[in Japanese]

View full abstract

We digitized land uses in the latter Edo era in Awaji Island, central Japan, using old maps called Bugengunzu. Bugengunzu is one of the oldest map by a modern measurement method in Japan, which was drawn by Okazaki family working for the domain of Tokushima from 1802 to 1847. Two maps (approximately 1/18000) covered whole Awaji Island. A total area of woodland was 34,916 ha at that time. Compared with the area in 1980's, which was 34,729 ha, only 0.5 % of woodland disappeared in 150 years. Some woodlands changed into fields and plantations in 1960's in north and middle parts of the Island. On the other hand, some fields on the steep slop and at high altitude in south part were abandoned, then these areas changed into woodlands.

View full abstract

The objective of this paper is to discuss regional transportation service reconstruction and methodologies for that as a solution for the issue of expanding areas without public transportation services in rural areas. This study surveyed two of Demand Responsive Transport Systems in rural area. It is important that the service level and coverage of DRT is decided according to the characteristic in the region, and cooperation with another existing bus.

View full abstract

The reclaimed wastewater quality in 39 treatment facilities of combined household wastewater for individual houses were investigated in the rural area in Ehime Prefecture, in Japan. The mean values of SS·BOD·COD·T-P·T-N were 8.70mg·L^-1, 12.0mg·L^-1, 25.3mg·L^-1, 3.69mg·L^-1, 23.6mg·L^-1, respectively. The SS·BOD·T-N concentrations decreased when the return flow devices were continuously operated. The COD·T-N concentrations decreased when it was shorter period since the cleaning, including back washing and sludge carry out. Based on the results, the availability, limitation and the key of the better management practices of the treatment systems to the water quality conservation in Japanese rural area were also discussed.

View full abstract

We investigated the density of Rana japonica on the grassland of levee in the rice terrace called “Oyama-Senmaida” in Boso Hills. The number of individuals on the grassland of levee was counted once at each month from April to October, 2005. For juveniles, the seasonal change was clarified that they stay temporary in levee after metamorphosis, and afterwards disperse all together. For adults, it was 1.6-1.9 times density in slope compared with levee top in irrigation period. It is thought that the habitat of Rana japonica has been formed by maintaining semi-natural grassland according to the cultivation management.

View full abstract

We analyzed factors affecting distribution patterns of alien plants around irrigation and drainage facilities in Japan using 288 flora data around the facilities and common environmental data collected at grid-cell level (30”×45”). Forest cover rate and topographic relief were negatively correlated with the rate of naturalized species and the rates of alien plants which belonged to the three life-form spectra; annual-biennial, perennial, wet species. The distribution patterns of the frequent species were considered to be strongly affected by climatic conditions such as temperature, radiation, snowfall, and precipitation rather than land use types from the fit results of the species presence-absence models to the observed occurrence patterns. These results suggest that vegetation management around an irrigation and drainage facility must be planned and conducted based on the climatic conditions and the surrounding land use type of the site.

View full abstract

A pesticides reduced farming method for irrigated rice cultivation, using the apple snail Pomacea canaliculata (LAMARCK) as a biological weed control agent, has become popular in Japan and some Asian countries. There is no risk assessment of using this snail, although it is invasive for native ecosystems and biodiversity in rice paddy and wetlands of Asian countries. Examination of snail impact on species diversity of vascular plant flora in rice fields of Matsuyama City, was conducted, where snail populations is extending. In rice fields colonized already, mean number of species declined to 40% of ones not yet colonized and aquatic plants markedly decreased.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the direction of conservation and sustainable management and use of terraced rice field landscapes. We analyzed the forming process of terraced rice field landscape by the change in spatial features of the landscape. Terraced rice field lots and distribution of levee trees and forests were focused as the spatial features. Landscape elements were identified using aerial photographs from 1976 and 1995. The mesh analysis had been adopted to solve the change pattern of the terraced rice field landscape. As a result, a present terraced rice field landscape had been formed through two different changes in relations with the local residents. One change is abandonment of cultivation and expansion of forest. Another change is readjustment of rice field lots.

View full abstract

Omi-hachiman city in Shiga prefecture launched a new landscape plan in 2005, and a plan for landscape conservation in agricultural promotion area in 2006. This paper discusses the contents of the landscape conservation plan in agricultural promotion area and also describes the making process of the plan through authors' experiences at the city as planning advisers. The making process of the plan is summarized as follows; (a) encouraging residents to participate in the making process of the plan, (b) coordinating different sectors in the municipality, (c) coordinating different plans, and (d) creating landscape awareness for a long time.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze structure and characteristics of the landscape in “Kisakata,” Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture and to examine the subjects of landscape conservation in the future. Analyzing the landscape structure and characteristics by maps and panoramic photographs make it clear that various type of sequence landscapes exist in a small district. Considering these results, maintenance that considers all directions and that put together on the “island” sequence are important.

View full abstract

This paper aims to investigate the strategy that the school biotope should be continuously used as a place for the cooperation of the school people and the local residents. In this research, elementary schools in Japan that won to "All Japan School Biotope Contest" are selected and the questionnaire survey was done for them. The results are as follows.
1. Making the activity plan to solve the problem of the control of maintenance before the School Biotope is set up.
2. The local resident's participation in the School Biotope Activity reduces the labor and the cost of maintenance.
3. The local residents participation in the School Biotope Activity leads to the discovery and the creation of new utilities.

View full abstract

This study's objective was to find ways to conserve rice terraces while revitalizing the area based on cooperation of all parties involved. In the studied area, residents affirmed favoring renting fields to outsiders. Furthermore, an NPO whose main objective was the conservation of satoyama (cultural landscape) organized rice farming events in the area to raise public interest. Visitors mentioned varied enthusiasm for such projects depending on the time needed and the easiness of access to the terraces. Revitalization of the area while conserving rice terraces could be possible based on cooperation benefiting all parties with the NPO at the center.

View full abstract

In this research, we built the model applying drama theory for clarification of the conflict and its settlement process to reach agreement through negotiation between the subject from which a position and an interest differ for consensus building about environmental preservation activity of the Terada-irrigation pond in Kakogawa city, Hyogo. As a result, we clarified the opportunity in which each subject changed the intention in process of the consensus building, and that factors which made a contribution to these changing was "sincerity" "persuasion", and "a threat.

View full abstract

Recently, fascination of mountainous village has been highly evaluated. The object area is a mountainous village Gujo-city, Gifu-pref. where some residents tackled village activity making use of rural resources. In this study, three were done, making village resources map and cards, analyzing of the sequence landscape and doing two workshops from the viewpoint of residents and tourist, to understand village resources objectively.
As the results, it came to be able to understand village resources objectively. And furthermore village residents try to start a new activity.

View full abstract

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the development process and the significance of the trainee system in a community and to consider an effective utilization of the system. The results are; 1) the development process of the trainee system can be divided into three stages. 2) the effects of the trainee system are different at each stage. 3) the effects can be classified into domiciliation, an effect of a tool, and an effect of expression. 4) the development of a community has also been influenced by the trainee system.

View full abstract

The depopulation is one of the biggest problems in the rural areas. In this study, we made a questionnaire survey on Region Characteristics to the representatives of rural communities in Sasayama city, Hyogo prefecture. We also calculated the population ratios of the thirties in each community that we regard as an important index of settlement. Then, we classified rural communities of Sasayama city into 3 using their own Region Characteristics. After that, we analyzed the relationship between each type and the population ratios of the thirties and other indexes of settlement. As the results, we found the settlement must be promoted by Region Characteristics.

View full abstract

In these days, a neighborhood has been drifted apart even in rural community. This would be caused by decreased networks that are formed by settlement of residents. Therefore, the place to communicate is needed for the people who have their various histories. In this research, we compared the effect of the new relationships of parents, whose children are entering an elementary school, on the community building between rural and urban regions. The obtained results suggested that new partnerships among parents by entering school greatly affected on the activation of the social network. This newly formed network in elementary school might be one of the strategies for reorganization of the village including new residents.

View full abstract

Through a case study of an elementary school division in Sasayama city, this paper clarified the actual situation and the problems of autonomous organizations. The problems were; 1) The inhabitants were burdened with too many posts for the size of the community. 2) The present mechanism of administrative assistance and autonomous organization didn't fit the needs peculiar to each area. Therefore the inhabitants, especially who were deeply involved in the community, sought a breakthrough. Based on this analysis, we showed a direction for the independence and the activation of the community with the reconstruction of the autonomous organization in an elementary school division.

View full abstract

Through analysis of citizen questionnaire at Sonoda district in Amagasaki-city carried out in February, 2006, We considered a role of urban farmland and possibility of the maintenance, practical use from the living environment formation, a viewpoint of community improvement. On this paper, we considered particularly civic agriculture male participation in planning awareness and possibility of civic support for farmland maintenance.

View full abstract

The paper intends to clarify the possibility of neighborhood inhabitants' support and those facilitating factors for maintaining Satoyama in local cities and agricultural areas through investigations of the actual conditions of maintaining activities and inhabitants' evaluation. Four study areas in Gunma Prefecture and Tochigi Prefecture were chosen for investigation, and the research method carried out questionnaires to the neighborhood inhabitants and junior high school students in order to clarify facilitating factors as well as discouraging factors in each study area's circumstances. The result is summarized as follows. Enlightening activities for the neighborhood inhabitants, cooperative activities with the educational institutions and local authorities are both effective for maintaining Satoyama in local cities and agricultural areas.

View full abstract

This paper aims to consider resident's countermeasures to damages by wild Japanese macaques in the coexistence of urban-rural village where damage is serious. Correlations among the contents of damage and the coexistence of farmhousehold and non-farmhousehold and length of inhabitance were analyzed. It is the most important countermeasures to cooperate between the longer term residents and the shorter one.

View full abstract

Questionnaire surveys were conducted in 13 rural communities of Wakayama Prefecture to analyze the present state of agricultural damage caused by wildlife and residents' attitudes towards it. The agricultural damage caused by wild boars was the most serious. More than half of all farmers (52.5%) intended to carry out measures decreasing the damage as a group. Meanwhile, 28.7% of all farmers required financial or material supports for the damage from the local government and 23.0% of them demanded hunting for nuisance control. Although most of non-farmers were concerned about agricultural damage caused by wildlife, less than half of non-farmers (34.6%) think it important all residents' participation in decreasing the damage.

View full abstract

We introduced CS (customer satisfaction) analysis into farmers markets. CS investigation showed that needs of a customers and purposes of coming to the store depended on characteristic of farmers markets. Line-up and quality of foods are considered important in the farmers markets held on holidays. Quality of vegetables is made much of in the farmers market held weekdays. Prices and displays of merchandise are considered important in the morning markets. Farmers The farmers markets with restaurant must be kept clean. However, refinements are up to characteristic of farmer's market and its customers' needs. There are several refinements universal to some extent, and they are Line-up of foods and prices and displays in the morning markets.

View full abstract

As Local consumptions of agricultural products produced in local area expand, farmers have the great chance to enlarge the business scale and sales. This study pointed out the factor expanding the shipment for urban city (Hiroshima City) consumers and the factor of consumers' needs for agricultural products produced in local area (Shobara City). As a result of research based on Factor Analysis, it became clear that the above two factors can be connected with each other by marketing strategy (4Ps). This strategy consists of individual management efforts of farmers, organizational supports by producer groups, and informations on fresh vegetables and fruits produced in local area.

View full abstract

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the facilities and service standards towards sustainable management of farm-inn. The conclusions are as follows: 1) The facilities and service standards concerning farm-inn management is different according to the type of business classification. 2) It was able to propose important facilities and service standards item for sustainable management of Farm-inn according to the type of business classification. 3)For farm inn of small-scale, It is one effective method to attempt cooperating in the region with another farm inn for sustainable management. 4) It is important for the balance of "Income securing" and "a life worth living that passes the exchange with person" to develop sustainable management.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the Willingness to Pay (WTP) of Fukuoka residents for the introduction of bio-ethanol on use of domestic automobile fuel. The contingent valuation method was used to carry out the analysis and we found that the average WTP was ¥3 per liter and it was higher than the normal fuel price. If the same tendency and results in this study are assumed to be extended for the whole country, the total amount of WTP for introducing bio-ethanol is ¥180 billions per year. If we use this amount of money for the rice production of bio-ethanol, the average subsidy for 1 million ha set-aside paddy field was ¥18,000 per ha. Even thought there are many problems to be considered for the development of bio-ethanol industry in Japan, this subsidy should be very useful for the promotion of the domestic bio-ethanol production.

View full abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze management efficiency of Land Improvement Districts (LID) in Hokkaido's paddy areas by applying DEA (Data Envelopment analysis). The result shows that Irrigation management scale, irrigation facilities and the number of associates have no influence on the management efficiency of LID. In comparison with managerial characteristics between efficient LIDs and inefficient ones, factors creating difference in efficiency are not irrigation area and the number of associates but labor productivity of LID. To improve efficiency, reduction of operation cost is more effective than reduction of maintenance cost.

View full abstract

First, I estimated the model of farmers behavior about expansion of agricultural land leasing with the choice analysis in a case village located in sloping area. As the result, it was found that farmers were more concerned about the price of rice, the conditions of farmland, and land rent than the subsidy of direct payment. Furthermore, based on this result, I tried the farmland use prediction by a microsimulation. The result of the simulation showed if farmers behavior about expansion of agricultural land leasing was not taken into consideration 62.3% of farmland decreased from 1995 to 2015. However when farmers behavior was taken into consideration, this decrease was reduced to 44.5%.

View full abstract

We evaluated the agricultural practice with environmental consciousness from a view point of energy consumption. Various kind of energy consumption in the edible mustard plant and green soybeans production with environmental consciousness was investigated in north-eastern Chiba prefecture and compared to that by the standard agricultural practice. Indirect energy consumption by agricultural practice with environmental consciousness was significantly lower because of smaller amount use of chemical fertilizer and pesticide. They were controlled to a minimum level based on diagnosis of soil and plant condition. Such diagnosis and traceability system would make consumers understand added value to the farming itself and its products.

View full abstract

We proposed a new consensus building method in a scene design of rural area, which consists of workshops involving pablic and image questionnaire by computer graphics (CG) to residents. The procedure is; 1) preliminary questionaire in a workshop to draw CG images, 2) image questionnaire to all residents in an area and 3) final workshop to make decisions of plans. As a result most participants in the workshop accepted the results of image questionnaires and were satisfied with the process.

View full abstract

In last thirty years, the economic structure of China has been changed, and vast surplus labors have been brought about in rural areas. In order to keep them in the rural areas, the central government proclaimed a new policy on ‘New Town construction’. It intended to promote urbanization and modernization of the rural people, too. In this study, we firstly focused on the economic- and urban development gaps between the two regions, Then we pointed out that the policy is successfully implemented in the economically-developed coastal areas of China, but not so much in developing western areas, where especially minority−groups are living. Then we carried out a hearing survey and a questionnaire survey at central government, some authorities concerned and the case study area. By the questionnaire survey, we made clear the problems of this policy.

View full abstract

This paper aims to identify the requisites for rural residents to accept visitors for experience learning. A questionnaire survey was done for residents in a Kami town, Miyagi pref. The main findings were as follows. 1) Just 2% of the respondents had experience of accepting junior high school students aiming for agricultural experience learning, and spatial distribution of the respondents having those experience was uneven. 2) Seventeen percent of the respondents had latent intention for cooperation to accept the visitors. 3) Most important requisites was found to be offering visitors' personal information beforehand. 4) Provision of the database on acceptance conditions such as accommodations and experience was found effective.

View full abstract

Most of Japanese are anxious about the coming of an aging society in near future. But the essentials of this problem is not aging, real subjects are bedridden or nursing. Therefore, we describe about the how to apply a new health promotion method for Aged in daily agricultural life by this paper. We got the evident fact according to our research by the opinion poll among the citizens.
There are as follows: 1) Aged farmer has decreased the daily stress than young. 2) Farmer likes drinking alcoholic drinks, but dislikes smoking. 3) Many people has considered agricultural work to be a worth living.
Our conclusions is light agricultural work is good for health-promotion for Aged.

View full abstract

This study made clear some reasons why city dwellers participate into Paddy Fields Schools such as 1) the preference of the parents to experience nature and agriculture, and 2) the desire of the parents to experience their children. The study also revealed some elements of the activities that engraved in the participants' mind such as 1) non-daily activities, 2) intellectual and aesthetic satisfaction, and 3) communication with other participants. It is recognized that Paddy Fields Schools have an excellent effect on deeping sensibility of the participants. It is considered that agricultural activities in Paddy Fields Schools develop the sensibility recognizing creatures, nature and communication.

View full abstract