[Part 2] The reality that "you can't live on rice alone." The life of a farmer is a tightrope walk.
Hello. I'm Soramame, and I run a rice farm of about 40 hectares.😊
"Rice prices are going up, aren't they? Aren't farmers making pretty good money right now?"
I've actually been hearing that kind of thing more and more.
However, as I wrote in my previous note,
"Higher prices do not equal higher take-home pay."
In fact,it is quite difficult to make a living on rice alone, which is the reality on the ground right now.
▶️ You can read the first part of this article here:
The reason I want to say "hold on a second" to the idea that "farmers are making money right now"
■ Honestly, you can't live on rice income alone
For example, our farm ships about 200 tons of rice annually. But if you ask me if our life is stable just from those sales...
that is not the case.
Material costs, fuel costs, and labor costs have skyrocketed in the last few years. On the other hand, while the price of first-grade rice is rising,
the reality is that in many years, yields decrease due to factors like high-temperature damage, and as a result, total sales go down.that is the actual situation.
Of course, the management situation of each farm is different.
The size and topography of the rice fields, water availability, and how much family labor is available—it is also greatly influenced by such factors.
Therefore, even if you group us all together as "farmers",
it doesn't mean everyone is living the same way.
On social media and elsewhere, there are people who post as if they are the "representative of farmers," but the reality is thateveryone has different scales, conditions, and backgrounds.
The words being posted don't necessarily apply to every farmer, and the reverse is also true.
That is precisely why, when you search for or think about agriculture on social media, I would be happy if you could take it as "that's one perspective" rather than looking at someone's statement and jumping to the conclusion that "this is what farmers are like."
I would be happy if you could take it as "that's one perspective"😊
I wrote some strong words from the beginning, but I just wanted to convey the current situation where
many farmers feel that they cannot live on rice income alone—there may be some who are able to get by on rice income alone because their region and conditions are just right.there may be some who are able to get by on rice income alone.
The form of agriculture is truly different for everyone. That is why I would be happy if you could use what I am writing here as just "one example" for reference.☺️
■ In the end, everyone is supplementing with "something"
I have reorganized how farmers who feel they "cannot live on rice income alone"
are making ends meet.
For example—
Supplementing living expenses with thepensionof the older generation
Working a **different job (side business)** alongside farming
Having long-standingland income, company management, or side hustles
Managing to continue by dipping into savings or assets
Taking on the challenge of **direct sales or processed product sales (sixth-sector industrialization)** on my own
Utilizing subsidies and grants from the national or local government
I don't think any one of these is enough; it's a state of
**combining several of them to finally be able to 'make a living.'**
In my family's case,
we also grow vegetables like cabbage and broccoli in the winter. (Vegetables have a better profit margin than rice.) Also,
my parents receiving a pension and dividends from land and stocks we own are also a major support that supplements our income.
Furthermore, subsidies and grants are also an important source of funds.
But you cannot make a living on those alone.
In the first place, many subsidies are "compensation for the continuation and management of the business," and there is also the trouble of going through procedures and meeting requirements.
However, when you talk about "subsidies" in Japan,
**the impression is sometimes that "farmers are well-off" or "they're being supported, so they must be fine."**
For example, in the EU, there are countries where more than half of a farmer's income is covered by subsidies. In the United States, too, systems are properly established, such as programs to keep prices above a certain level and income compensation in the event of a disaster.
On the other hand, Japanese subsidies are limited to the bare minimum of support, and
for the majority of farmers, avoiding a deficit would be impossible without this meager support.
In fact, my husband learned about agriculture in the U.S. in the past and has experience working on a farm there, and he seems to have felt that difference firsthand.
To return to the subject, honestly speaking,
if we only consider the income from rice, there is no doubt that my family (6 adults, 5 children) would be in the red.
That is precisely why, to continue farming,
the reality for farmers today is that we have no choice but to combine various supports, such as "non-farm income," "family support," and "institutional support."
■ The reality hidden behind a farmer's "impressive house"
On social media and the like, people sometimes say things like, "Farmers say they're in the red, but their houses are big, right?" or
"They're driving nice cars." (*The situation might be different in urban-fringe agriculture versus rural areas.)
But there is a reason for that.
There was an era when the current parent generation was young, and the price of rice was incomparably higher than it is now, and they could make a sufficient living on rice alone.
There are many households where the houses built and assets saved during that time remain today, and
it is not rare for them to be continuing to farm while currently dipping into those savings.
In other words, behind a "lifestyle that looks like they are living in luxury,"
there is the effort of the past and the desperate management to get by in the present.
Agriculture may now be less of a "profitable job" and more of a
"mission" that we are somehow continuing in order to protect our region and our rice paddies.
■ The mechanism behind "looking like they're making money"
Some farmers post on social media, "The price of rice is up this year! That's great!"
Of course, that in itself is a happy thing.
But behind that,
"Last year I was in the red and couldn't pay the loan for the machinery," or
"More than half became low-grade rice due to the rain,"
there is often a "strain" hidden that no one can talk about.
That is why, every time someone says to me, "You must be making a lot of money, right?", my heart aches just a little.
■ Even so, the reason for continuing to farm
Having read this far, some of you might have thought,
"Well, if it's so difficult, why do you keep farming?"
The answer isn't simple, but—
"Because I love farming"
"Because it makes me happy that the rice we grow reaches someone's dining table"
"Because I want to protect the feelings of my community and my family"
It is because of those feelings.
But at the same time, that alone is not enough to make a living.
Balancing like a tightrope walker between "passion" and "reality".
That might just be what a farmer's life is like today.
🌾 Summary: Farming is not just "a job of growing rice"
A farmer's life is not sustained by rice alone
Various forms of support are necessary, such as side jobs, pensions, assets, and subsidies
The "tightrope management" invisible on social media is a daily reality
There was a time when one could live on rice alone, and some are managing to hold on using those assets
Behind the question "Farmers are making money, right?" lies the reality thatthey continue because they want to, but continuing requires ingenuity
Next time, under the theme of "Why is it hard for farmers to secure profits?", I plan to write from a realistic perspective about
how prices are set, cost structures, climate risks, and more—
the hardships and limitations unique to primary industries.
Thank you for reading 😊
▶️ You can read the first part of this article here:
The reason I want to say "wait a minute" to "Farmers are making money now, right?"
🔽 Click here for the "summary version" that includes the content of this article