expanding the range of genetic resources applicable to long-term stable conservation through the advancement of cryopreservation technologies
- Enhancing the value and utilization of genetic resources through the evaluation of useful traits
Research Center for Advanced Analysis, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
20. Developing and Utilizing Bioinformatics Resources and Analytical Platforms
- Establishing advanced bioindustry platforms through the development and enhancement of omics data analysis technologies
- Advancing technologies for protein analysis and enhancing research platforms to support industrial applications in the agriculture and food sectors
- Developing advanced methods for acquiring, integrating and utilizing information on beneficial and harmful components in the agriculture and food industries
- Advancing technologies for the analysis of agricultural products and agro-environments, and integrating them into comprehensive analytical platforms
