Hello！

Welcome back to Agri Step.

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From this article, I will be writing an article comparing farming in the U.S. and Japan.

It has been almost a year since I came to the U.S., and there are some points that I have noticed, so I will record them.

However, I would like you to read this article on the assumption that not all of them are correct, since it is based on my opinions and my own research.

Let’s begin with the first article, “What’s the difference between U.S. and Japanese Organic Farming?”

What is Organic Farming?

Perhaps you have heard of Organic Farming.

In contrast to Organic Farming is Conventional Farming.

My personal opinion is that the choice of farming method depends on the strengths and philosophies of the farmer, and I believe that both are the right choice for farming.

The reason why I focused on organic farming is because I have worked for an organic farming company in Japan, and I am currently working for an organic farm in the U.S. so I thought I could compare them from my experience and research.

First, let’s begin with Organic Farming in the United States.

To quote from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, Organic farming is

“Organically grown” food is food grown and processed using no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Pesticides derived from natural sources (such as biological pesticides) may be used in producing organically grown food.

Quoted from: United States Environmental Protection Agency “Organic Farming”

On the other hand, Japanese organic farming is described as follows

The definition of organic farming according to the “Law Concerning the Promotion of Organic Farming” is below.

1. Not using chemically synthesized fertilizers and pesticides

2. Not using genetic modification technology

3. Reducing as much as possible the environmental impact derived from agricultural production

Reference: 農林水産省「【有機農業関連情報】トップ ～有機農業とは～」

I think the basic concept is not so different between the U.S. and Japan.

There are many organic pesticides available today, and I have experienced applying organic pesticides in both countries.

Some people think organic farming doesn’t apply pesticide but it’s not correct.

Now that we have compared the concepts, then let’s move on to the certification process and agencies.

What about Organic certification in the U.S.?

USDA (The U.S. Department of Agriculture) will inspect whether a farmer is Organic or not by an organic certification agency that is authorized to certify on behalf of USDA.

This article will not go into the details, but if you are interested in learning more about the process, you can find more information on the USDA’s website here.

An example of a certifying agency is CCOF (The California Certified Organic Farmers) in California.

The farm I am on now is certified by them, but there are many more.

In researching, I found that in 2017 there were 48 certifying agencies located in the country, 32 from outside the country, and 21 certifying agencies that are in partnership between the U.S. and other countries.

It is likely that a total of 101 institutions in the U.S. had certified Organic farmers.

The next chapter is about the labeling that can be done after the product is certified.

There are four categories of labeling for organic products in the U.S.

• 100 percent organic
• Organic
• Made with Organic
• Specific organic ingredient listings

Depending on this classification, the product’s main label and information panel will vary in terms of how it can be labeled.

At my farm, we mainly ship vegetables, and the word “organic” is written on the wire string that holds each bundle together.

The cardboard used for shipping also says “organic” on it.

However, to be honest, I don’t see any of the above four classifications when I always go shopping.

I only knew that the products with organic labels and their strings are organic.

What about Organic Certification in Japan?

Next, let’s take a look at Japanese organic certification system.

In Japan, there is a mark called the “Yuki JAS mark”.

Yuki means organic in Japanese.

JAS stands for Japanese Agricultural Standard.

In Japan, as in the U.S., there are a variety of certifying agencies, both in Japan and abroad.

However, the JAS Mark comes in a variety of forms, and the Yuki JAS Mark is one of them, so I personally think it is quite confusing unless you know what the mark is.

You can see the variety of the JAS mark from this link below.

Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS)

In addition, the farm I worked at in Japan was selling the products to one of the cooperatives that independently classified organic products, etc., so if you obtained the Organic JAS mark, it would be added to the product description, but since it was known by consumers as a “farming method that uses naturally derived products”, the Yuki JAS mark was not particularly important to the farm contracted with the cooperative.

Without the Yuki JAS mark, the cooperative’s marketing and the system enable them to sell their products very similarly.

But I think the certifying process is very strict in Japan.

At the farm I was working at, we were in the process of obtaining the Yuki JAS mark and in the process of applying for fertilizers, there was a case in which a fertilizer that we thought would pass with no problem was not approved.

What was the reason for this?

It was because there was a chemical substance that was generated during the fertilizer refining process, and even a small amount of it was mixed in the fertilizer so it was not approved.

I still remember my supervisor being surprised at this, and we took a different approach, such as using another type of fertilizer.

As you can imagine, I did not have a chance to learn such details in the U.S., so I was not able to compare the certifying process.

However, I hope this article will give you an idea of the rigorous certifying process before an application is approved.

Considerations

Based on the above research and my own experience, I have come up with my own thoughts on organic farming in the U.S. and in Japan.

The concept itself is the same in both countries, and I feel that there is not much difference in the process of labeling, which is done through a certification inspection.

However, I cannot help but feel that there is a difference in the way I feel about it.

The key for me is the ” labeling clarity”.

In Japan, it is hard to tell which products are the Yuki JAS if you are unaware of it, but in the U.S., the “Organic” sticker is very clearly displayed and simply tells the consumer what the product is.

In Japan, on the other hand, I think consumers rather look at which company is selling the products.

And I realized that the consumer’s difference might have been made by market process and history.

In Japan, cooperatives and farmer’s organizations such as JA have existed for a long time.

So, I feel that for consumers, knowing about the organization leads to a rough understanding of the producer’s farming methods, which is more reliable than just a mark of the product.

In contrast, in the U.S., there has always been a strong culture that farmers sell what they produce by themselves rather than through cooperatives.

Even though the farming methods vary from person to person, it seems to be emphasized in the labeling of products as a kind of “guarantee” when they are sold.

Of course, nowadays, more and more Japanese farmers are selling their products themselves, and it seems to me that many farmers are using “michinoeki” and online markets to introduce their individual farming methods to the public.

If you think what the michinoeki is, please check this link below.

They wrote it in English as well.

As far as I know, supermarkets specializing in organic products are gradually being established in Japan, so I wonder if the market will become more focused on the producers in the future.

Conclusion

In this article, I compared organic farming in the U.S. with organic farming in Japan from my perspective.

As a result, there is no particular difference in the officially announced concepts, and the process of certification through certification agencies is so similar.

However, I found that the labeling of organic products in the U.S. is more detailed and classified.

Of course, there is always the possibility that I may not have done enough research, so if anyone has any information, please let me know so that I can make a more accurate comparison.

Thank you for your continued support!