Almost no geographical study has been done till now that compares marginal lands in Canada and Hokkaido. To approach this subject, the author examined the trend of the changes of the marginal lands and agricultural land use in terms of regions and times. The obtained results are as follows.
1. The agricultural areas decreased in seven among the eleven provinces, comparing 1981 with 1961. However, the agricultural areas increased in Prairies and British Columbia, and the increased areas in Prairies accounted for 80 percent of the national agricultural areas. This paper makes clear the changes in terms of the number of farmers, farming sizes, and the contents of cultivated lands.
2. The changes in Prairies are summarized as follows. Although the agricultumal areas in Manitoba were the smallest among the three provinces, the increase and decrease rates of the agricultural areas in each division were greater than in the other two provinces. The agricultural areas and average farming size per family were the greatest among the three provinces but the increase and decrease rates in the whole provinces were comparatively small. Although the agricultural areas in Alberta were the second largest following Saskatchwan, and its changing patterns in each census division were similar to those in Saskatchwan, the increase of improved pasture was greater than in the other two provinces.
3. The agricultural lands were enlarged in the extend areas in Prairies, but decrease in several census divisions. The decrease in agricultural land, in particular, were characterized by the retreat of intensive marginal lands, as in the periphery of Winnipeg, and also by the retreat of the extensive marginal land as in the division 9 area in Alberta.
抄録全体を表示