2019 Volume 38 Issue Special_Issue Pages 238-245
As a result of the farmland consolidation project implemented from the 1990s to the early 2010s, farmland has been progressively accumulated by a core group of farmers. Coupled with rural depopulation and aging, this has led to a significant decrease in the number of farmers as well as the scaled expansion of farming. The number of non-farm households has also increased, resulting in changes in the village structure. The activities of community organizations that support agriculture have decreased through the accelerated retirement of village farmers. For instance, facilities that have been improved by irrigation and drainage projects have to be maintained by the water users’ organization, which consists of regional farmers. However, the changes in village structure have weakened the function of the organization responsible for irrigation water management. Using a case study of Sanwa-ku, Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, we clarified the problems that were occurring in the irrigation water management organization in a highly consolidated farmland accumulation area, and identified measures to maintain appropriate water management. In this study area, at present, two older water managers are in charge of the water control for a total of 60ha of paddy fields, but this framework of management cannot be maintained in the future. We identified several measures for future water management, including land use adjustment, the use of diverse human resources, and the implementation of "smart agriculture." To apply these measures, the establishment of an organization that can handle the various demands on local resource management in the rural area is urgently needed.
