The global trend amongst developed countries is towards lower fertility and ageing societies. At the same time, people around the world are continuing to move away from rural areas and towards cities. As societies age, many countries will need to create effective ways to look after the needs of the new population. Emeritus Professor Koichi Ikegami, from the Faculty of Agriculture at Kindai University, Japan, has a keen interest in this field and is working to create an agro-medico-polis model, which links medical, care, food and agricultural sectors, for integrating an elderly society and sustainable agricultural practices.