When caterpillars attacked our cabbages, I picked them off by hand. I did not know which pesticide to use, and we did not have a spraying machine. I could not remove them fast enough, and we lost part of the crop. In those early years, we worked from five in the morning until eight at night. There was always work to do, but very little equipment to do it with.
I became a farmer because of my son. When he was younger, he sometimes stayed home from school, and I worried about his future. I invited him to help me plant vegetables in our home garden. Gradually, he became interested in growing things. Later, he studied agriculture-related subjects in high school.
After graduation, he went to job interviews without success. He would talk about agriculture even when the company had nothing to do with it. Eventually, he told me he wanted to farm. I thought starting alone would be difficult, so I said that if he was serious, I would leave my job and join him. I had been a company employee. That was almost seventeen years ago.
We both had some knowledge from school, but little practical experience. We owned no farmland and had no machinery. I borrowed money from my husband, and in the beginning his income supported both the family and the farm. When we could not afford fertilizer, I collected decomposed leaves from the mountains and brought them to the fields.
We went to the agricultural cooperative, JA, to ask how to begin. The advice we received discouraged us. My son was young and had only recently finished school; starting a farm would be very difficult, we were told. I worried that if we accepted that discouragement, we might never try.
Local farmers helped us find a way forward. My son enjoyed social gatherings, where he talked with farmers about agriculture. They invited us to their farms and showed us how they worked. They also let us borrow a grass-cutting machine. We saved money little by little and bought our own equipment, one piece at a time.
Finding buyers was another difficulty. At first, we had a connection with only one supermarket, Nishizawa. Gradually, we found more places to sell. Today, we supply Green Farm, Aji Ina and Yatsugatake Outlet, and we have our own direct sales outlet in front of the farm.
The work did not end when I came home. There was cooking, cleaning and washing to do. When my daughter was very young, she once told me, “Mum, you are always busy. I feel lonely.”
I considered leaving farming. I did not want to give it up, but I needed to spend more time with her. I reduced my time in the fields, and the farm work and income decreased somewhat. Continuing meant making room for both my daughter and the farm.
I started farming with nothing, but I finally built a successful and large farm.
Reiko Karasawa
Today, we cultivate four hectares, growing corn, cucumbers, leeks, turnips, spinach and beans. Seven people work on the farm, including me: my son, two people from Indonesia and three part-time workers.
Over the years, the farm became profitable, and I gained an income of my own. I could spend money on my family instead of depending entirely on my husband. Now we take a family trip twice a year. Those experiences together are part of what the farm has made possible.
But earning a living remains uncertain. Equipment, fertilizer and pesticide costs have risen, while the prices we receive for vegetables are lower this year. At the moment, the profit is small. I worry about what this means for young people considering farming. They already see work that is physically demanding. If working harder does not bring enough income, why would they choose it?
I would like to expand and grow a wider variety of vegetables, but finding workers is another difficulty. I want the government to consider how working-hour arrangements could better accommodate agricultural work and help farms facing labour shortages.
For other women farmers, my advice is to accept help and learn from others. Visiting another farm can show you something you want to improve on your own. That is how we learned. We did not build everything at once. We kept working, saved what we could and made the next improvement. I am proud of the farm my son and I have built, and I still want to see it grow.
What this story shows
- Family financing, practical advice from neighbouring farmers and borrowed equipment helped Reiko and her son establish their farm.
- Gradual equipment purchases and additional sales outlets supported the farm’s development.
- Household work and childcare affected the time Reiko could spend farming, with consequences for income.
- Financial independence brought tangible benefits for her family, while rising costs, lower vegetable prices and labour shortages continue to constrain the business.
What would make a difference
Working-hour arrangements that fit farm work.
