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Featured in the Nikkei newspaper. 

This is an excerpt that appeared in the electronic edition of the Nikkei Shimbun on 21 October.

FARMERS DON'T EVEN NEED A WATER HOSE OR SOIL, LET ALONE INTUITION OR EXPERIENCE. SUCH FARMING IS NOW POSSIBLE THANKS TO KIBUN, A SYSTEM THAT USES ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TO SUPPORT THE CULTIVATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE. THE SYSTEM WAS INVENTED BY TAKAYUKI MATSUOKA, 53, PRESIDENT OF PLANT LIFE SYSTEMS (PLS), AN IT COMPANY IN YOKOHAMA.

A farm just for development

The AI calculates the day's weather conditions, the growth rate and the environment inside the greenhouse.
The system automatically sprays water according to the settings. The AI will give you instructions on your smartphone.
The quality of the tomatoes can also be adjusted by simply changing the settings for air conditioning and nutrient levels.

As we are not farmers, we are taking on challenges and creating new inventions that have never been understood in agriculture before. At the heart of this is the mathematical model of growth.

Growing crops in a coral medium

Although there have been cultivation results in the past showing that an alkaline medium (coral instead of soil) increases the yield and quality of vegetables, it had not been widespread because most people could not master the technique. Through joint research with a university, President Matsuoka clarified the technology of why this was possible, made it an intellectual property, and devised a system to ensure that vegetables can be grown without experience.

We have found that it is possible to produce vegetables in harsh natural conditions such as deserts and cold climates, but only tomatoes are currently targeted. At present, we are not able to produce summer tomatoes planted in July in Kanagawa Prefecture, but we have the technology to produce crops of high yield and quality. He is currently working hard to expand the range of crops he can produce, including melons and tea leaves. The challenge to change the common sense of agriculture with original ideas continues.

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