10 best anime about farming that you should try

Several anime have highlighted the importance of farming and depicted the rich tradition of cultivation across rural parts of the country. Some feature farming prominently while others use it to portray scenic countryside and grow crops integral to signature dishes.

From coming-of-age tales to fantasy adventures, the following anime about farming showcase Japanese agriculture's intersection with personal journeys. The anime about farming on this list cover farming themes across comedy, drama, speculative fiction, and more.

10 must-watch anime about farming

1) Silver Spoon

Silver Spoon follows Yuugo Hachiken, a city boy who enrolls in an agricultural high school to escape the rigors of entrance exam prep. However, he finds farming a lot more difficult than expected. Hachiken gains first-hand experience with crops, livestock, and machinery through several mishaps and discoveries.

As Hachiken struggles to adapt to farm life, he makes friends who share his work ethic and integrity. Together they weather diverse challenges like calf birthing, pig escapes, and inter-school competitions.

Although the labor is backbreaking and emotionally challenging, Hachiken ultimately finds meaning and community on the farm. With realistic characters and a truthful look at modern agriculture, this anime about farming offers an insightful take on farming in contemporary Japan.

2) Moyashimon

Moyashimon (Image via Telecom Animation Film & Shirogumi)

In Moyashimon, college freshman Sawaki Tadayasu has a unique ability – he can see and communicate with microorganisms. This gives him an intimate understanding of processes like fermentation and brewing.

When his professors discover his talent, they recruit him to help with research and development of fermented products like sake and cheese. In his applied microbiology coursework, Sawaki explores a fanciful world of monocellular creatures.

Despite their microscopic size, the germs and bacteria have outsized personalities. They not only educate him but also provide amusing commentary on human habits. By anthropomorphizing all things microbial, Moyashimon delivers an unconventional blend of comedy and food science with ties to agriculture.

3) Spice and Wolf

Set in a medieval European-inspired fantasy world, Spice and Wolf centers on the travels of merchant Kraft Lawrence and his companion Holo the Wisewolf. Holo is a harvest deity who blessed the town's wheat harvests but was forgotten by the townspeople as they developed new agricultural techniques.

As traditional farming changes with the encroachment of modern trade systems, she accompanies Lawrence as he follows seasonal commerce routes. Fundamentally, Spice and Wolf explores "the relationship between primitive and advanced economies."

Through Lawrence and Holo's extensive discussions of trade, debt, and markets, the series weighs tensions between rural and city life. With rich world-building and sharp dialogue, this anime about farming offers a captivating look at historic mercantilism and medieval agriculture.

4) Only Yesterday

Only Yesterday (Image via Studio Ghibli)

Acclaimed Studio Ghibli film Only Yesterday follows Taeko, an unmarried office worker longing for the simplicity of 1960s rural life. On her vacation to the countryside, she stays with the family of her brother-in-law's older brother and is flooded by nostalgic memories of fifth grade.

The flashbacks contrast her adult and childhood selves, revealing how city versus farm living shaped her perspectives. Taeko is enthralled by the pastoral landscape and seasonal cycles guiding the farmers' work. She helps with safflower harvesting and enjoys tasty homemade meals with scenic views.

Reconnecting with nature renews Taeko's sense of wonder, redefines "happiness," and influences major life decisions, including a potential romance with Toshio, a local farmer. With gentle emotional power, it beautifully contrasts urban and rural living through Taeko's nostalgic journey.

5) Hakumei and Mikochi

In Hakumei and Mikochi, miniature people Hakumei and Mikochi live together in a cabin in the forest. The natural world towers around them, making mundane tasks an epic adventure. They hunt insects for meat, befriend wild seagulls to ride on for transport, and cross rivers on slippery mushrooms.

Despite periodic squabbles, their tiny lives brim with little joys. Leisurely episodes follow the seasons. In spring, Hakumei and Mikochi plant vegetable gardens. Summer brings thunderstorms that rumble through their miniature open-air house. Autumn leaves litter their yard, ready to burn for cooking fires in the cold winter.

While the show leans more into a slice-of-life format, small-scale farming, and foraging play a role in their daily survival. With rich world-building and stellar background art, this anime about farming magnifies life's small treasures from a Lilliputian viewpoint.

6) Barakamon

After punching an exhibition curator for criticizing his calligraphy as lacking individuality, talented but arrogant artist Seishu Handa heads to the Gotou Islands. Exiled to the rural location, the former city slicker must adapt to village living so different from his prior lifestyle.

Quickly befriending energetic local children, Handa gains inspiration from the natural beauty and cultural traditions of the community. By engaging with local crafts, fishing, and traditional customs, he starts anchoring his work around themes like family, personal growth, and mortality.

His calligraphy evolves from stiff and traditional to free-flowing creativity. Although not entirely focused on farming, Barakamon incorporates nature elements while humorously and poignantly depicting one man's journey from egocentrism to community connection in a rural setting.

7) Non Non Biyori

Set in the countryside village of Asahigaoka, population five, Non Non Biyori cheerfully depicts daily life for schoolgirl Hotaru Ichijyo and her friends. They make the most out of living hours from the nearest shopping mall or arcade.

The girls go insect catching, help with rice harvesting, and swim in irrigated fields – turning rural realities into joyful adventures. Since Hotaru moved from bustling Tokyo, aspects of rural living baffle her. Her funny mistakes, like struggling to adjust to local customs, soon get laughed off.

Over time, Hotaru adjusts to relaxed countryside customs, valuing harvesting fireflies over shopping sprees. With vivid scenery and a heartfelt look at rural pleasures, Non Non Biyori affectionately embraces country living.

8) Wolf Children

After college student Hana falls in love with enigmatic handyman Ookami, who reveals himself as a werewolf, they start a family together with two children – Ame and Yuki. Following Ookami's death, young widow Hana relocates to the countryside to raise her son and daughter.

While learning to farm to sustain them, she struggles to balance their human and wolf identities. Though farming is a challenge, she perseveres, cultivating a small rice field and vegetable garden to provide for her family.

Gorgeously animated, Wolf Children portrays profound motherhood against tranquil rural backdrops. Over a decade, rice fields backdropping the family's rustic wooden house set the scene for this poignant supernatural drama.

9) Farming Life in Another World

Farming Life in Another World (Image via Zero-G)

Isekai series Farming Life in Another World follows Machio Hiraku, a 39-year-old who dies from illness in modern Japan. Granted new life by a deity, he awakens healthy with an "All-Purpose Farming Tool" in an alternate world.

Choosing a peaceful farming existence, Hiraku transforms a thick forest into bountiful cropland. Over time, his farm flourishes into "Great Tree Village," attracting a diverse community of elves, beastmen, and other fantastical beings.

This series blends fantasy, slice-of-life, and comedy around core themes of community building and rural survival. While magical elements simplify real-world farming, this anime about farming highlights agriculture's role in civilization.

10) No-rin

Centered around Tamo Agricultural School, No-rin anime follows Kosaku Hata, a student who is devastated when his favorite idol, Yuka Kusakabe, suddenly retires. His world is turned upside down when she later enrolls in his agricultural school under her real name, Ringo Kinoshita.

As the story unfolds, the characters engage with agricultural studies and farm life while navigating their relationships. The series blends romantic comedy with agricultural education, showing how farming knowledge is passed down through generations while also adapting to modern approaches.

With humor and heartfelt respect for domestic agriculture, No-rin makes farming relatable against modern backdrops.

Conclusion

In conclusion, these anime about farming showcase how farms and countryside offer fertile ground for meaning, adventure, and connection.

Their beautifully animated rural settings depict the appeal of sweeping fields and starry nights. Farming may require dedication through mud and sunshine, but nature's bounty sustains families and brings communities together. These anime about farming highlight profound life at a pastoral pace.