As tourism expands in Niigata’s Myoko, not everyone is equally positioned to benefit. Local farmers and producers face an uncertain future, facing barriers to participating in tourism networks despite their integral role in preserving food culture and traditions. Against this backdrop, Patience Capital Group’s US$1.4 billion luxury resort development brings massive economic opportunities to the area. Yet agricultural producers in this already-declining sector remain at high risk of exclusion. Without direct access to these expanding visitor networks, agricultural producers may be left behind by the very growth happening on their doorstep.
This project will collaborate with Fermentation Valley, a network of local food organizations and businesses in Nagano’s fermented food industry that seeks to share the region’s fermentation traditions both locally and globally. This further strengthens linkages to Myoko’s tourism economy through inclusive and sustainable partnerships. This research aims to understand how Fermentation Valley currently engages with the tourism sector, where partnerships thrive, and where hard-to-access producers remain excluded. This entails researching how businesses that connect tourists to Myoko’s food and traditions can add value to the local economy. While there may already be producer-focused initiatives in the area, this research assesses what support Myoko’s hard-to-access groups – farmers and small local businesses truly require to thrive alongside major developments.
By centering the experiences and voice of these local producers, this project aims to develop pathways for community-led sustainable growth, ensuring that these groups are better positioned to leverage Myoko’s growing economy, enriching instead of displacing livelihoods.
