抄録
Land and water resources development projects for agriculture in Japan have played an important role in coping with various requirements of a fast-growing economy. Light is being shed on the structural adjustments of agricultural production, and the quality of life in rural areas has started to receive more and more attention.
A project is undertaken by either the national or a local government based on farmers' initiative, or by the farmers thermselves. Implementation is commenced upon the completion of legal procedures with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as stipulated by the Land Improvement Law. Every project is subsidized by the national and/or local governments, but the actual percentage of subsidy varies with the size of the benefited area and the category of the project. An unsubsidized portion of the project cost is to be borne by the participating farmers. If the project is executed by the national government, the government provides all the funds for the construction, and the farmers repay their share upon the completion of the project.
For the past 3 or 4 years, annual budget authorization for land and water resources development for agriculture has accounted for about 2% of the total amount of the national budget, an amount equivalent to about 1/4 of the entire budget of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
