Odawara Food and Greenery Exchange Promotion Council Holds General Meeting for Sustainable Agriculture Through Producer-Consumer Interaction [Kanagawa]

The "Odawara Food and Greenery Exchange Promotion Council," composed of Consumers' Co-operative Pal System Kanagawa (Head Office: Shinyokohama, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama City; President: Junko Fujita), Pal System Co-operative Federation (Head Office: Okubo, Shinjuku-ku; President: Atsuyuki Shibusawa), and Joy Farm Odawara Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Soga-kishi, Odawara City; Director: Keinobu Torii), held its 25th Ordinary General Meeting online on Sunday, June 28. All four proposals, including the plan for fiscal year 2026, were unanimously passed and approved.

Promoting Odawara's Charms Using Videos and Social Media

The general meeting reported on the activities, financial results, and audits for fiscal year 2025. Through agricultural experience exchange programs organized by the council, such as "Komatsuna Harvest and Cooking Experience" and "Umeboshi Making," as well as onion planting volunteer work for the upcoming "Onion Festival," producers and consumers deepened their interaction.

Presentations were made on the results of industry-academia collaboration projects between the Faculty of Bioresources and Agricultural Sciences, Department of Food Business at Nihon University (Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture) and Pal System Kanagawa, as well as on the production area videos and social media content created to promote the charms of the Odawara region.

In product-related business, a direct sales store for Joy Farm Odawara was established at "Kamoi Station," one of the "Station Pal" facilities where products can be picked up separately from regular home delivery. The council also exhibited at events like "Center Matsuri" and "Pal Yume Tsunagou Exhibition," where they offered tastings and distributed samples of products available through the delivery service, conveying the appeal of directly sourced products to many consumers and encouraging continued patronage.

Solving Issues Through Collaboration Between Producers, Consumers, and Government

A proposal for the election of officers for fiscal year 2026 was passed. To achieve the desired state by 2030, the council confirmed its operational policy to continue addressing issues in the Odawara region with producers, consumers, and government working as one, building on the previous year's efforts. Aiming for sustained development, the council will promote the creation of spaces that foster mutual understanding through interaction among stakeholders and communicate the appeal of the rich natural environment.

Council Chairman Masaya Hasegawa expressed his future aspirations, stating, "We will utilize the opinions received at the general meeting in our future exchanges and in promoting Odawara's charms, aiming for stable and sustainable agriculture that can withstand abnormal weather conditions."

Pal System Kanagawa President Junko Fujita said in her address, "Although a major exchange event was canceled due to rain in fiscal year 2025, we were able to successfully hold the Onion Festival in fiscal year 2026 with the participation of many users. We will create more opportunities for people to experience Odawara's richness and charm, and increase the number of friends who feel connected to Odawara, both in spirit and in person."

▲ Masaya Hasegawa, Council Chairman and Director of Joy Farm Odawara, who practices agriculture with the motto "We made this with the consumer's perspective in mind." ▲ Junko Fujita, President of Pal System Kanagawa.

At the closing, Keinosuke Torii, Director of Joy Farm Odawara Co., Ltd., remarked, "By meeting consumers living in urban areas, we producers can share the feeling of 'cherishing one thing.' The significance of exchange lies in learning from each other by taking a step forward. I hope this important initiative will continue for a long time."

"Odawara Food and Greenery" Also Holds General Meeting

Prior to the council's general meeting, the 22nd Ordinary General Meeting of NPO Odawara Food and Greenery (Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Director: Keinosuke Torii), which also operates in Odawara, was held, and four proposals, including the business activity plan for fiscal year 2026, were unanimously approved. The business report and financial results for fiscal year 2025, as well as the provisional appointment of directors, were approved.

"Odawara Food and Greenery Exchange Promotion Council": A Hub for Local Production for Local Consumption

The council was established in 2002. It aims to create a hub for "local production for local consumption" through collaboration between producers and consumers, and holds various exchange programs to promote regional revitalization and sustainable food and agriculture.

▲ Scene from the "Odawara Food and Greenery Exchange Promotion Council" General Meeting.

Pal System Kanagawa will continue to support community development in Odawara together with the producers and consumers participating in the council.

Consumers' Co-operative Pal System Kanagawa Location: Shinyokohama Transportation Building, 3-18-16 Shinyokohama, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama City; President: Junko Fujita Capital Investment: 12.15 billion yen, Number of Members: 370,000, Total Business Revenue: 59.57 billion yen (as of the end of March 2026) HP: https://www.palsystem-kanagawa.coop/

Pal System Co-operative Federation Location: Rakus East Shinjuku, 2-2-6 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President: Atsuyuki Shibusawa Total Business Revenue for 12 Member Co-ops and Unified Business System Users: 268.96 billion yen / Total Number of Members: 1.77 million (as of the end of March 2026) Member Co-ops: Pal System Tokyo, Pal System Kanagawa, Pal System Chiba, Pal System Saitama, Pal System Ibaraki Tochigi, Pal System Yamanashi Nagano, Pal System Gunma, Pal System Fukushima, Pal System Shizuoka, Pal System Niigata Tokimeki, Pal System Mutual Aid Federation, Ai Coop Miyagi HP: https://www.pal-system.co.jp/