Ichikawa City's Agriculture

Ichikawa City has been growing pears (nashi) since the Edo Period (1596-1868), and has become its key agricultural industry. 

In Ichikawa City, with a population of approximately 460,000, cultivation of pears has been thriving along the surrounding plateau of Omachi, located in the northeastern part of Ono Machi district.

The production value of Ichikawa pears ranks first in Chiba Prefecture. In 2005, it placed second in the nationwide ranking of production value, next to Fukushima City. 

To emphasize the distinctive qualities of the city’s agricultural products, it has become vital for producers to sell directly to the consumers. Many improvised shops for selling pears can be seen on the streets along National Road Route 464 located in the northern district, which was renamed to Omachi Nashi Kaido. It is bustling during the pear (nashi) harvest season.

Vegetable produce include, green house cultivation of tomatoes and outdoor cultivation of leeks, radish, cabbage, and spinach. These are being sold in the markets of Ichikawa City and Tokyo.

Flower production include, lily, cyclamen, and pot seedlings cultivated in green houses that are mainly sold in markets within the city. Recently, fashionable shops along the streets are selling flowers directly, making various kinds of locally produced flowers now easily available to customers.

Also, agriculture-related groups such as, JA (Japan Agriculture) Ichikawa City Morning Market Association is exerting efforts in campaigning for, “Local consumption of local farm products”, by regularly opening shops for direct selling of farm harvests. In the future, there is a plan to make direct selling of local farm produce a permanent activity.

 Not well known to many is that there also exist 2 strawberry and 2 blueberry picking farms for tourist attraction, as well as a pear picking farm for people to enjoy.

Moreover, to encourage citizens to experience agriculture, Ichikawa City has set up the following: “Residents’ Farm” (Shimin Noen), where residents can freely engage in planting and cultivation of crops; “Friendship Farm” (Fureai Noen), where they can experience growing sweet potatoes; and “Trial Plantation” (Taiken Noen), where residents can share in the efforts of cultivating different kinds of crops while they receive training and guidance from local farmers.

The agricultural industry of Ichikawa City is finding different ways to arouse the residents’ interest in farming within the vicinity of their neighborhood.

Problems such as agricultural chemical spraying, soil dirt, bad smell of compost, and others have always deterred people from pursuing farming activities. Ichikawa City is determined to make the residents understand more the importance of farming and is hoping that the anxieties will dissipate eventually.

With the citizens’ cooperation, Ichikawa City will be able to achieve its goal of saving the agricultural industry and the subsistence of urban farming.