No. 105: Utilize IT to revitalize paddy fields (July 18, 2010)

Paddy fields are not merely for cultivating rice. Various creatures, such as weatherfish and hoptoad, are living in the paddy field. Japan is schedule to propose utilizing paddy fields for preserving biodiversity in the COP10 to be held in Nagoya coming October. Various activities have already started to utilize the paddy field. NEC revitalized the paddy field of about 4,000 square meters in collaboration with a NPO in 2004. This paddy field had been wasteland, but NEC and the NPO successfully grew brewer’s rice enough for the annual production of 2,000 bottles of Japanese sake in this wasteland. In addition, it is now the egg-laying site of Japanese brown frogs. In the end of this paddy field, an NEC-built system that measures temperature, humidity, and amount of insolation every 10 minutes is being operated on trial. NEC is doing research on how to satisfy both agriculture development and ecology preservation with the help of IT.