JA Kumamoto Keizairen Regenerates Blemished Vegetables into Washi Lights—"Tomoru Oyasai" Starts Crowdfunding on Makuake Today

On March 30, 2026, JA Kumamoto Keizairen (the Kumamoto Prefectural Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives) launched a Makuake crowdfunding campaign for "Akaru Oyasai" (Glowing Vegetables), poster lights with washi paper shades made by upcycling off-spec vegetables (tomatoes and eggplants) that cannot be shipped or eaten. It is the first time JA Keizairen has developed an original branded product, and it is drawing attention as a new initiative in food-loss reduction and upcycling.

What is "Akaru Oyasai" -- when vegetables are reborn as lighting

"Akaru Oyasai" is a poster light in which off-spec tomatoes and eggplants that cannot be shipped are dried, milled, and worked into the washi-paper-making process to be finished as a shade. When lit, the color and fibrous texture of the vegetables faintly emerge, and each piece has a different expression. No artificial coloring is used at all, and only Kumamoto-grown vegetables are used as the raw material.

In production, the team worked with washi artisans to incorporate the vegetable material into the shade using traditional paper-making techniques. The light body is a poster-frame type that can be wall-mounted, and demand as interior lighting is also anticipated.

Why is an agricultural cooperative developing an upcycled product now?

Behind it lies the ongoing food-loss problem of off-spec vegetables generated at farming sites. Kumamoto Prefecture boasts the nation's top tomato output and second-highest eggplant output as an agricultural prefecture, yet on the other hand large volumes of "off-spec vegetables" that fail to meet shipping standards have been discarded.

JA Kumamoto Keizairen has previously worked on converting off-spec vegetables into food (processed products), but this time it stepped into the entirely different category of lighting as a challenge in a "field beyond food." A cooperative-affiliated organization launching an original brand, "LIFE PRODUCT," and approaching consumers directly through crowdfunding is a rare attempt even within the industry.

What is the goal on Makuake?

The reason for choosing the crowdfunding platform "Makuake" is that it allows test sales and awareness-building at the same time. The aim is to keep production limited and refine the product's appeal while watching backer response. Beyond delivering the appeal of Kumamoto-grown vegetables nationwide in a form other than "eating," it strengthens appeal to media and consumers as an initiative in food-loss reduction and the SDGs.

The impact of upcycling on agriculture and food-loss issues

農林水産省のデータによると、国内の食品ロスは年間464万トン（2023年度）で、このうち農産物の生産・流通段階での廃棄も相当量含まれる。規格外野菜の多くは、外見上の問題（傷・変形・サイズ不適）にもかかわらず、栄養価や味は通常品と変わらない。

Upcycling -- adding new value to materials that would otherwise be discarded -- is spreading beyond food into various fields such as lighting, sundries, and textiles. This case from JA Kumamoto Keizairen is a fine example showing the potential of upcycling that ties agriculture to manufacturing.

Agriture, too, is working on new forms of farm-produce processing that make use of dried vegetables and off-spec vegetables. Related articles:The Consumer Affairs Agency approves a second basic policy for food-loss reduction at a Cabinet meeting、The Consumer Affairs Agency launches a food-bank certification system on April 1

Source

• PR TIMES: JA Kumamoto Keizairen "Akaru Oyasai" Makuake press release (March 30, 2026)

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