The reasons given to explain why local food has been inherited in a certain community are sometimes cultural, without clarifying background details. However, in addition to the cultural factors, there must be other components that have led to these recipes being incorporated into society as well as a complex structure. Much remains to be examined about local food in relation to human activities, including procurement of the materials, techniques employed in the production process, and so on. Regarding the inheritance process, more than one mechanism, beyond the cultural factor alone, must exist between people and things.
　　　　The aim of this paper is to consider the backgrounds against which production of funazushi spread after the inception of high economic growth in the 1960s. Funazushi is one type of local food popular in the area around Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. In order to shed light on the producers, this study investigates the funazushi production techniques and distributing system. This analysis indicates that there are three factors behind the succession and spread of funazushi production within a family. First, a producer procured semiprocessed fish from a fisherman, simplifying the production. Second, the fishermen-cum-peddlers played an important role in delivering a standardized technique. Third, the fishermen-cum-peddlers, based on human relationships, controlled customers through the procurement of materials and production techniques in their business area.

　　　Recently, the excessive use of chemical fertilizers in China has become a serious concern. Although the importance of the farmers’ autonomy over agricultural technology, including fertilizers, has been previously investigated, it has been ignored owing to certain structural reasons, such as the unique urban-rural dual structure. However, sufficient attention should be paid to the fact that the transition from traditional fertilizers to chemical ones occurred in the special historical period of agricultural collectivization prior to the Economic reforms and opening-up; hence, it is necessary to clarify the countermeasures under different social conditions and examine the agricultural policy. Therefore, in this study, the historical transformation of the fertilizer farming method in the People's Republic of China since 1949 from a viewpoint of the autonomy of the Chinese farmers was analyzed. Through this study, it was found that the transition in fertilizer farming techniques in China was gradual, and the Indigenous Chemical Fertilizer that took place during the transitional period was crucial. As a result of accidents or failures encountered during their participating in the production of Indigenous Chemical Fertilizer, farmers acquired the relevant empirical knowledge of chemical fertilizers in participating. Therefore, instead of a uniform dependence on chemical fertilizers, farmers became more aware of soil and the shortcomings of chemical fertilizers, etc., and were able to make autonomous decisions on the use of fertilizers. In addition, the production of Indigenous Chemical Fertilizer is itself a process of innovation that is somehow beyond the autonomy of decision-making. Thus, Farmers are now giving play to the autonomy to insist on traditional organic farming methods as a supplement to chemical fertilizers as much as possible.

　　　The purpose of this paper is to trace and verify the role of Rural Sociology as the Academic Society on the democratic changes in postwar Japanese society for reborn state by literature research around early postwar period through key concepts of annual reports（Sonraku shakai Kenkyu） edited by the Society for Rural Studies（Sonraku Shakai Kenkyukai）as interdisciplinary research project as sociology and economics and historical folklore.
　　　Under the Land Reform after WW Ⅱ in Japan, rural policy on farmers' families to be expected as independent farmers groups, however, which was focused on agricultural mechanization with farmland expansion more than sustainable management such as building up networks with consumer cooperatives for food safety and making plans as local production for local consumption.
　　　Basically democratization cannot be developed sustainably and autonomously without the increase of the subjects responsible for democratization to try new lifestyles following three points;（1）the realization of a full-scale revision of the Agricultural Land Act to make it possible to engage in agriculture as a career choice for any people;（2）he generational change and the employment of women through family management agreements. As for the efforts to improve, we will make it possible to secure an appropriate position as an employee when we acquire corporate status;（3）As a role of a social welfare corporation that guarantees employment opportunities for those who want to work with disabilities and hikikomori who would like to jobs as decent work, and we will strengthen cooperation between agriculture and welfare as well as intermediates for cooperation between agriculture and welfare, looking forward to an opportunity on the need for support organizations.

　本企画では、地域調査実習で試みた実習手法や直面した課題、身につけたノウハウなどを担当者に紹介してもらい、そうした具体的実践を会員間で共有化することを目的に据えた。
　周知の通り、現在、数多くの大学が地域調査実習をカリキュラムに取り入れている。村研会員の中にも実習を担当している人は少なくないが、お互いの実習の手法を知る機会はきわめて限られていたように思う。一言に実習といっても、そのプロセスはじつに多彩である。実習の受け入れ先の選定にはじまり、協力を仰ぐ組織や代表者との調整、学生への事前説明や調査準備、そして実習当日における調査の実施、またそれに伴う学生の引率、移動手段の確保等々。近年では、報告会やワークショップ、農作業や地域活動への参加など地域還元のあり方も多様化し、その工夫が急務となっている。
　調査実習が重要視される背景として、地域連携や地域活性化など、大学の社会貢献を強く求める時代情勢は無視できない。また調査法の多様化や調査倫理の問題（より根本的には調査者と被調査者の関係の変化）など調査のプロセス自体を見直す学術的機運も見逃せないだろう。さまざまな実習事例の蓄積を通して、こうした時代情勢に対する理解が深まり、新たな調査研究方法の模索が進むことを期待したい。
（編集委員会）

　本稿は 2022 年度村研東北地区研究会の内容報告である。本報告会は、19 年間岩手県岩泉町安家地区で暮らしつつフィールドワークをおこなってきた、環境民俗学研究者の岡惠介氏（東北文化学園大学）に「北上山地山村の暮らしから学ぶ」というタイトルで報告をいただいた。生態人類学を大学院で学んだ岡氏は、「食」にかかわる事柄を把握することから山村社会を理解しようと試みてきた本研究会では、事前打合せにて「生産」の捉え直しを通じて自然と人の関係性を考え直したいという企画者の意図をお話しし、報告をお願いした。

　岡氏は、安家地区の生業複合の変化、「救荒食」や野生動植物の利用、食物の貯蔵方法の変化、近年の災害への住民対応など、いくつかのトピックを話されながら、山棲みの根幹に迫るような報告をされた。有意義な質疑応答もあり、企画者側は学ぶものが多かったように思う。ここでは紙面をお借りし、研究会の内容を簡単にではあるが記述していきたい。