Development and Problems of Grazing on Drained Paddy Fields and Forest Land in Japan(<Special Issue>Restructuring of Japanese Agriculture)

DOI Web Site

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 水田・里山放牧の展開と推進課題(<特集>構造再編下の日本農業)
  • 水田・里山放牧の展開と推進課題
  • スイデン ・ サトヤマ ホウボク ノ テンカイ ト スイシン カダイ

Search this article

Abstract

In hilly and mountainous areas in the Chugoku and Kyushu regions, beef cattle pastures have been developed from drained paddy fields, unused land (including crop rotation land), abandoned cultivated land, and forest areas since the 1990s. Advantages include not only improvements in stock raising management but also land use in peripheral regions or hilly and mountainous areas. In this paper, development of grazing is examined, including cattle breeding farmers and rural community-based organization, and the possibility of pasture farming. Pasture areas for beef cattle farming are, on average, 1-1.5 ha, and they are geographically dispersed. In such pasture areas there are few farmers who proactively expand their farm size, and they are mainly held as a means to extend one's working life into old age. Meanwhile, pastures by community-based organizations tend to have larger manageable pasture areas. This is significant for pasture community planning going forwards. However, in order for a business to continue, a certain size in terms of cattle raising is required. Also, it was suggested that pasture farmers working on beef cattle pasture in groups may lead to a wider range of work, and may lead to lower initial costs required even for small-scale farmers. In farming and mountain villages a decrease in the population may result in abandoned cultivated land such as paddy fields, suggesting these may be aggregated for management of wider areas of land.

Journal

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top