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Social Good Innovators

Growing Rice with LEDs

Alarm bells are ringing over global food security due to declining crop yields caused by climate change,
significant global population growth, and hunger problems. Environmental pollution from fertilizer run-off is also a concern.
There is hope that plant cultivation using LED lighting technology could provide a solution to these issues.
A new method of utilizing LED lighting aims to bring about several innovations, particularly in relation to food security.
This includes the ability to grow staple crops like rice plants steadily and efficiently, regardless of weather conditions.

  • Koji Niwa / FL Business Development Division, Corporate Management Promotion Group and Corporate Ceramic Materials Semiconductor Components Group

    After working in the Business Strategy Management Department and New Business Management Department, he assumed his current position as leader for this project, which aims to solve social issues through the use of LED lighting.

INTRODUCTION

A reckless business that was
once considered unprofitable.

Niwa:

Before I joined this project, several new businesses had been contemplated in the Corporate Management Group to address social issues related to agriculture. Prior to that, I was responsible for developing LED lighting and cultivation technology for Leafy greens. At that time, we determined that the LED lighting business for staple crops like rice was not profitable. While LED cultivation of Leafy greens had already been established as a business, staple food plants like rice were seen as a distant future prospect for agriculture. It was challenging for us to envision the potential for a new business in this area.

However, over the past 10 years, the landscape has gradually changed with the discovery of new rice varieties and advancements in LED-related technologies. Additionally, LED cultivation of staple food plants is anticipated to aid in addressing global food and environmental issues, as well as the shortage of agricultural workers. As a result, this project is increasingly important as it aims to address significant social issues. Given these circumstances, the project is moving toward practical application in the near future, with the goal of contributing to global food security.

SOLUTION

Changing the world with LED
cultivation technology.

Niwa:

We are currently working on two projects: one involves using LED Lighting to grow rice efficiently, and the other focuses on cultivating high-value-added leafy greens in plant factories using LED lighting. We believe that LED lighting cultivation instead of sunlight cultivation can help address food scarcity. LED lighting cultivation is not affected by weather conditions and enables stable growth, so it takes two-thirds the time of sunlight cultivation. It also requires less labor than outdoor cultivation, which can help alleviate the issue of aging farmers. LED cultivation does not rely on farmland; it does not use soil and can use space three-dimensionally through multi-level shelf cultivation.

This approach offers environmental benefits by reducing the burden on the global environment through deforestation and fertilizer run-off and contributes to global conservation of species. We place importance not only on the hardware aspects of developing LED products with competitive cost and performance but also on the software aspects, such as knowledge on how to use LED lighting for cultivation and how to grow plants. Our aim is to develop total solutions that provide friendly support while staying close to the needs of our customers and building long-term relationships of trust with them.

TECHNOLOGY

Success in developing proprietary technology in an unprecedented field.

Niwa:
As a technological feature, we have developed LED lighting with a unique spectrum for plant cultivation by utilizing our proprietary LED lighting technology that is controlled to have a wavelength very close to that of sunlight. Plants can be grown faster by irradiating the most efficient spectrum for photosynthesis, or energy production, at the optimum amount of light and time. We've also developed our own cultivation technologies, including fertilizer composition and fertilization methods, which are important for maximizing the advantage of LED lighting fixtures. Our strength is that we can control the wavelength of the spectrum so that it is ideal for plants and also provide expertise on how to use the light effectively. While few LED lighting manufacturers have developed LED lighting specifically for rice, a staple food crop, our aim to commercialize LED lighting is a new initiative on a global scale. Although there may be no precedent, we are committed to making continued technical improvements by leveraging Kyocera's accumulated technology and experience.

Hold on to your hopes and dreams, and opportunities are bound to come your way.

Niwa:

Globally, not everyone can eat with peace of mind every day. There are many global issues such as climate change and population growth. We hope that through this project, we can contribute to a society where everyone has access to food and a world where every person can feel happy. We are currently developing our own unique cultivation technology, which no other company has, and addressing issues for practical implementation. Our goal is to provide cultivation equipment and technology that enables rice LED cultivation anywhere in the world in the near future.

Eating is essential for life and should be enjoyed. I find it personally rewarding to be involved in a project that will impact so many lives, and I invite anyone who agrees with this philosophy to collaborate with us and participate in our project. I also hope that this case study generates some sort of empathy or inspiration. If you have dreams and hopes of contributing to society as an engineer, I encourage you not to give up and to seize the opportunities that will surely come your way.

*The content of this article is current at the time of the interview (as of October 2024).

Integrated Report 2023
https://global.kyocera.com/ir/library/pdf/catalog/integrated_2023_e.pdf(Page 21)(PDF,17,502KB)

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