How Japan’s food tech innovations target global food security challenges

euronews (in English)

How Japan’s food tech innovations target global food security challenges  From automated vertical farms to soil-free film farming, Japan is developing technologies that could revolutionise global agriculture, reducing land, water, and labour use while empowering small farmers.  In partnership with The Government of Japan  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/11/20/how-japans-food-tech-innovations-target-global-food-security-challenges  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00Rain or shine, this Japanese farm produces 30,000 heads of lettuce every day,

00:08with less land, water and labor than traditional farming.

00:12From automated vertical farms to soil-free film farming that protects crops from disease,

00:17Japan is pioneering new technologies to feed its population.

00:21But these technologies aren't just feeding the Japanese.

00:25In this episode of Global Japan, we're looking at how they can make an impact worldwide,

00:29helping other nations secure their food supply even under the harshest conditions.

00:39Techno Farm Keihana in Kyoto Prefecture is one of the world's most advanced vertical farms.

00:44Highly automated, it uses precise LED lighting, climate-controlled growing environments

00:50and robotic systems to plant, harvest and pack 30,000 heads of lettuce a day.

00:56Only around 60 humans are needed, exclusively for monitoring and quality control.

01:02The factory's production stability sets it apart from competitors, guaranteeing the same yields year-round.

01:12To optimize production and cut costs, workers collect data on temperature, air flow, carbon dioxide and water use.

01:19And the factory's new owners hope to lower operational costs to make it easier for developing countries to adopt this technology.

01:27this technology.

01:40Because it uses little water and land, this model can be adapted to hot, dry regions, where these resources are scarce.

01:52But what about places where soil is unsuitable for farming?

02:09Another Japanese company, Mebio Inc., has developed a way to grow crops anywhere, from the middle of the desert to the rooftop of a building.

02:18This is our film, iMac film.

02:22iMac film replaces soil, acting like a filter against viruses and microbes.

02:28The network size of the film is very small, nanometer size.

02:35Therefore, the film does not absorb microbes or viruses.

02:40Plants grow on the surface of the film, absorbing water and nutrients directly from the hydrogel.

02:45This method uses much less water than traditional farming, and about 75% less than hydroponics.

02:51From the outset, iMac film was envisioned as a global solution to food insecurity.

02:58Mebio already holds patents in 120 countries, including Botswana, where the technology was introduced to respond to water shortages.

03:07Participants in Mebio's Botswana and India pilots were mostly women, showing iMac film's potential as a pathway to female entrepreneurship.

03:16My husband and I

03:17In Hyogo prefecture, Shizuka Fujimoto started a tomato farm using a large plant-sized plant and a large plant-sized plants.

03:42In Hyogo prefecture, Shizuka Fujimoto started a tomato farm using iMac film four years ago.

03:47It's her first time working in agriculture.

03:50She chose this method for its ease of use, so she could hire more women.

04:06The tomatoes are more nutritious and sweeter than with traditional farming,

04:09so she can sell them for a higher price, making her small farm more profitable.

04:15Shizuka has hosted visitors from the Philippines and India to teach them about film farming.

04:19Mebial Inc. is currently deploying the technology in countries where crises curtail agriculture, including Ukraine.

04:43With an eagerness to experiment, Japan has become a testbed for food technologies that respond to global problems.

04:51In a world facing climate shocks and food insecurity, these innovations can offer a path to resilience.

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