Abstract
Even though grazing on abandoned cultivated land is becoming popular, the exact area and productivity have not yet been estimated. It is necessary to evaluate the potential self-sufficiency rate of animal feed by estimating these values. Therefore, we estimated the grids of abandoned cultivated land by analyzing changes in land use, which significantly correlated with statistical data. The grids of abandoned cultivated land were analyzed by multiple regression analysis using the explanatory variables of vertical drop, maximum angle of inclination, density of valleys, and number of adjoining cultivation grids. The results show that the number of adjoining cultivation grids is most effective on estimating abandoned cultivated land. Other geological factors are also effective, but are not common among all prefectures. It was estimated that pastures with herbage plants have dry matter production of 2.29 million ton on abandoned cultivated land in Japan, and pastures with Zoysia japonica have dry matter production of 54% of pasture with herbage plants.
