Toyooka, Japan initiated a ‘Stork Friendly Farming’ programme in 2002 that aims to cultivate rice without relying on pesticides or chemical fertilisers. The chief motivation for the programme was that the removal of pesticides from the environment that the Oriental white storks inhabit would also be sustainable and healthy for human beings. The programme also contributed to ecological restoration as well as brought multiple benefits, including increased sales of agricultural products, growth in the number of tourists, and reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Living in harmony with Oriental white storks: the co-benefits of sustainable rice farming in Toyooka city