Analysis on Actual State of Paddy Fields of Large-scale Farms

Cases from Gyoda and Koshigaya

Abstract

There are many studies on borrowing and lending contracts of the large-scale farms, increasing their farm operations as a result of contract farming. However, there are few studies that have been concentrated on the their fields except their scattering.
In this study, two farmers, who are both selfcultivator and farm machine operators, were selected. One operates about a 20 ha paddy fields for rice and wheat in the suburbs of Gyoda, and 2/3 of his machine-operated plots has been consolidated in a 30 a standard plot. The other is one of the largest farm operators of rice land (about 15 ha) in Koshigaya, and paddy fields remain in the former old style of 10 a standard plots and is being influenced by urbanization.
As for the plots by the contract farming (actual contract of borrowing and lending of plots between farmers, without permission of the Agricultural Land Act. The trustee pays his client land rent). or by the contract for machine operation (undertaking opperations such as farm machine-operated and the cultivation of seedlings. The client pays the opperator wages and grows crops), it is feared that the contract will be canceled by the circumstances of its client. So, at first, the transition of the plots by the contract farming and by the contract for machine operation was investigated. As a result, the whole acreage of machine operating area of these two farmers shows a slight increasing tendency, the place of their operating plots are not permanent. The duration of farm operations is, as a whole, a little shorter in the suburbs.
It can be possible to operate many plots with machine efficiently, if the machine are able to work efficiently inside of each plot, and if the machine operation date is able to be selected freely without any influence due to the adjoining plots. So next, the situation of each plot from the view point of the farm machine operation is examined using the following five factors: 1) accessibility of farm roads, 2) plot size and shape, 3) accessibility of ditches and drains, 4) situation of on-farm irrigation, 5) situation of on-farm drainage. As a result, only 1/4 of machine-operated plots is suitable for largescale farm in Gyoda, and none in Koshigaya.