Rice and Miso (EAT LOCAL KOBE)
Kobe, Japan · Operator: 農事組合法人 緑笑社 / EAT LOCAL KOBE
Overview
A pillar of EAT LOCAL KOBE that communicates the possibilities of rice and miso and a new rural future. Run by the Ryokushosha cooperative, it grows rice without agrochemicals and makes miso from its own soybeans and rice, reframing the value of rice and miso that Japanese people are forgetting.
Citizen participation
Residents take part in growing rice without pesticides or chemical fertilizers and in making miso from soybeans and rice they grow themselves, experiencing the possibilities of rice and miso and the future of the countryside.
Operating model
Operated by the Ryokushosha agricultural cooperative as part of EAT LOCAL KOBE, sharing the future of rural areas through rice-growing and miso-making experiences and produce.
Impact
It connects urban residents to traditional rice cultivation and fermented-food making, sharing the circular food culture and future of Kobe's rural areas.
Crops
- rice
- soybeans
- miso
Scale
神戸市西北部の農村の田畑を舞台に、無農薬・無化学肥料の稲作と自家栽培の大豆・米による味噌づくりを行う
Sources（2）
This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.
Related cases
Kyomaru-en (Universal Agriculture Farm)
JPHamamatsu, Japan
Kyomaru-en in Hamamatsu is a pioneer of agriculture-welfare collaboration, employing people with disabilities since 1996. Under its 'universal agriculture' approach it designs tasks around each worker's abilities, building a farm business where anyone can work regardless of disability.
agrijournal.jp+1
Micro Farmers School Kobe
JPKobe, Japan
A farming school launched in 2020 within EAT LOCAL KOBE's urban-farming work. Based in the Kamiatago district of Kobe's Kita ward, it teaches residents who want farming as a livelihood—not just self-sufficiency—through hands-on training by local farmers, aiming to nurture Kobe's distinctive part-time micro farmers.
eatlocalkobe.org+1
Kobe Rural Startup Program
JPKobe, Japan
A roughly six-month intensive program focused on starting businesses and livelihoods in the rural districts of Kobe's Kita and Nishi wards. In areas facing depopulation and vacant houses, it aims to create a new rural culture unique to Kobe, where a big city sits compactly beside the countryside, training people through lectures and fieldwork on using vacant houses and satoyama resources.
kobenoson.jp+1
Sansan Yamashiro Employment Support Workshop
JPKyotanabe, Kyoto, Japan
A Kyotanabe employment-support workshop operating since 2011 that grows regional specialties (Uji tea, Tanabe eggplant, Kyoto taro) and became one of the first Noufuku JAS certified businesses in 2019.
maff.go.jp+1