Abstract
In rural areas of Japan, abandoned cultivated land has expanded markedly for three major reasons: 1) a decreasing population and aging of farmers; 2) lower agricultural commodity prices; and 3) the existence of small-scale farmlands on slopes. Similarly, the problems associated with the expansion of abandoned land can be summarized as wild animal invasion into farmlands, slope collapses, and decreased permanent resettlement. Therefore, this study focuses on grazing to decrease the amount of abandoned cultivated land and provide a solution to those problems because grazing does not require much labor and it is possible that abandoned cultivated land could be utilized in new ways.
Cattle grazing in hilly and mountainous areas in the Chugoku and Kyushu regions can be taken as a model for managing abandoned cultivated lands and promoting livestock raising. Cattle are grazed on drained paddy fields, terraced paddy fields, or steep land instead of in vast pastures. Moreover, in 1989 Yamaguchi prefecture started a grant project for grazing on drained paddy fields which played a pioneer role at that time. Cattle are pastured on approximately 40 hectares in the city of Nagato.
This study examines the Yuya district of Nagato in detail as a case study, focusing on stock raising on beef cattle-breeding farms and the reasons for the spread of cattle ranching. The findings of the study can be summarized as follows. 1) When farms began to graze beef cattle, farmers could take advantage of the grant project that was related to the improvement of grazing facilities. 2) Grazing is an effective tool for farmers to save labor in beef cattle breeding and to reduce expenditures on fodder. 3) Cattle breeding farmers were able to use farmlands near their livestock barns as pastures. 4) An enthusiastic leader in cattle pasturing resided in this district.
Finally, pasturing can be introduced to expand the number of grazing areas for beef cattle. However, major problems in grazing on drained paddy fields include securing the pasture, lack of investment to improve grazing facilities, and giving cattle-breeding farmers a better understanding of grazing. If non-farmers who own farmland have abandoned cultivated land, the cooperation and consensus of people residing in rural settlements may be necessary for the expansion of stock raising. The grazing form of land use can lead to the sustainable management of cattle-breeding farms in hilly and mountainous areas where the abandonment of cultivation continues.
