We developed a tool for predicting the possibility of rice cultivation by using the rice-growth simulation model known as the Simulation Model for Rice-Weather Relations (SIMRIW). This is a Web application that can be applied globally to display on a map the potential for cultivation in an area, the optimum transplanting date, and the maximum yield. This application was developed as a decision-support system tool for policy decision-makers and farmers rather than researchers, although the original SIMRIW model was developed for researchers. SIMRIW had already been implemented as a Web application by using an agricultural model development framework. We improved the model's engine to enable the model to be executed with a large number of repetitions in order to simulate the entire Earth by using a large parameter set. Moreover, we added a new data source to MetBroker, which is a supplier of meteorological data, to enable the handling of 1°-grid meteorological data. The model was executed 365 times while the transplanting date was moved by 1 day each time, and the cultivation possibility was determined by whether or not the yield was zero. This execution involved eight cultivars (five japonica and three indica), three air-temperature addition values, and two CO₂ concentrations. The results are stored in XML format, and users can view them by using the Flash version or Google Earth version of the data viewer application.

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In this study, a next-generation Kansei-equipped agricultural robot is proposed and focuses on controlling the robot through body language. Kansei agri-robots are defined as agricultural robots equipped with Kansei communication and robotic functions. Kansei communication is defined as "two-way communication between humans and robots, or other machines, that supplements or supersedes traditional one-way (human-to-machine) input and operation". In Kansei communication, humans and machines interact in ways that take into account thoughts, emotions, etc. Thus, Kansei robotics can be defined as "robotics technology in which Kansei communication has been made possible". In this paper, the first step towards Kansei communication was the extraction of the outline of a human worker from the overall image observed by the robot. This was made possible in a closed environment using an algorithm combining the HSV color extraction and background finite difference methods. It was then investigated methods of controlling our Kansei agri-robot using body language and gestures extracted from still photos of agricultural workers. For this research, a LEGO Mindstorms robot equipped with computer vision was used. Commands instructing the robot to stop, advance, reverse, etc. became possible based on the ratio of the extracted worker area to the convex hull area.

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The Measure of Direct Payment in Hilly and Mountainous Areas (HMAs) was introduced in 2000 for the first time in the history of agricultural policy in Japan. The main objectives of the measure are to prevent the abandonment of farmlands and revitalize rural communities to maintain and enhance the multi-functionality of agriculture. Participation in the measure is voluntary, mainly through community-based agreements. The measure is revised every 5 years, and the third phase has been operational since April 2010. The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree to which the measure has slowed the acceleration of abandonment of farmlands. For the first phase of the measure (between 2000 and 2004), limited data availability limited our focus to the paddy and upland fields of Hokkaido as a whole and of the Kamikawa and Sorachi subprefectures in particular. Among the 212 cities, towns, and villages in Hokkaido, 117 were eligible for the measure, and 106 of these participated during the first phase. Over 95% of the targeted HMAs in Hokkaido were covered by the measure. The data used were gathered from the 2000 World Census of Agriculture and Forestry and the 2005 Census of Agriculture and Forestry. All of the agricultural communities in Hokkaido recorded in the census were classified into two groups, namely, treated and untreated. The former consisted of rural communities in participating municipalities that had paddy and/or upland fields as well as HMAs, whereas the latter included all of the remaining communities, other than those without paddy and upland fields. By using the difference-in-differences estimation method, we found that, in the treated communities in both Hokkaido overall and the Kamikawa and Sorachi subprefectures, the measure slowed the rate of increase in abandonment of cultivated lands by about 0.8% points.

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