emCAMPUS STUDIO (operated by Sala Group / M-Campus Inc., Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture), an incubation facility promoting food and agriculture innovation in Higashi-Mikawa, will hold the "Food and Agriculture Hackathon 2026" on July 18 (Sat) and August 1 (Sat), 2026. The event is organized and operated by emCAMPUS STUDIO and Lirem Inc. This year's program has been significantly updated from the traditional short-term intensive format. It will be implemented as an unprecedented "practice-based business validation program" that integrates not only idea generation but also a two-week challenge validation period and market validation (MVP validation) at the large-scale event "Higashi-Mikawa FOOD DAYS" to be held in September. ▼Details and Entry Here https://hackathon2026.peatix.com/ ■ Background: Why Hold a "Food and Agriculture Hackathon" in Higashi-Mikawa? The Higashi-Mikawa area of Aichi Prefecture supports Japan's food supply as one of the nation's leading agricultural production regions. However, the environment surrounding food and agriculture is currently at a major turning point, facing challenges such as population decline, labor shortages, and climate change. In response to these regional issues, there is an urgent need to foster human resources who can independently create sustainable businesses by combining new perspectives with the latest technologies. To this end, "emCAMPUS STUDIO" has held short-term intensive "Food and Agriculture Hackathons" three times in the past, aiming to foster innovation and develop talent in the food and agriculture sector, generating many new ideas. 【This Year's Evolution】Renewed as a "Business Validation Type" to Prevent Ideas from Being Transient In its fourth year, this year's program has been significantly revamped. Addressing the challenge observed in past events that "ideas from short-term events tend to be transient," we have completely renewed it into a "practice-based business validation program" that goes beyond a m