近年約15年の間に，ベトナムの首都で国内第二の都市であるハノイでは急激に都市化が進み，近郊農村では多くの農地が工業用地，商業用地，住宅に転用された。本研究の目的はハノイ近郊における農地転用とその農民への影響を明らかにすることであり，社（行政村）という小地域での世帯インタビュー調査結果から帰納的にアプローチする。本稿は３つの部分で構成されている。まずハノイ市の急速な都市化と農地収用にともなう諸政策，とりわけ農地転用に伴う補償制度について概観する。そのうえで，事例地域であるメーチー社における2000年から2007年にかけての農地転用，農地収用，農地補償の実態を明らかにする。本研究を通じて，メーチー社では農村地域から都市化された地域へと急速に変化し，その結果，農民の生活様式や職業までもが変容してきたことが明らかになった。その上で，農地転用の農民への影響を検討し，就業構造の変化，伝統的な食品加工業の低迷，農地保障金の利用実態と将来のリスクといった問題を抽出した。

Food security is an urgent issue in contemporary society, and there is a great deal of interest in how safe food supply systems should be constructed. It is necessary to identify the problems with current food supply systems and to plan ways to improve them, in order to upgrade their level of safety and security. The purpose of the present research is to make a contribution in terms of geography by using the case study of the Mikasa Foods scandal, exposed in 2008, which involved improper rice distribution. Three material sources are used to consider the specific circumstances. One is from Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) statements, and includes a list of the vendors who were regarded as the onward resellers of the tainted rice, while the others are two questionnaires conducted by the author. The first questionnire asked three industry groups ― the sake brewing industry, the liquor retailing industry and the confectionery industry ― about the impact of the incident. The second asked the vendors listed by the MAFF of the impact on them.

(1) From the MAFF data, it appeared that a small amount of tainted rice could move over long distances and diffuse over wide areas through the current complicated food supply system. The industry most affected by this was traditional Japanese sweets. (2) Answers to the industry group questionnaire indicated that even local businesses not on the list experienced declines in sales or had to close down. Traditional Japanese sweets manufacturers were particularly serious cases, as they have more frequent and more direct contact with consumers than do sake brewers. (3) The details of those impacted became clear from the questionnaire directed at vendors who were on the list. In addition to business operation problems, such as declines in sales of over 50％ and it taking over one year for sales to recover to the level prior to the incident, many sufferred reputational damage, libelous claims, a cynical attitude on the part of media companies and inappropriate reactions by the relevant authorities.

Point (1) can be said to be a structural weakness of today’s highly complicated and immense food supply system. Short food supply chains may be effective but it would be difficult for them to replace the current system. Regarding point (2), it is important to disclose information about the actual distribution routes of tainted material to prevent harmful rumors from spreading. However, disclosure of information and harmful rumors are two sides of the same coin and the latter cannot be eradicated. Therefore, in practical terms, clarification of where responsibility lies for the incident, taking remedial action and paying restitution, can be effective in reducing risks to, lightening the burden on related parties, and improving the safety of the food distribution system. In this event, the latter measures may improve food securities, particularly in relation to point (3), it is important to take into consideration vulnerable parties, as represented by traditional Japanse sweets manufacturers, that are on the periphery of food supply systems. It has been found that those with a lack of differentiation of manufacturing and sales, who use a wide variety and low volume of food materials, carry out business on a local scale, and who have a small scale business, get damaged the most.

Since the 1990s, the number of conservation activities directed at terrace paddy fields has increased at the national level, but these activities are unevenly distributed. Until now, no conservation activities have been carried out in one part of Tanada hyakusen, one of the most remarkable terrace paddy field projects in Japan. This paper aims to explain the background of maintaining terrace paddy fields in areas where conservation activities are standings. The changing multiple livelihoods of farmers and the current status of terrace paddy fields’ ownership programs were systematically analyzed.

The area chosen for study is Ohnishi district in Nakajyo village, Nagano prefecture. This area is located in the mountains where Tanada-hyakusen project was implemented. Many houses have been built on the gentle slope. The steep slope is used for upland agriculture, while the gentle slope along the mountain streams and valleys is used for terrace paddy fields.

The ongoing subsistence agriculture and small-scale production of rice farming on terraces was observed. Upland farming was characterized as commercial agriculture, which had declined after the 1960s, and many farmers, particularly man obtained non-agricultural jobs. As a result, upland farming was not able to keep up with the mechanizations of agriculture. On the other hand, the economic role of rice farming has been unsatisfactory as a result of which rice farming was not considered to be a productive occupation. In addition, rice farming has adjusted to the mechanizations of agriculture, and these factors have enabled to cultivation with a few labors. As a result, the rice farming has been continued through unpaid female labor.

These factors contributed to the continuation of cultivation on terrace paddy fields. There has been a steady annual increase in the conservation for terrace paddy fields; in contrast, study area’s conservation activities have declined. As a result, part of the paddy field in Ohnishi district is lying uncultivated, and the ridges are covered with overgrown weed. Furthermore, the preservation activities undertaken for the terrace paddy fields of Ohnishi differed from the preservation activities undertaken at the national level.