Data from Satellites Being Used to Revitalize Agriculture, Increase Cultivation Efficiency

By Taeko Kaji / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

11:41 JST, September 13, 2025

A movement is spreading to use data that satellites measure from space in the agricultural industry.

With data from satellites, it is possible to collect information such as the nutrition condition of soil in farmland and growth conditions of crops over a long time, and such information is utilized for more efficient cultivation.

Expectations for the method have been rising in recent years as it can be used to deal with problems such as damage to rice from high temperatures. It can also be used to learn details of arable land that has been left fallow.

In rice paddies in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, a project is being undertaken to grow rice with the brand name “Space Big Data Rice.”

For cultivation of the rice variety, Tenchijin Inc., a Tokyo-based startup established by people including officials of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), uses analysis results of data from satellites.

The startup found the most suitable place to cultivate the rice variety based on huge volumes of data collected by satellites regarding the ground surface temperature, geographical landscape and the amount of rainfall.

The rice variety was developed by Shinmei Co., a major rice wholesaler, on its own. The variety can produce more grains than others.

In recent years, negative effects from high temperatures have become more apparent. For example, due to more days in summer reaching high temperatures, the quality of rice grains deteriorates.

“Searching for the most suitable places can lead to protecting agriculture in the future” a Tenchijin official said.

The company wants to eventually utilize data from satellites to cultivate crops other than rice.

The utilization of data from satellites in agricultural fields has been spreading.

Major farm equipment manufacturer Kubota Corp., together with its business partners, developed a technology utilizing images from satellites to learn the growing conditions of crops so that cultivation can be more efficient.

In addition, the government plans to utilize data from satellites for forecasting harvest volumes of rice.

According to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and other sources, about 15,000 satellites and other space devices are in orbit, and data collected by them are widely varied.

Some data is open to the public, and other data is sold to businesses.

On the other hand, labor shortages in agricultural workplaces are increasingly becoming a serious issue, and measures to deal with the problem are urgently needed.

According to Yano Research Institute, Japan’s market size of services utilizing data from satellites, including those in the agricultural industry, is expected to rise from ¥16.1 billion in fiscal 2022 to ¥34 billion in fiscal 2030.

Data from satellites is also used to accurately identify arable land that has been left fallow.

Sagri Co., a Hyogo Prefecture-based startup that runs a business to assist agricultural companies, provides a service to find fallow land using data from satellites. Local governments are using its service.

Before, fallow land was identified by on-the-spot checks and reports from farmers. By utilizing data from satellites, the locations can be identified more accurately and it can save labor.

The company also learns the nutrition conditions of soil by analyzing wavelengths of light reflecting off soil and plants through data collected by satellites.

The goal is to prevent the excessive use of fertilizers and thus lower costs. It is utilized in countries in Southeast Asia and Africa.

Shunsuke Tsuboi, chief executive officer of the company, said, “We hope to ‘visualize’ conditions of farmland with data from satellites and contribute to resolving challenges farmers face.”