Smart Agriculture & Food Security Study Visit In-Person Open

Harvest Robots & Automated Agriculture: Japan Response to Aging Farmers

Japan average farmer is over 67. The country is automating agriculture to survive. Visit Nagoya to see self-driving tractors, strawberry robots, and harvest arms — then design your own agri-automation plan.

Nagoya, Japan

5 days 35 hrs Nagoya, Japan ar / 15 seats

Overview

Japan average farmer is now over 67 years old, and rural labour is shrinking. Japanese agriculture has responded by deploying self-driving tractors, autonomous rice transplanters, strawberry-harvesting robots, lettuce-picking arms, and GNSS-guided spray drones. These are not prototypes — they are working in fields today. This programme visits commercial farms and robotics facilities in Nagoya and Aichi, meets engineers and farmers, and guides participants to design an agricultural automation adoption plan for their own crop, climate, and labour context.

Program Objectives

Survey the landscape of commercially deployed agricultural robots and autonomous machinery in Japan.
Evaluate the economics, labour savings, and technical requirements of automation for different crop types.
Design an agricultural automation adoption plan for a specific crop and farm context.
Assess the feasibility of transferring Japanese agri-robotics to Gulf and Arab agricultural investments.

Requirements

Agricultural engineers, agri-investment managers, food security planners, technology ministry officials, and farm managers evaluating automation.

Why This Program?

Japan Farmers Are 67+. Their Robots Are Working. See Them in Nagoya.

Five days in Nagoya and Aichi designing an agricultural automation plan for your farm or investment.

Why this program
Labour shortages are global, and agriculture is the hardest hit. Japan has the most commercial experience with farm automation. This programme gives you direct access to the machines, the farms, and the engineers who made them work.

Why Japan
Japan faces the most severe aging farmer demographic in the world and has commercially deployed the widest range of agricultural robots, from rice to strawberries to drones.

Experience Summary
Five days in Nagoya: automation landscape, farm visits, robotics facility, business case, and Day 5 adoption plan.

Program Value

Deployed Robotics

See working robots for rice, strawberries, and vegetables rather than laboratory prototypes.

Labour Economics

Analyse the payback, labour savings, and operating cost impact of agri-automation.

Engineering Access

Meet the engineers and maintenance teams behind the robots and ask practical questions.

Adoption Roadmap

Leave with a crop-specific automation plan including equipment, costs, and a rollout timeline.

Learning Journey

Before Program

Farm Automation Baseline

Participants document labour costs, crop cycles, and bottlenecks for their target crop or region.

During Program

Nagoya Agri-Robotics Immersion

Five days in Nagoya: farm visits, robotics facility, business case, and Day 5 adoption plan.

After Program

Adoption Plan Submission

Participants submit an agri-automation feasibility report and adoption plan within 60 days. Debrief at Day 90.

Nomination Eligibility

This programme is designed for professionals nominated by their organisations to undergo specialised training in Japan. Nominees should have organisational sponsorship and a clear mandate to apply the learnings upon return.

Why Train in Japan

Japan is the birthplace of the methodologies taught in this programme. Training in Japan provides direct exposure to the original practices, site visits to world-class facilities, and interaction with Japanese experts who pioneered these approaches — an experience impossible to replicate in a local classroom.

Why Train Overseas

Overseas training in Japan offers immersive access to the source of these management and operational philosophies. Participants gain cultural context, real-world observation, and networking opportunities with Japanese organisations that cannot be delivered through domestic or online alternatives.

Field Visits Note

Field visits are subject to host organisation availability and may be substituted with alternative sites of equivalent educational value without prior notice.

Certificate Statement

NIHON GATE Certificate is awarded upon successful completion of all programme days, participation in all activities, and delivery of the final project or presentation as required.

How to Use This File for Nomination

1 Download this Program File for Corporate Approval.

2 Review the programme details, objectives, and outcomes with your supervisor.

3 Submit the file to your HR or training department for nomination approval.

4 Upon approval, complete your registration through the NIHON GATE portal.

5 Receive confirmation and pre-programme materials within 48 hours.

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