Sado City (Niigata Prefecture) promotes biodiversity agriculture as well as protecting the internationally protected bird Toki (Japanese crested ibis). In agreement with this, in April 2010, seven institutions including Co-opdeli Consumers' Co-operative Union, Co-op Niigata and Sado City entered into a partnership agreement and launched “The Sado Toki support project”.

In this project, 1 yen per a targeted item is donated to the "Sado City Fund for improvement of the Toki's habitat”. Exchanges between producers and consumer co-op members are promoted through events such as tours of production areas, rice planting experiences, rice field surveys, etc.

Target items (example)

The donation for the current fiscal year was about 2.7 million JPY gathered from September 21, 2017 through September 20, 2018. The total amount of donation so far is about 20.24 million yen including this fiscal year’s donation.

It has been 10 years since the first release of Toki co-organized by the Sado City and the Council for promotion of harmony with Toki. In commemoration with this 10th anniversary, the donation ceremony for this fiscal year was held in Sado City on October 13.

At the event venue (farmland for rice paddy art), a rice field art of a Toki flapping its wings was depicted.

After the ceremony, rice harvesting was jointly carried out by parent/child Niigata Co-op members, producers, children and students.

A picture of a rice field art showing the appearance of a flapping Toki