After the East Japan Great Earthquake, recovery of infrastructure and industry is in progress. On the other hand, a problem about life and existence like earthquake-related stress, has occurred. From the previous experience of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995, supporters thought “working” as a way of preventing isolation. However, we should consider about characteristic of “working” in Tohoku area; the most of area was subsisted by primary industry. In this paper, we focus on especially the “working” of farmers in the coastal area.
Tamaura area, the coastal area in Iwanuma city, was attacked by the tsunami and residents were transferred by the reconstruction policy, so most of the famers gave up working. Some of the farmers, however, restarted agriculture. They were divided into two types. One type of farmers tried to incorporate the policy aims. The other type of famers restarted agriculture in their own way.
The latter was sustained by residences or private funders. This type of agriculture was small scale, so farmers received little benefit. Even so, there were two meanings for them. First, it is meant to rebuild relationships with others. Separated the people by refuge and move, farming together was a chance of reunion. Second, it is meant to exhibit their identities because they had been engaged in agriculture for the life. Therefore, we would define this type to “Agriculture as raison d’existence”.
After earthquake, life of the retired farmers was changed to “Nothing to do”—it means to lose everyday activities like working, meeting with people in the community. In this situation, “Agriculture as raison d’existence”, having the two meanings previously mentioned, would contribute to revitalization. To sustain life and existence of the sufferers affected by the earthquake, we would think the system of support for such type of working.
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