{"id":2216,"date":"2026-03-30T16:32:55","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T07:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/agriture.jp\/?post_type=industry_news&p=2216"},"modified":"2026-08-02T01:26:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T16:26:18","slug":"ja-kumamoto-hikaru-oyasai-makuake-2026","status":"publish","type":"industry_news","link":"https:\/\/agriture.jp\/en\/industry_news\/ja-kumamoto-hikaru-oyasai-makuake-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"JA Kumamoto Keizairen Regenerates Blemished Vegetables into Washi Lights\u2014\"Tomoru Oyasai\" Starts Crowdfunding on Makuake Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n\n

What is \"Akaru Oyasai\" -- when vegetables are reborn as lighting<\/h2>\n

\"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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n\n

Why is an agricultural cooperative developing an upcycled product now?<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n\n

What is the goal on Makuake?<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n\n

The impact of upcycling on agriculture and food-loss issues<\/h2>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>\u3001The Consumer Affairs Agency launches a food-bank certification system on April 1<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Source<\/h3>\n