Abstract
In recent years, due to aging and unfavorable farming conditions, many farmers have been unable to continue crop cultivation in terrace paddy fields (TPF). This has resulted in the degradation of countryside landscapes. Although there have been a number of TPF conservation activities, only a few of them are reportedly successful in securing the continuous participation of volunteers. The terrace paddy field conservation activity in Oogi-Hirao, Shiga prefecture, is one that has been remarkably successful. With the cooperation of local and city residents, the TPF conservation program, which involves the joint work of volunteers and “owners” under the ownership system, was formed in 2004. Noteworthy is that the quasi-community currency “Oogi” was introduced to express “gratitude” to the participants. The volunteers and owners receive Oogi, which can be exchanged for local products such as rice cultivated on terrace fields. We conducted a field survey using the questionnaire schedule with TPF conservation program participants in 2007. While the survey results indicate that Oogi has certain effect on securing continuous participation, it is unclear if it has serves to mobilize new volunteers.
