畑作物経営・土地利用の推移と畑作政策

抄録

　This paper focuses on recent trends of upland farming systems (UFS) and the direction of the new agricultural policy from the viewpoint of UFS.
　Since the establishment of the Agricultural Basic Law in 1961, planted areas of upland crops have underwent three stages, namely, reduction stage, gradual recovery stage and fluctuating stage. We can withdraw relevant policy implications from experiences in the gradual recovery stage for designing effective upland farming policies, because both the upland crop rotation systems in Hokkaido and the rice-based rotation systems in irrigated paddy fields in Honshu developed in that period. These farming systems are still the basis of Japan's upland crops production.
　First, we examined how the agricultural policies affected the development of upland farming. Among others, the government's attitude to "globalization" and changes in price support policy were found to be the fundamental factors on the rise and fall of upland farming. Next even in Hokkaido where farmers have a comparative advantage in land using upland farming, the agronomically rational rotation systems could not appear without high price support and crop insurance schemes after the 1970s. Lastly, the form of paddy-upland convertible farming systems in Honshu could not exist unless the government added further price support for non-rice crops to promote rice conversion policy.
　Three policy implications are pointed out. First, it is neccessary to establish an upland farming promotion policy. Improving food self sufficiency was incorporated as one of the policy goals into the new agricultural law in response to people's demands, and is one step toward this end. Second, price support and/or income suport is neccessary to increase the production of upland crops. Third, in the long run, land improvement in both paddy fields and upland fields is still the basis of the above policies. Additionally, other policies which reinforce farm management are required.