Provided is a method for preserving the freshness of agricultural crops that is simple and inexpensive, does not use chemical agents, does not involve heating, can be applied to a wide range of agricultural crops, and can achieve a uniform freshness preservation effect across all targeted agricultural crops. This method for preserving the freshness of agricultural crops is characterized by irradiating agricultural crops with near-infrared light. The wavelength of the near-infrared light is preferably within the range from 700 nm to 2500 nm. The near-infrared light irradiation intensity is preferably within the range from 0.1 µmol/m2/s to 10000 µmol/m2/s. The time for irradiation with the near-infrared light is preferably within the range from 1 nanosecond to 72 hours.
