Chika Sato operates a value-added agricultural business in Aso, Kumamoto--a UNESCO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) site--producing native Aso Takana mustard (9,000 bottles annually) and managing 200 pasture-raised sheep across 8 hectares. A product design graduate who founded her sole proprietorship in 2014, Chika has earned national recognition including the Minister of Agriculture's Award for new product development and served as President of Kumamoto Prefecture Young Farmers' Club. She currently leads NPO ASOIRO Company focused on grassland preservation.
Chika's Nuffield research addresses a critical gap in Japan's hilly and mountainous regions: while grazing livestock is recognized as essential for environmental conservation of fallow land, few operations achieve commercial viability. Her philosophy "farming as an experiment for community betterment" drives her to study how European nations successfully integrate environmental payment schemes, geographical indications, animal welfare standards, and Nature Positive principles with agri-tourism and certification systems. She seeks to develop a replicable evaluation system for her Aso sheep products that translates environmental benefits into economic value, creating a financially viable livestock model for Japan's disadvantaged regions while maintaining Aso's 20,000 hectares of grasslands for future generations.
