Rice cultivation holds an unmatched importance in Japan's agriculture, serving as a cornerstone of the country's food supply and deep-rooted traditions. Currently, Japanese agriculture is undergoing a transition phase, which involves rapid farm consolidation. The transition phase is also bringing changes in rice cultivation methods.

For example, adopting direct seeding rice is becoming increasingly necessary to avoid the laborious and time-consuming process of transplanting and associated water management. During my recent trip to Japan, I had the privilege of visiting Yamazaki-san, who serves as a role model for numerous farmers in the country and has already started adopting direct seeding rice technology to compensate for the workload on his farm and to make production more profitable. Here, Yamazaki-san stayed ahead of new technology adoption, by using directly seeded rice with MYKOS bio-stimulants to reduce transplanting costs and tedious water management to ensure production remains competitive and more scalable.

He is very committed to his slogan, “No rice, no life!”. Adopting the direct seeding approach means that farmers need to consider the higher and faster potential for weed emergence. Dealing with weeds in direct seeded fields can be quite a hassle and is one of the main reasons why adopting new technology can help effectively manage this situation. At xarvio, we provide an innovative rice crop Growth Stage model, which defines the optimal application timing of herbicide to support more efficient planning for cropping operations.

During my visit, I also noticed that farmers are using our power zones and biomass maps for in-season monitoring and to plan and execute variable rate application of fertilizers. This approach delivers in an average of 15% increase in crop yield across 100-ha/350-fieds. Overall, I understand that farmers in Japan show a strong willingness to embrace digital solutions. At xarvio, we take pride in offering a wide range of digital solutions that are specifically designed to help farmers counter the many challenges they face.