Zero Field Co., Ltd. Forms Partnership Agreement with Shokubunka Co., Ltd.

Zero Field Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yusuke Hirashima; hereinafter "Zero Field") announces that it has formed a partnership agreement with Shokubunka Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Higashi-Azabu 1-27-1, Higashi-Azabu Shokubunka Building 4F, Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Akifumi Hagiwara; hereinafter "Shokubunka"). This partnership will initiate support for the introduction of "AIDEC," an anomaly detection AI developed and provided by Zero Field for repelling wildlife.

Through this partnership, Zero Field and Shokubunka will provide consistent support to farmers and producers nationwide, who are customers of Shokubunka operating "Umainmon.com," "Toyosu Ichiba.com," and "dancyu.com." This support will cover everything from proposing AI-based wildlife damage countermeasures to their introduction and operational follow-up, aiming to simultaneously reduce crop damage and stabilize income.

Background of the Partnership

In recent years, crop damage caused by deer, wild boars, monkeys, and other wildlife has become severe nationwide, significantly impacting producers' incomes. Furthermore, with the aging of the agricultural workforce and labor shortages, traditional countermeasures relying on night patrols and physical deterrence impose a heavy burden.

Zero Field has developed anomaly detection AI through image analysis, utilizing high-performance GPU infrastructure and AI development technology. "AIDEC" detects the intrusion of wildlife in real-time based on camera footage, enabling immediate notifications and linkage with deterrent devices, thereby preventing damage and reducing the burden of work.

Meanwhile, Shokubunka has been working to enhance the value of producers and build a stable industrial foundation by supporting the distribution of specialty products and carefully selected ingredients nationwide.

This collaboration combines Zero Field's technology with Shokubunka's producer network to provide a new solution that supports stable production in primary industries.

Partnership Details

Through this alliance, Zero Field will collaborate with Shokubunka as a sales partner to strengthen the system for supporting the introduction of "AIDEC" to farmers and producers nationwide.

Specifically, this will involve:

* Proposing "AIDEC" to farmers and producers nationwide * Conducting pre-introduction interviews and formulating optimal installation plans * Providing post-introduction utilization follow-up and support for maximizing effectiveness

Through these efforts, we will promote the provision of highly effective solutions tailored to on-site needs.

Furthermore, in the future, we aim to expand the reach of this service as a solution supporting local industries, including proposals and introduction support to related organizations such as agricultural cooperatives (JA) and local governments.

This will enable:

* Suppression of wildlife damage * Reduction of crop theft risk * Reduction of waste loss * Reduction of patrol burden * Establishment of a stable production system

And contribute to the sustainable development of primary industries.

【Comments from the Business Manager regarding the Partnership】

The development of AIDEC was triggered by learning about the severe wildlife damage in Hokkaido, the business manager's hometown. The desire to help farmers, local residents, and businesses suffering from wildlife damage was the starting point, and this business was launched under our corporate philosophy of "creating freedom" and "continuing to create what is indispensable to the world."

In the field, there are many situations that cannot be handled by human hands alone, and continuing countermeasures itself often imposes a heavy burden. While addressing these on-site voices, we aim to deliver AI technology in a "truly useful form," reduce the burden even slightly, and increase new options.

Moving forward, we will continue to build and verify implementation models tailored to regional characteristics, and promote further development and sophistication of AIDEC to continuously provide "value that reaches the field."

Akifumi Hagiwara, Representative Director and President, Shokubunka Co., Ltd.

Shokubunka Co., Ltd. has been working to contribute to the development of primary industries by directly engaging with producers nationwide, not only through the sale and distribution of ingredients but also through production support.

In the current environment, we strongly recognize that issues such as wildlife damage and crop theft not only pressure producers' incomes but also represent critical challenges related to the very survival of production areas.

This partnership with Zero Field Co., Ltd. is considered a highly significant initiative that seeks to solve these on-site challenges by utilizing AI technology.

By combining our cultivated nationwide producer network and sales/distribution expertise with Zero Field's advanced AI technology, we will support the reduction of burden on production sites and the establishment of stable production systems, continuously delivering higher-value ingredients to customers.

Moving forward, in collaboration with JAs and local governments, we will expand this initiative nationwide and further promote the development of primary industries and contributions to local communities.

About Shokubunka Co., Ltd.

【Company Name】Shokubunka Co., Ltd.