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The situation was further compounded by demographic changes. Ongoing rural depopulation in Japan has seen the average age of farmers rise to 67, according to 2015 census figures.
To counter the situation and encourage greater cultivation, Asahi Shuzo joined forces with Fujitsu. The ICT company’s solution involved the deployment of solar-powered IoT sensors and cameras in paddy fields, with the resulting data connected to the Fujitsu Akisai food and agriculture industry cloud. The sensors measured environmental conditions, including atmospheric humidity levels, ground and air temperatures, ground moisture and electroconductivity.
The initiative helped devise the cultivation methods necessary to optimize rice production, creating a sharable knowledge base of best practice. This was supplemented by recording the activities of individual farmers and the results they achieved: their methods, the fertilizers and pesticides used, the quality of rice planted, crop growth rates and the resulting yields. All that data was fed into Akisai from remote devices such as laptops and tablets. By introducing this system farmers can record their actions and the results allow them to determine which approaches are most effective.
Asahi Shuzo – which purchases about a fifth of all the yamada nishiki rice grown in Japan – has been able to produce a lot more sake. It’s also good for farmers as yamada nishiki is priced about three times higher than some other rice. As a result, the introduction of the Akisai system to the production process has created a ‘win-win’ situation for both Asahi Shuzo and its agricultural partners.
Sake brewing aided by AI
More recently, that successful application of advanced technology has encouraged Asahi Shuzo to explore how other traditional skills might be captured, enhanced and put to use. Its AI trial with Fujitsu Laboratories aimed to combine a mathematical model defining the process of sake brewing with machine learning that drew directly on data from the Dassai on-site production processes and expertize.
Powered by Fujitsu’s Zinrai AI platform, the model will enable the two companies to evaluate how practical AI can be used to optimize the control of equipment used in the sake brewing process.
By incorporating data gained from the field trial and the feedback from its experts, Asahi Shuzo will improve the prediction accuracy and the sophistication of the supporting information, enabling the system to assist with even more optimized sake brewing.
Again, the demographics of rural Japan are a factor. “As Japan’s society is aging, labor shortages are expected in sake brewing facilities, and there are concerns about maintaining a stable supply and the high quality of Dassai,” says Asahi Shuzo. “To address this, we have been working for many years to record and systematize experience in sake brewing.”
That commitment to ensuring supply and quality through a blend of craft and hi-tech will undoubtedly raise a “kampai” from sake connoisseurs everywhere.
• Asahi Shuzo is one of almost 60 customer stories detailed in the Fujitsu Technology and Service Vision. View more here.
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