Revitalizing Communities through Cooperation between Agriculture and Welfare (Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture)-September 2006, a new attempt to create a symbiotic community

Revitalizing Communities through Cooperation between Agriculture and Welfare (Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture)-September 2006, a new attempt to create a symbiotic community

At the time of 2006, the expansion of employment support systems for people with disabilities was a social issue in Japan, and especially in rural areas, where employment opportunities were limited, there was a need to create an environment in which people with disabilities could continue to live in the community. Meanwhile, in rural areas, the aging of the population and the shortage of labor were becoming more serious, and the increase in abandoned farmland and the hollowing out of local communities were seen as problematic.

Against this backdrop, the city of Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture drew attention to a model of "agricultural and welfare cooperation" that combines agriculture and welfare as a key to regional revitalization. In this initiative, people with disabilities leave welfare facilities and work in the agricultural field to participate in society and support self-reliance, while at the same time compensating for the lack of labor in the local agricultural industry.

In Matsumoto City, NPOs, welfare facilities, and farmers work together to share the process of growing, processing, and shipping vegetables and fruit trees. By engaging in work suited to their aptitudes, the disabled gained the joy of working and a connection with the community. What was particularly noteworthy was the symbiotic atmosphere that was fostered among the local residents and farmers, who accepted the disabled not as "labor" but as "friends.

Such efforts were not dependent on the welfare budget, and sustainability could be ensured by integrating industrial activities and welfare, which was also in line with the direction of the national law to support the self-reliance of persons with disabilities. The Matsumoto case subsequently spread to municipalities nationwide, and the term "agriculture-food coordination" began to appear in policy documents.

This initiative was not just a local revitalization measure, but also a small step toward the realization of a symbiotic society in which everyone can have a role and live together, rethinking the relationship between people with disabilities and local communities.