Eliminating the Information Gap in Agricultural AI! Creating 'Japan's Most Easy-to-Understand Agricultural AI Media'

To realize a future where AI reaches farmers all over Japan. The media 'Agricultural AI Communication', operated by 'Metagri Laboratory' (run by Noujoujin Co., Ltd., headquartered in Funabashi City, Chiba), a farmer support community promoting agriculture and new technology, aims to eliminate the information gap regarding agricultural AI and realize a society where all farmers can benefit from AI technology. We support 'April Dream', a project aiming to make April 1st a day to broadcast dreams. This press release is the dream of 'Metagri Laboratory' and 'Noujoujin'. Three walls facing Japanese agriculture 1. Unstoppable aging and disappearing successors According to the 2025 Census of Agriculture and Forestry (preliminary figures), there are 1.02 million core agricultural workers in Japan. This is a decrease of 340,000 compared to 2020 (*1). The average age has slightly decreased from 67.8 years in 2020 to 67.6 years, but this may include not only the increase in young new farmers but also the impact of elderly farmers retiring and exiting. The question of 'who will support Japan's food' is no longer a future story, but a crisis right here right now. 2. The rapid advancement of AI technology and its 'non-arrival' at agricultural sites Since the appearance of ChatGPT, the use of generative AI has been advancing worldwide. However, Japan's generative AI usage rate is 26.7%, lagging far behind China (81.2%) and the US (68.8%) (*2). Even more serious is the digital divide that has emerged between urban and rural areas, and between the young and the elderly. 'It seems convenient, but I don't know how to use it'—this voice from farmers says it all. 3. The 'invisible wall' of the information gap Conventional tech media delivers 'technical explanations', and agricultural media delivers 'cultivation know-how'. However, a media that conveys how to use AI from a farmer's perspective and in a farmer's words has barely existed until now. What farmers truly seek are not explanations of technologies or papers. It is 'hints for AI utilization that can be tried in 5 minutes before heading to the field tomorrow morning'. (*1) Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 'Summary of the Results of the 2025 Census of Agriculture and Forestry (Preliminary Figures)' (Published Nov 28, 2025) (*2) Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications '2025 Information and Communications in Japan' (Published July 2025) The world envisioned by Agricultural AI Communication In response to these issues, we support the resolution of various challenges faced by agricultural workers through the generative AI utilization media for farmers, 'Agricultural AI Communication'. During the 2026 tax return season, articles on themes directly related to practical work such as 'JA dividends', 'e-Tax input for agricultural income', and 'household expense proportional division' were continuously viewed, and there were movements to read related articles. A practical information cycle is emerging, where one question leads to the next learning opportunity. Deployment of special feature series: Planning and producing systematic content by theme, such as an AI utilization feature for new farmers and a physical AI feature. Content concretely depicting the future of agriculture, such as experiment reports where AI autonomously cultivates tomatoes, is also gathering attention. Disseminating actual examples through farmer interviews: Conducting direct interviews with farmers nationwide. Making real-world AI use cases into articles, delivering content that lets them know 'there are farmers with the same worries as me'.