Even Tokyo has farmland. It is not uncommon to see farmers selling their produce outside their homes or at direct sales stands. Vegetables at these stores are also very popular. However, customers do not know what is on sale unless they go there, and items may already be sold out when they do go. Producers have also been challenged by not knowing how well their products were selling, and it is difficult to know when to restock.

That is why the Tokyo Metropolitan Agriculture and Forestry Research Center of the Tokyo Development Foundation for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Forestry and Fisheries Promotion, Veggie Inc., LAplust Inc., and the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Tokyo have jointly developed a camera and application called “Mievegi” to see booths at direct sales stands using a smartphone.

Seeing direct sales stores through an app

“Mievegi” is a system that uses cameras installed at direct sales stands to record booths, and the videos are automatically sent to the cloud and can be viewed on a website. Consumers can use the app to view real-time videos of booths and go buy the produce they want. Producers can also see how their produce is selling and avoid running out of items even when they are not there.

In a survey conducted during last year's trial operation, about 90% of consumers said the system as “useful for shopping.” Producers said it can be used to save labor for booth management and attract customers. Saito Farm in Higashi-murayama City has been in the agriculture business here for about 100 years. Takehiro Saito said, “I think there will be more customers if a lot of people can see the booth. Since many people look at their cell phones, this kind of application will be necessary in the future.”

You can easily see Saito Farm's booth on the app

Webcam installed in the stand

Mr. Saito holding vegetables

There are plenty of delicious vegetables. Booth at Saito Farm