Efforts towards Farming Issues of New Farmers and Heirs in the Suburbs of the Metropolitan Area

Case Study of Utsunomiya City

Abstract

In this research, we clarify the problems of farming and the effort based on the interviews with new farmers and heirs in Utsunomiya city, the suburbs of the metropolitan Tokyo. As a result, they are generally characterized by return to their hometown of Utsunomiya city. And they choose a new job as a farming. However, even if they are from Utsunomiya city, it is difficult to securing farmland. Moreover, the new farmers in the suburbs of the metropolitan areas tend to have two different settlements with a residential and a farmland, compared with new farmers in the hilled rural areas. Therefore, in order to overcome these challenges, it is important for them to interact with farmers in the local community.