Aiming to Realize Circular Agriculture with Functional Tomatoes. #AprilDream

We support 'April Dream,' an initiative that encourages companies to share their dreams on April 1st. This press release represents the dream of 'Village Kaihatsu Co., Ltd. - Next-Generation Farm Denden-mura.' Village Kaihatsu Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Anjo City, Aichi Prefecture; https://village-kaihatu.jp/) aims to build prosperous regional garden cities through synergies between its core real estate business and its agricultural division, 'Next-Generation Farm Denden-mura' (Location: Kariya City, Aichi Prefecture; https://dendenmura.com/). We are committed to facing the social issues visible from this perspective and taking on the challenge of solving them. ■ The Background Behind Our Dream Due to the declining birthrate, aging population, and the resulting increase in abandoned farmland, we have seen a rise in consultations regarding the sale of agricultural land. As a local real estate company, Village Kaihatsu Co., Ltd. has faced this reality head-on. In September 2022, we began cultivating 'Urutsuya Tomato,' a food with functional claims, in a greenhouse we named 'Next-Generation Farm Denden-mura.' The dream we are striving for is: 'To realize circular agriculture in a garden city with a perfect balance between farmland and residential land!' ■ Circular Agriculture Initiatives at Next-Generation Farm Denden-mura We use cooling fans connected to well water and repurposed radiators from scrapped light vehicles to cool the greenhouse for summer cultivation, starting with seedlings planted in June. This is more energy-efficient than air conditioning, which consumes significant electricity, and helps us combat extreme heat. Our 'White Koji Tomato Sour' at Next-Generation Farm Denden-mura is produced using 'Urutsuya' tomatoes that have cracked—a common occurrence in summer when high amounts of liquid fertilizer are used. Since sparkling alcohol has a shelf life of six months, compared to the three-day shelf life of preservative-free tomato juice, this also serves as a measure against food waste. For our 'Urutsuya Tomato' deliveries, we use custom-made cardboard boxes that incorporate 10% of the tomato stems and leaves, of which over 100kg are generated weekly during the cultivation period. We are dedicated to our work, believing that these activities will lead to the realization of circular agriculture in our region. * 'April Dream' is a project by PR TIMES where companies share the dreams they hope to achieve in the future on April 1st. We are seriously committed to realizing this dream.