What kind of support measures are there to attract young agricultural successors? Support is also needed until technical skills are acquired and management is stabilized. For example, depending on whether a graduate of an agricultural university gets a job at an agricultural corporation or engages in self-employed agriculture, the necessary support will differ. We have examined Yamaguchi Prefecture, which aims to be "Japan's No. 1 in agricultural workforce support" and accepts over 100 new farmers every year.

Yamaguchi Prefecture's "Japan's No. 1 in Agricultural Workforce Support" is built on two pillars. The first is a support system for settlement when new people are hired by village cooperative agricultural corporations, etc. The prefecture and municipalities provide 4.2 million yen for five years.

The second is support for those aged 50 to 64. This is for the group excluded from the national "Agricultural Preparation Fund" for those under 49, and the prefecture and municipalities provide the same amount as the national government for a maximum of two years, totaling 3 million yen. The Yamaguchi Prefecture Agricultural Promotion Division states that "People in their 50s and 60s are still young when they return to their local areas.

Support is essential for a smooth start in agriculture." New farmers have been steadily exceeding 100 since 2014, and in 2023, there were 121. Over the past five years, 81 out of 147 graduates of Yamaguchi Prefecture Agricultural University, or 55%, have joined agricultural corporations, etc. This ratio has been increasing recently.

JA Yamaguchi Prefecture has been supporting graduates of agricultural universities who work in agriculture by paying an amount equivalent to the tuition for the second year of an agricultural university since 2019. So far, 64 people have used this support.

In a mountainous area of Yanai City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the agricultural cooperative corporation Uyeyanagi Farm, which manages about 22 hectares of farmland in three villages in the Higashiatsubocho area, has undergone a generational change to a younger generation two years ago. Hiroei Shibaoka (30), who graduated from Yamaguchi Prefecture Agricultural University, worked outside the city, and has been the representative for four years, says, "I was attracted to village cooperative agriculture where everyone can work in agriculture together." It is a corporation that manages 21 hectares of rice and soybeans. They cultivate asparagus in 11 greenhouses covering about 70 ares, which "leads to stable earnings" (Shibaoka). They employ 18 part-timers and Kazuki Hayakawa (25), a graduate of an agricultural university. The average age of the 56 people in the three villages is 72.1 years old. The former representative, Seiji Yanai (70), explains the reason for the change in representative by saying, "We expect no more returning residents who retire and come back. Young people are working hard, so young people gather there. This was made possible thanks to the prefecture's program. We want to fully support them."

Shibaoka has been following Yanai to participate in local weeding, festivals, and year-end parties. By participating, even though he can't drink, "I can enjoy socializing with people of different ages" (Shibaoka). Yanai adds, "It's important for the local area to have an attitude of not just entrusting hard work to young people but to work together with them."

Yamaguchi Prefecture is providing various types of support to increase the number of new farmers. For example, there is a support system for settlement when new people are hired by village cooperative agricultural corporations, etc., and financial support for agricultural preparation for those aged 50 to 64. Through such support, Yamaguchi Prefecture has seen a steady increase in new farmers.