日本の農村では、栽培されずに放置された耕作放棄地が増えています。中でも、小さな農地は大型機械が入りにくく効率が悪いため、特に放置されやすいのが現状です。宮崎県の石川美里さんは、この問題に大胆でユニークな発想で挑みました。
大型機械が使えないなら、最初から必要としない作物を育てればいい。そう考えた彼女は、大量生産に向かないミニ野菜に着目し、小規模な農地で有機栽培を始めました。
しかし、有機野菜だけでは差別化が難しい。そこで、皮やヘタごと食べられるミニ野菜を、ぬか漬けセットとして商品化。カット不要で漬けられ、彩りも美しく、健康志向の女性たちの間で大ヒットとなりました。
In rural Japan, abandoned farmland is steadily increasing, especially small plots that are often overlooked because large machinery can’t easily reach them, making cultivation inefficient. Misato Ishikawa from Miyazaki took on this challenge with a fresh and innovative approach.
Instead of trying to force conventional farming methods, she asked a simple question: if big machines can’t access these small plots, why not grow crops that don’t need them? Inspired by this idea, she turned to miniature vegetables—too delicate for mass production—and began organic farming on these tiny fields.
But simply selling organic vegetables wasn’t enough to stand out. To set her products apart, Ishikawa developed a nukazuke (rice bran pickling) kit featuring miniature vegetables that can be enjoyed whole, including their skins and stems. These bite-sized veggies require no preparation before pickling, brighten up meals with vivid colors, and quickly became a favorite among health-conscious women.