Farming Volunteer Training Course “Inagi Agricultural Fureai Juku”

The agricultural support volunteer system is a system in which volunteers provide free assistance to farmers who have difficulty farming due to the aging population and lack of workers.
The purpose is to deepen the understanding of Inagi agriculture and interaction with farmers.

Inagi City has been running the "Inagi Agricultural Communication Academy" since fiscal 2016 to train agricultural volunteers.
Each fiscal year, we divide the students into vegetable cultivation and fruit cultivation departments, and hold a year-long course in which they can learn cultivation techniques.
After completing the course, participants will be dispatched to individual farmers as agricultural volunteers, playing an active role in boosting agriculture in Inagi.

In the fruit section, you can learn about the knowledge and techniques of pear cultivation, a specialty of Inagi.
Pear cultivation involves various tasks throughout the year, from pollination in the spring to pruning the branches in winter, so you can see the pears grow over the course of a year.
In addition, the practical training for this course involves working in the orchards of farmers from the Inagi Pear Producers Association, providing a valuable opportunity to actually learn in an orchard.
After completing the course, you will be dispatched to pear farms as a volunteer to help with fruit cultivation, specializing in pear cultivation.

We are currently recruiting for our second batch of fruit tree students.

In the vegetable section, you can learn about the knowledge and techniques of vegetable cultivation.
The sowing time and harvesting method vary depending on the type of vegetable.
The practical training for this course will be supervised by the Inagi City Agricultural Committee in the training fields, so you will be able to experience planting vegetables according to the season over the course of a year.
After completing the course, participants will be dispatched to vegetable farms as volunteers to help with vegetable farming.

There are no applications this year. The next application period will be around September 2025.

Why not learn about pear cultivation, which is a specialty of Inagi City, and learn the knowledge and techniques of pear cultivation, and volunteer as a pear farmer?
We will be holding a training course for volunteering in fruit tree cultivation.
Students will be matched with local farmers and learn about growing pears at an orchard.
After completing the course, you will work as a volunteer to help in orchards where farming has become difficult due to the aging population and lack of workers.

subject

Those who are 20 years of age or older and have a desire to volunteer as agricultural support volunteers, and who can carry out agricultural support activities in the city after completing the course.

Course period

February to December 2025

content

(1) Classroom lectures (2 sessions)
Date and time: 1st session: Wednesday, February 19, 2025, from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm 2nd session: Wednesday, August 20, 2025, from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm Location: JA Tokyo Minami Inagi Branch

(2) Farm training (from picking flowers to cleaning up the orchard)
Date and time: Approximately twice a month (varies depending on the orchard)
Location: Orchard where the training took place

Capacity

If there are more than 10 applicants, a lottery will be held and the results will be announced by the end of November.

cost

Free of charge, but we ask that you take out personal injury insurance. Insurance premiums are to be borne by the individual.

application deadline

Please apply using the application form . Applications must arrive by Thursday, October 31, 2024.