Farmers' Intention in the Affected Areas 10 Years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Nuclear Disaster

Abstract

This study investigated the intentions of farm managers in the affected areas 10 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear accident. The results are as follows. Regarding the responses obtained from the 327 commercial farm households, it is clear that with regard to future prospects in management, the percentage of farmers who wish to maintain or expand their farms within 5 years is about 70%, but this percentage will drop to 45% after 10 years, while the percentage of those who wish to downsize or leave farming will be 16% within 5 years and almost double in 10 years. The type of management that shows the intention to expand is often a combination of paddy rice with soybeans and vegetables. Regarding the expansion of management, it was found that more expansion in area and volume of shipments and less "vertical expansion" was observed than in sector or item. These were influenced by the "succession" factor in management issues.