TOKYO8: Microbial Soil Health Activator for Enhanced Crop Productivity

Activating Soil Life for Sustainable Productivity

TOKYO8 is a 100% organic concentrated liquid microbial soil activator. The formulation contains a diverse consortium of more than 1,500 beneficial microorganisms that stimulate soil biological activity, accelerate the natural decomposition of organic matter, and enhance nutrient cycling to restore healthy soil functions. Suitable for a wide range of Crops, including Rice, Maize, Onion, Potato, Chinese Cabbage, and Tomato, TOKYO8 is supplied as a biodegradable, odorless, non-hazardous formulation certified under the JAS Organic standard. The preparation contains a diverse group of beneficial microorganisms, including Proteobacteria, Chloroflexus, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes, along with enzymes like lipase and protease and essential trace elements such as magnesium, iron, and zinc.

This technology is pre-validated.

8•8

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 8/9

Positive impacts: 12

Target Groups	Positive Impacts
Women smallholder farmers in remote areas	Improves access to an easy-to-use biological soil health solution through decentralized production and distribution. Restores soil fertility and increases agricultural productivity without requiring specialized equipment or PPE. Reduces dependence on expensive chemical fertilizers, lowering production costs and improving farm profitability.
Women smallholder farmers with degraded soils	Restores soil biological activity, nutrient cycling, and soil fertility in degraded fields. Improves crop productivity, soil health, and long-term land productivity. Strengthens resilience to drought and other climate-related stresses through healthier soils.
Women farmers with degraded soils in remote areas	Expands access to sustainable soil restoration technologies in underserved locations. Improves soil functionality and resource-use efficiency under challenging farming conditions. Supports more resilient and sustainable agricultural production systems.
Smallholder farmers with degraded soils in remote areas	Restores degraded agricultural land while improving water retention and nutrient availability. Increases productivity and reduces production risks associated with poor soil health. Creates opportunities to improve food security and livelihoods through sustainable soil management.

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Unintended impacts: 12
Mitigations: 12

Barriers: 12
Mitigations: 12

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

The product is able to work in different climate and have been tested almost in all regions proving its efficacy in various types of climates.

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

The product work well throughout the season.

Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity

It has no negative impact on animals or other plants. It is very safe for the environment and contains no chemical that will have any side effects.

Carbon footprint: A bit less carbon released

The production and usage of this product does not release any harmful carbon in the environment. It is orderless and colorless.

Environmental health: Greatly improves environmental health

Tokyo8 helps to regenerate lost soils and improve the nature of the environment by using micro organisms

Soil quality: Improves soil health and fertility

Tokyo8 improves the general quality of the soil for planting. Especially helping replace lost nutrients and stabilizing the soil for a good plantation.

Water use: A bit less water used

Tokyo8 in comparison to other fertilizers, the application method is more convenient, easy and needs less water for its effectiveness.

Problem

Degraded soils reduce agricultural productivity, food availability, and the long-term sustainability of farming systems, limiting the effectiveness of rural development interventions.
Declining soil health weakens natural ecosystem functions, reducing nutrient availability, soil resilience, and the capacity of farming communities to adapt to environmental stresses.
Unsustainable soil management practices accelerate land degradation and the loss of soil biodiversity, threatening the long-term productivity of agricultural landscapes.
Limited access to sustainable soil restoration solutions constrains climate-resilient agriculture and slows progress toward resilient rural livelihoods and sustainable food systems.

Solution

Restores degraded soils by reactivating beneficial microbial activity that rebuilds soil biological functions and productive capacity.
Rebuilds soil health, resulting in up to 20% yield improvement through enhanced nutrient cycling, allowing crops to make better use of available nutrients.
by enhancing nutrient cycling, improving nutrient availability, and restoring the natural processes that sustain productive soils.
Promotes sustainable land restoration through a 100% organic microbial formulation that strengthens soil biodiversity and supports long-term ecosystem health.
Provides an accessible nature-based solution that supports climate-resilient agricultural systems and sustainable rural development through long-term soil regeneration.

Key points to design your program

TOKYO8 provides a practical nature-based solution to restore degraded soils, strengthen climate resilience, and improve the sustainability of agricultural production systems. Developed by Taiyo Yuka Co., Ltd. (Japan) from more than 60 years of expertise in microbial resource recycling, the technology restores soil biological activity, improves long-term soil fertility, and supports food security, resilient livelihoods, and sustainable agricultural transformation. It contributes to SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 13 (Climate Action), and 15 (Life on Land). To successfully integrate this technology into development programmes, plan and budget for:

Strategic partnerships: Collaborate with extension services, research institutions, farmer organizations, local governments, community-based organizations, and the technology provider to strengthen implementation, technical supervision, farmer training, and knowledge exchange.
Target degraded and climate-vulnerable farming systems: Prioritize areas where declining soil fertility, land degradation, and climate-related production risks constrain agricultural productivity, food security, and rural livelihoods.
Integrated soil restoration programmes: Incorporate TOKYO8 into soil restoration, regenerative agriculture, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable land management, and ecosystem restoration interventions to strengthen long-term agricultural resilience and improve soil functionality.
Inclusive delivery approaches: Promote equitable access for women, youth, and smallholder farmers through delivery models that require no specialized equipment or personal protective equipment (PPE), reducing barriers to adoption and supporting wider technology dissemination.
Demonstration, capacity building, and knowledge sharing: Establish demonstration plots, farmer field schools, and practical training programmes to showcase soil restoration benefits while strengthening knowledge on biological soil health management and sustainable farming practices.
Sustainable local delivery systems: Leverage the TOKYO8 franchise model to support decentralized production and distribution, strengthen local agribusinesses, improve product accessibility, facilitate technology transfer, and enhance the long-term sustainability of programme investments beyond project implementation.
Monitoring, learning, and scaling: Monitor technology adoption, soil health improvement, agricultural productivity, resource-use efficiency, restored agricultural land, and programme outcomes to generate evidence for policy dialogue, investment decisions, and large-scale replication.

Cost vs. revenue

Data reliability of this estimate:: 70 %

Return on investment 860 %

Every USD invested returns USD 8.6 net income.

Detailed financial information ›

IP

Trademark

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology\’s development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology\’s readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 8 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: tested

Level of use 8 out of 9

Used by some intended users, in the real world

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Positive impact 12

Target Groups	Positive Impacts
Women smallholder farmers in remote areas	Improves access to an easy-to-use biological soil health solution through decentralized production and distribution. Restores soil fertility and increases agricultural productivity without requiring specialized equipment or PPE. Reduces dependence on expensive chemical fertilizers, lowering production costs and improving farm profitability.
Women smallholder farmers with degraded soils	Restores soil biological activity, nutrient cycling, and soil fertility in degraded fields. Improves crop productivity, soil health, and long-term land productivity. Strengthens resilience to drought and other climate-related stresses through healthier soils.
Women farmers with degraded soils in remote areas	Expands access to sustainable soil restoration technologies in underserved locations. Improves soil functionality and resource-use efficiency under challenging farming conditions. Supports more resilient and sustainable agricultural production systems.
Smallholder farmers with degraded soils in remote areas	Restores degraded agricultural land while improving water retention and nutrient availability. Increases productivity and reduces production risks associated with poor soil health. Creates opportunities to improve food security and livelihoods through sustainable soil management.

Unintended impact 12

Target Groups	Potential Unintended Impacts	Mitigation Measures
Women smallholder farmers in remote areas	Limited awareness of the technology and its benefits. Limited access to distribution channels. Reduced participation in training activities due to time or mobility constraints.	Conduct targeted awareness campaigns through local organizations. Develop decentralized distribution networks and local franchise partners. Deliver flexible, community-based training adapted to women's availability.
Women smallholder farmers with degraded soils	Limited understanding of recommended application practices. Slow restoration of severely degraded soils may reduce short-term expectations. Financial constraints may limit initial adoption.	Provide practical training and technical advisory services. Promote realistic expectations and complementary soil restoration practices. Facilitate affordable access through development programmes or farmer organizations.
Women farmers with degraded soils in remote areas	Limited access to technical support after adoption. Poor market availability of the product. Risk of inconsistent application due to limited advisory services.	Strengthen extension support through local partners. Expand local production and distribution through the franchise model. Develop simple application guides and continuous follow-up support.
Smallholder farmers with degraded soils in remote areas	High transportation costs may reduce accessibility. Limited exposure to demonstration activities. Variable results if integrated soil management practices are not followed.	Promote local production and community-level distribution. Establish demonstration plots and farmer field schools. Combine TOKYO8 with integrated soil management and extension support.

Barriers 12

Target Groups	Adoption Barriers	Mitigation Measures
Women smallholder farmers in remote areas	Limited access to product distribution networks. Limited access to technical information and training. Financial constraints affecting technology adoption.	Expand decentralized distribution through franchise partners. Provide accessible training through extension services and community organizations. Promote collective purchasing and support through development programmes.
Women smallholder farmers with degraded soils	Limited knowledge of biological soil health management. Expectations of immediate results on severely degraded soils. Limited financial capacity to invest in soil restoration.	Deliver practical demonstrations and technical advisory services. Promote integrated soil restoration approaches and realistic adoption pathways. Facilitate access through farmer organizations and project support.
Women farmers with degraded soils in remote areas	Poor access to extension services. Limited availability of authorized suppliers. Geographic isolation limiting follow-up support.	Strengthen community-based advisory services. Expand local distribution through franchise networks. Develop local demonstration sites and peer learning activities.
Smallholder farmers with degraded soils in remote areas	Difficult physical access to agricultural inputs. Limited awareness of biological soil restoration technologies. Weak access to continuous technical support.	Improve product accessibility through local production and distribution. Increase awareness through demonstration plots and farmer field schools. Provide ongoing technical support through extension agents and trained service providers.

Cost of the investment Sum of all fixed and operational expenses..	USD 11,250 Per year
Gross revenue Sum of all income before subtracting costs.	USD 108,000 Per year
Net income Gross revenue minus total cost.	USD 96,750 Per year
Return on investment Percentage of income earned for each dollar invested, calculated as: (income ÷ cost of investment) × 100	860 % Per year

References:

Cost, revenue & ROI calculation sheet of Tokyo8.pdf (PDF, 267.84 KB)

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Angola	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Benin	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Botswana	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Burkina Faso	Testing ongoing	–Not tested	–Not adopted
Cameroon	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Côte d’Ivoire	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Democratic Republic of the Congo	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Ethiopia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Ghana	Testing ongoing	–Not tested	–Not adopted
Kenya	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Lesotho	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Liberia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Madagascar	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Malawi	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Morocco	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Mozambique	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Nigeria	Testing ongoing	–Not tested	–Not adopted
Rwanda	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Senegal	Testing ongoing	–Not tested	–Not adopted
Sierra Leone	Testing ongoing	–Not tested	–Not adopted
South Africa	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Uganda	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Zambia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Zimbabwe	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Improves soil fertility and agricultural productivity. Supports sustainable food production systems.

Goal 15: life on land

Restores soil biological activity and ecosystem functions. Contributes to sustainable land management and soil restoration.

Goal 12: responsible production and consumption

Promotes efficient use of nutrients and natural resources. Reduces dependence on synthetic agricultural inputs.

Goal 13: climate action

Strengthens climate resilience through improved soil functionality and water retention. Supports climate-smart agricultural practices.

Goal 8: decent work and economic growth

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, productive employment and decent work for all.

TOKYO8 is applied as a diluted microbial solution to restore soil biological activity and support healthy crop development. Following the recommended preparation and application sequence helps maximize its effectiveness across different cropping systems.

Step 1. Prepare the solution

20.5L of TOKYO8 is for 1acre. Shake the container thoroughly before use. Dilute the concentrated TOKYO8 formulation with clean water according to the recommended application rate. For general field application, dilute 20ml of TOKYO8 per 1L of water. Avoid mixing or alternating applications with fungicides, bleach, or other disinfectants that may affect the beneficial microorganisms.

Step 2. Apply to soil and crops

Apply the diluted solution to both the soil and crop foliage using conventional spraying or irrigation equipment. For nursery production, apply 20 ml per litre of water alongside routine watering during seedling establishment, with two applications recommended to promote vigorous root development. In the field, begin application before planting or transplanting, then continue at key crop growth stages throughout the production cycle to maintain soil biological activity and crop performance.

Step 3. Follow good handling practices

Store the product in its original container in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. The biodegradable, non-hazardous formulation requires no specialized personal protective equipment when handled according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

Downloads

SAFETY DATA SHEET (ENGLISH)_240821.pdf (PDF, 347.35 KB)
A Progress Report for Tokyo8 on maize grain yields - Aug 2024.pdf (PDF, 716.05 KB)
Tokyo8 - Integrating Biofertilizers with Organic Fertilizers - Sustainability 2024.pdf (PDF, 2.99 MB)
Tokyo8-Handling-Instructions-basic.pdf (PDF, 973.47 KB)
image.png (PNG, 891.1 KB)

Last updated on Sep 4, 2026

TAIYO YUKA CO. LTD.
Enora Le Borgne

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