This study aims to clarify the establishment of S Farm by non-farming citizens in Hino City, in a suburban area of Tokyo, and the facts of their activities. Its objective is to clarify that these activities are linked to community planning and consider the continuation of these activities.
Flow of research
·overview of the topographic features and history from existing documents and farmer's interviews.
·to grasp actual farmland conditions from field observation and farmland ledgers
From participant observation to S farm and interviews, questionnaire, the communications
·the establishment of S farm and its history
·features of the activities and S farm management
S Farm activities commenced with the recycling of kitchen refuse and joint cultivation, and then expanded to include programs for interchange and education and approaches to local issues. This widening for linkage to community planning was derived from their reflection and usage of local characteristics. The activities have been linked to community planning such as regional resource circulation, decrease in combustible waste, disaster prevention, conservation of hydrologic circulation and agricultural landscape, activation of community, preservation of the canal, inheritance of food culture.
The number of farmlands that citizen use have increased in Arai area. Because (1) there are many rice fields having low productivity; (2) the farmers have an idea of maintaining these farmlands for tax measures; (3) farmlands are easy to be unutilized due to non-cooperation among farmers.
The space characteristics of S Farm are as follows; (1) the farm is located at the corner of a large agricultural land area. Therefore, its impact on the surrounding due to farming experiences and harvest events by many peoples and kitchen refuse composting is not severe; (2)the farm is facing the road, thereby facilitating carrying of kitchen refuse via a car; (3)water flows through the farm that was once a rice field and is used for the cultivation of the crops.
The characteristics of the community are as follows; (4) the residents' associations surrounding the farm have many people residing since a long time, and the participation rate is high and is active. They participant in kitchen refuse disposal activities; and (5) there are childcare and educational institutions that provide food education, and farming experience within a range of 500m from the farm. Moreover, they are located on roads having little traffic. In addition, through the experience of the children, some of their mothers participate in farm activity and administration.
The features of activities are as follows; (1)taking over joint cultivation and normalization as the background of establishment of S Farm; (2)collaboration with the administration and cooperation with the local community for the recycling of kitchen refuse;(3)awareness and educational activities for recycling kitchen refuse and promotion of the same. Anyone enabled participate in the activity at any time. Consequently, the farm is open to the community; and (4) the farm members have aggressively built the inside and the outside of the network to expand activities.
The feature of the management to support these activities are as follows; there are earnest leaders, and core members and sub-member systems; communication of information and learning to use e-mail and newsletters, and management of S farm is flexible and flat while respecting the independence of the members.
It was found that joint cultivation and coordination with the community, which are characteristic features of the activities, are important for their advancement.
