Grand Farm Expands Japan Partnership Through Deep Valley Agritech Award
Fargo, ND – Grand Farm continues to strengthen its ties with Japan’s AgTech ecosystem through its collaboration with Deep Valley, Japan’s leading AgTech innovation hub. As part of this partnership, Grand Farm participated in the Deep Valley Agritech Award 2024, an annual competition recognizing top AgTech startups in Japan.
This year, Grand Farm awarded a free testing plot to EF Polymer, an Okinawa-based startup developing biodegradable water-absorbing polymers that help mitigate drought conditions. Coincidentally, EF Polymer also won the Grand Prize in the competition.
“EF Polymer’s technology has had success in Asia and has potential to make an impact for farmers facing water challenges in North Dakota, Georgia, and globally,” said John Mann, Grand Farm Program Manager of Startups. “We look forward to seeing how their solution can benefit growers in varying soil types and climates.”
Beyond presenting the award, Grand Farm traveled to Japan on a trade mission facilitated by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). The visit focused on exploring opportunities for Japanese startups and corporations to engage with Grand Farm, identifying Japanese AgTech innovations that align with Grand Farm’s mission, and assessing the potential for future presence in Japan.
Deep Valley emphasized the importance of this growing partnership: “The Deep Valley AgriTech Cluster Strategy, led by Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture, places great emphasis on its partnership with Grand Farm. Deep Valley aims to serve as a hub for both the inbound expansion of overseas companies and the outbound growth of domestic Japanese businesses. Moving forward, we will continue to strengthen our collaboration with Grand Farm and work together to drive the advancement of global AgTech.”
The partnership between Grand Farm and Deep Valley is already yielding results, with discussions progressing on the expansion of the U.S. company TrueAlgae into Fukaya, an introduction facilitated by Grand Farm.
Looking ahead, Grand Farm is actively exploring additional opportunities to deepen its relationship with Japan’s AgTech ecosystem. One potential initiative includes establishing an annual Grand Farm Award within the Deep Valley competition, further strengthening ties and fostering long-term collaboration.
Learn more about Grand Farm, Deep Valley, and JETRO:
