FY2026 Yamato Town New Farmer Successor Subsidy

1) Overview: The Yamato Town New Farmer Successor Subsidy is a municipal program in Yamato Town, Kamimashiki District, Kumamoto Prefecture, aimed at securing agricultural successors and revitalizing local farming. It provides a one-time lump-sum cash grant to individuals who newly start farming, either as a family-farm successor or as a new entrant. FY2026 applications opened on April 15, 2026, and close on July 31, 2026. 2) Eligible applicants: Persons who (i) hold a resident registration in Yamato Town, (ii) operate their farm primarily within the town, (iii) are under 50 years old on the start date of farming, (iv) are a farm successor (planned heir) or farm operator, (v) started farming on or after April 2023, and (vi) have not received the national Young Farmer Management Initiation Funds or the New Farmer Comprehensive Development Subsidy. Additionally they must be a Certified New Farmer or Certified Farmer (joint application permitted via a Family Management Agreement). 3) Eligible expenses / content: This is not an expense-reimbursement scheme but a fixed one-shot cash grant tied to commencement of farming under an approved Agricultural Management Improvement Plan or Youth Farming Plan. The recipient must file blue-form (aoiro) tax returns, must have no municipal-tax arrears, and must continue to engage in farming for the three fiscal years following the grant. 4) Rate / cap / schedule / tips: Flat JPY 500,000 for a single recipient; JPY 700,000 if husband-and-wife or siblings start farming jointly; ceiling per management unit is JPY 700,000. Deadline July 31, 2026. Application package: Form 1 (grant application), Form 2 (farming start-date certificate countersigned by an agricultural committee member), Form 4 (payment request), plus copies of the Management Improvement Plan or Youth Farming Plan and its certification letter, the blue-form tax return or its approval application, and the bank passbook. Submit to the Mayor of Yamato Town; contact the Agricultural Promotion Division (0967-72-1111).